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Apple M2 Pro vs M2 Max: How do these new chips stack up?
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Apple blew everyone out of the water with the announcement of the latestMacBook Pro M2 (2023), alongside two new chips.
No one expected the MacBook Pro 2023 to be announced this early, but it was even more surprising to see that the latest Pro models come with two brand-new chips: theM2 Proand the M2 Max.
As of writing, these chips can only be found in the latest MacBook Pro (2023) models, although we expect that they will crop up on more devices over the next year.
If you’re interested in learning more about these two powerful chips then make sure you keep reading, as we will be breaking down all the key differences so you can decide which model is best for you.
M2 Max can be configured with a 38-core GPU
While both chips seem to be massively powerful, the M2 Max edges out its smaller sibling with an incredible 38-core GPU option. The M2 Pro caps out with a 19-core GPU overall, suggesting that it will be less capable when it comes to intensive workloads, such as extreme 3D geometry.
Apple claims that the M2 Max comes with a staggering 67 billion transitions, which is 10 billion more than what can be found on theM1 Maxand over three times more than the originalM2. The company has also claimed that the M2 Max is the most powerful chipset ever found in a MacBook Pro, putting it head and shoulders above the M2 Pro in terms of raw power.
M2 Pro has less unified memory
The M2 Pro features up to 32GB of unified memory, putting it below the incredible 96GB of memory that can be found on the M2 Max chip. Both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models can be configured with up to 96GB RAM, but they will need to be kitted out with the M2 Max.
The fact each laptop comes with unified memory instead of RAM – which you can read more abouthere– means that it should have improved speed and performance. It also helps to cut down the energy consumption of both the RAM modules and HDD, which should result in a more streamlined experience for users overall.
Up to 400GB/s memory bandwidth on the M2 Max
The M2 Pro chip features up to 200GB/s while the M2 Max can be configured up to 400GB/s. Memory data dictates how quickly data and information can be read and stored by the CPU. Simply put, more memory bandwidth results in faster data speeds and response times, which can be vital if you’re working on intensive media tasks such as 3D rendering or 4K video editing.
The 400GB/s memory bandwidth on the M2 Max means that it will be the better option for professional creatives since it boasts double the bandwidth of the M2 Pro, and will be able to move data significantly faster.
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Gemma joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer after graduating from Leeds Beckett University with a Journalism degree. She’s worked with national outlets, covering breaking news stories to reviews fo…
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
