Apple's M3 Chip: Everything We Know (2024)

FAQs

Apple's M3 Chip: Everything We Know? ›

The entry-level M3 chip features 25 billion transistors. This chip has a 10-core GPU that's 65% faster than M1 for graphics performance, claims Apple. It also features an 8-core CPU (4 performance, 4 efficiency) that's 35% faster than M1 for computing performance. The base M3 supports up to 24GB of unified memory.

“Unpatchable” flaw in Apple M1/M2/M3 chips: GoFetch is the new Spectre. A recently discovered flaw in M-series Apple silicon chips could allow attackers to break Macs' security, according to researchers. “GoFetch” is an attack method targeting data memory-depending prefetchers (DMP).

The Apple M-series chips, which are designed to deliver more consistent and faster performance than the Intel processors used in the past, have a vulnerability that can expose cryptographic keys, leading an attacker to reveal encrypted data.

It's the most refined we've ever seen Apple's legendary laptop, and it's closer to the brand's Pro line than ever. It offers incredible speed, portability, and battery life and will last for years thanks to the efficiency of the M3 chip.

The Apple M3 has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.70 GHz, while the latest Intel Core i9-13900H (also Raptor Lake H) has 14 cores with 20 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.40 GHz.

With M3, MacBook Air is up to 60 percent faster than the model with the M1 chip and up to 13x faster than the fastest Intel-based MacBook Air. And with a faster and more efficient Neural Engine in M3, MacBook Air continues to be the world's best consumer laptop for AI.

Apple M3 chip: Performance

Apple says the performance cores are up to 30% faster than M1, while efficiency cores are up to 50% faster. The M3 line will apparently have the same multi-core performance as M1 but use as little as half the power — up to 35% more performance at peak power, according to Apple.

Intel vs M1: Battery life

After running these tests, the difference in battery life between the Intel Mac vs the M1 Macs was impressive. For example, the Intel Mac had only 25% battery life remaining, while the M1 still had 72%. This perfectly sums up the spirit of the M1: High power with increased energy efficiency!

Apple uses memory, which is designed to serve both large chunks of data and do it very quickly. It is called 'low latency and high throughput'. This removes the need to have two different types of memory and all the copying of data between them, making the M1 faster.

Under the hood is Apple's M3 chip. It offers a nice boost in performance over the original M1 processor—Apple says it's up to 60 times faster, but it's only 20 percent faster than the M2 chipset, so don't upgrade if you have that model.

Is the Apple M3 chip better than M2? ›

The M3 GPU was 76% faster than the M2 GPU, thanks to various improvements that include built-in hardware mesh shading support and ray tracing and the new Dynamic Caching memory system.

The M3 contains dedicated neural network hardware in a 16-core Neural Engine capable of executing over 18 trillion operations per second. Other components include an image signal processor (ISP), a PCI Express storage controller, a Secure Enclave, and a USB4 controller that includes Thunderbolt 4 support.

The M3 chip certainly delivers better performance than M1, based on our testing. If that's your priority, you should consider getting the new M3-powered 13- and 15-inch laptops. However, if you don't need the performance boost M3 provides, you might be better off sticking with the MacBook Air M1 you currently own.

M3 has an 8-core CPU, with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, that is up to 35 percent faster than M1 for CPU performance. And it supports up to 24GB of unified memory.

Apple in October 2023 introduced its third-generation Apple silicon chips, the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max. The chips are Apple's first that are built on the new 3-nanometer process, an upgrade over the 5-nanometer process used for both the M1 series and M2 series chips.

M3 is a measure of the money supply that includes M2, large time deposits, institutional money market funds, and short-term repurchase agreements. M1 is the money supply that encompasses physical currency and coin, demand deposits, traveler's checks, and other checkable deposits.

The Apple III was dogged by many design faults, such as chips coming out of sockets, real time clocks not working, and excessive heat problems due to over populated boards. Although over a period of twelve months Apple had worked vigilantly to correct these problems, the solutions seemed to come too late.

Apple M-series chips are vulnerable to a side-channel attack called “GoFetch,” which exploits data memory-dependent prefetchers (DMPs) to extract secret encryption keys.

Limited Software Compatibility: One notable drawback of the M1 chip is its limited software compatibility with legacy applications designed for Intel-based Macs. While Apple's Rosetta 2 translation technology helps run some x86 applications, not all programs work seamlessly, potentially leading to user inconvenience.

The M3 chip truly is a beast, MetalFX 3D is a game-changer, and the Game Porting Toolkit offers hope for the future. However, the limited game library and occasional performance hiccups in the latest titles prevent it from dethroning dedicated gaming rigs just yet.