Author: Kay Bright
Apple announced the availability of its silicon M2 processors earlier this month, specifically for the MacBook. A second-generation M-series chip, the M2 processor, promises exceptional features above and beyond the M1 processors.
The M2 processors provide up to 18% more performance in CPU-related tasks thanks to their construction using second-generation 5-nanometer technology.
A 35% performance increase in graphics workload is provided by its updated 10-core GPU, and a neural engine that can process up to 15.8 trillion tasks per second is also available.
This article explains what to anticipate from the recently released M2 processors compared to the M1 processors.
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More memory, more transistors
The system-on-a-chip (SoC) design of the M2 processor has 20 billion transistors, which is 25% more than the M1 processor, and improved second-generation 5-nanometer technology.
With more transistors, the chip’s features have improved including the memory controller, which offers unified memory bandwidth of up to 100GB per second, which is 50% more than the M1.
The M2 chip can be configured with up to 24GB of quick unified memory, enabling the M2 to handle more difficult tasks.
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Faster Performance
The M2 processor has new CPU capabilities with higher-performing core speeds. To increase performance gains, it also provides cores with significantly improved efficiency.
Compared to the M1, the combined performance of these cores improves multithreaded processing by 18%. Consequently, the M2 processors can perform CPU-intensive tasks while using less energy.
Apple also asserts that the M2 processors will perform almost twice as well as the 10-core Intel Core i7-1255U Laptop PC chip at the same power level. It will also operate at the maximum PC chip performance while consuming only 25% of the usual power.
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Increased Graphics Performance
A next-generation GPU with up to 10 cores, which is 2ce the M1 generation, is something else to anticipate from the new M2 processors. The 3.6 teraflops of the M2 GPU are an increase of 38% over the 2.6 teraflops of the M1 GPU.
The 10-core GPU significantly improves graphics performance over the M1 at the same power level, thanks to a larger cache and high memory bandwidth.
It can deliver up to 25% more graphics performance.
Additionally, the GPU in the M2 offers faster performance that is 2.3 times more at the same power level compared to the integrated graphics of the most recent laptop PC chip.
The company further asserts that even when a user is playing a graphics-intensive game or editing a sizable number of RAW images, the systems will run coolly and quietly and have excellent battery life thanks to the M2 processor’s increased performance per watt.
The Bottom Line
The M2’s enhanced performance appears to be consistent with transistors that have been significantly improved overall. That, however, suggests that the M2 might not have the M1’s excellent based n watt ratio. The company’s claimed CPU performance numbers may not be all that impressive, but the M2 processors may be worthwhile given the significantly improved GPU performance. However, how the users perceive the upgrade will determine how well the new M2 processor performs.