Apple's M3 Pro offers marginal performance improvements over M2 Pro
What's the story
Apple's new M3 Pro chip, found in the latest MacBook Pro models, has reportedly shown only slight CPU performance improvements over the older M2 Pro chip.
Vadim Yuryev of the YouTube channel Max Tech has discovered a Geekbench 6 benchmark result, which revealed the M3 Pro is up to 14% faster in single-core performance and up to just 6% faster in multi-core performance for demanding tasks.
Since this represents just one benchmark result, additional results are necessary to ensure accuracy.
Details
M3 Pro v/s M2 Pro: What's different
The said benchmark result indicated that while both M2 Pro and M3 Pro chipsets have a 12-core CPU, some key differences exist between them.
M3 Pro has six high-performance cores and six efficiency cores, while M2 Pro has eight high-performance cores and four efficiency cores.
Additionally, M3 Pro uses TSMC's 3nm process, while M2 Pro uses a 5nm process.
Reason
Reason for M3 Pro's limited performance gains
Despite manufacturing advancements, the M3 Pro chip's performance gains are allegedly limited. They are compromised due to the absence of two performance cores.
Apple's choice to limit high-performance cores in the M3 Pro chip might be aimed at creating more differentiation between it and the M3 Max chip, which has up to 12 high-performance cores.
Moreover, the M3 Pro also has 25% less memory bandwidth and one fewer GPU core than its predecessor M2 Pro.
Insights
Least upgraded chip in M3 series?
Earlier last week, Geekbench 6 results showed the M3 Max chip is up to 45% faster than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the standard M3 chip is up to 20% faster than the standard M2 chip.
As a result, the M3 Pro chip is being considered the least improved in the new M3 series. However, it is important to remember that benchmarks are a useful reference point, but real-world performance might vary.
Facts
Apple recently announced new MacBook Pro models with M3 series
Apple announced new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips last week. The new MacBook Pros are now available for order.
The M3 and M3 Pro configurations will reach customers and launch in stores on Tuesday (November 7). The M3 Max configurations will be available later in November.
Despite the M3 Pro chip's marginal performance improvements, it still offers a notable upgrade for users and is faster than the predecessor.