Apple unveiled 3-nanometer processors, the M3 series, during a presentation, and the highlights of this launch are the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips. These processors feature powerful graphics and offer support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shaders, making them even more gaming-friendly than the M2 series.
Apple M3 boasts 25 billion transistors and supports up to 24 GB of unified memory. It features eight CPU cores (four high-performance and four high-efficiency). According to Apple, this processor is 35% faster than the M1 and 20% faster than the M2. It comes with a 10-core GPU with dynamic caching support, allocating the right amount of local memory for specific tasks. Graphics performance has increased by 65% compared to the M1 and 20% compared to the M2.
Apple M3 Pro packs 37 billion transistors and supports up to 36 GB of unified memory. The 12-core processor consists of six high-performance cores and six high-efficiency cores. It offers a 20% boost in performance compared to the M1 Pro. The graphics unit comes with 18 cores, providing a 40% performance increase compared to the M1 Pro and a 10% boost compared to the M2 Pro.
Apple M3 Max, the most powerful solution in the company’s history, features 97 billion transistors and supports up to 128 GB of memory. The processor has 16 cores, including 12 high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. Apple claims this innovation is up to 80% faster than the flagship Apple chips from the previous generation – a bold claim that will need real-world testing. It comes with a 40-core GPU, delivering a 20% performance increase compared to the M2 Max.
The Apple M3 series is equipped with a faster and more efficient neural engine, performing 60% faster than the M1 family. Additionally, it supports H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW, and AV1.
In terms of energy efficiency, there has been a substantial improvement. Apple compares its processors in this regard to the 12-core Core i7 1360P, showing that the M3 series consumes significantly less power to deliver similar CPU and GPU performance.
The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are the first devices to feature the M3 processors. Additionally, the latest processors are available in the iMac.