Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by pohl on Friday November 03, 2023 @10:18AM
(#38129123)
The M3 Max performs similarly to an M2 Ultra. That feels pretty big to me as a current M1 Max user.
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Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by steve1977 on Friday November 03, 2023 @10:43AM
(#38129559)
It’s also more expensive than a M2 Max or M1 Max if I’m not mistaken.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by stetrain on Friday November 03, 2023 @11:03AM
(#38129873)
14" MBP with the highest M2 Max configuration, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD was $3899.
A new model with the same configuration is also $3899.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by steve1977 on Friday November 03, 2023 @12:29PM
(#38131072)
Interesting, they seem to be bit more expensive where I live, although I cannot compare them 1:1 (spec'd one with M2 Max 30 Core GPU and 64 GB RAM some months ago, however for 64 GB RAM I would need to go with the M3 Max 40 Core GPU now, so not a fair comparison)
Edit: But in any case, the difference would not be huge from what I can see, so I guess my point is moot
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by speedgoose on Friday November 03, 2023 @12:29PM
(#38131074)
Wow, that’s overpriced for such low specs.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by grecy on Friday November 03, 2023 @12:39PM
(#38131220)
Please show me a laptop from another manufacturer that has similar specs, similar screen, similar battery life that costs less.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by speedgoose on Friday November 03, 2023 @01:58PM
(#38132490)
It’s more that those specs are not worth the price bump. I have a M1 that is slightly less capable but cost much much less. I use it to access machines that are faster than this M3 laptop when needed.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by stetrain on Friday November 03, 2023 @01:18PM
(#38131866)
For 16 core CPU, a dedicated GPU equivalent, 400GB/s LPDDR5 memory, 3024x1964 Mini-LED, and 18 hours of battery?
The closest I can configure a Dell XPS 15 is $3099, and that's a 14 core CPU and likely lower memory bandwidth and lower performance SSD. They claim 18 hours of battery but only with the base screen, the upgraded screen is presumably less.
And from personal experience using an XPS 15 is a significantly worse experience in stability, heat, fan noise, and real-world battery life.
And here are benchmarks for the XPS vs the M3 Max:
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by speedgoose on Friday November 03, 2023 @02:07PM
(#38132606)
Yes I guess if you absolutely need those specs in a small laptop and you don’t care about value it makes sense. I think it’s more that the laptop is not a good deal compared to other Apple laptops.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by stetrain on Friday November 03, 2023 @02:18PM
(#38132751)
Oh for sure. The value return per dollar gets worse the higher you go up Apple's options list. Especially their RAM and SSD upgrade prices.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by ttoinou on Friday November 03, 2023 @06:35PM
(#38135962)
So, with inflation, the actual price got down
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by strangescript on Friday November 03, 2023 @10:55AM
(#38129752)
Exactly, how are people overlooking this. Its like saying I am going to drop a near silent windows laptop, that is thin and cool, oh and has BETTER performance than last year's desktop windows machines.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by abrouwers on Friday November 03, 2023 @12:17PM
(#38130909)
I agree it's impressive, in the same way Ferrari announcing a new super car is impressive. But, I drive a hatchback, and was just hoping they'd cave on 8gb/256gb for ram/storage, or support for multiple monitors.
Re:M3 Macs: there's more to performance than counting cores
by adolph on Friday November 03, 2023 @01:05PM
(#38131680)
Well they just caved on the 128G storage last year (2022 [0]), so it seems premature to think that might happen. The last bump in base RAM was 2017 [1] and before that 2012, so one might think that would increase soonish. However, the shift from Intel to Apple silicon changed the nature of RAM in the machines. Its too soon to tell what a base-level upgrade would look like.
0. https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/specs/macbook...
1. https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/specs/macbook...