The uncovering of the M2 chip marks the commencement of the second generation of Apple Silicon.
The M2 chip was said to have been launched in June 2022 during the WWDC event. The M2 chip will power the latest MacBook Air and other Apple models to come.
According to Apple, the M2’s GPU is 35% faster than that of the M1 with more memory bandwidth and support for up to 24 GB of unified memory. The M2 also holds 25% higher graphics performance than the M1 when using the same amount of power. In addition, the M2 neural engine is 40% faster than M1.
Knowing the capabilities, efficiency and other improvements the M2 chip has over the M1 plus understanding the difference between the chipsets will help greatly in purchasing a new MacBook.
This article takes a look at the difference between the first and second-generation chipsets. (M1/M2).
| M1 Chip | M2 Chip | |
|---|---|---|
| Fabrication process | 1st generation 5nm technology | 2nd generation 5nm technology |
| CPU Cores | 8 | 8 |
| GPU Cores | 8 | 10 |
| Neural engine | 16 core (11 tops) | 16 core (15.8 tops) |
| RAM | 16 GB | Up to 24 GB |
| RAM Type | LPDDR4X | LPDDRS |
| Memory bandwidth | 68GB | 100GB |
| Transistors | 16 billion | 20 billion |
Even though M1 and M2 Apple chipsets both have 8-core CPU features, they are built on two different generations. Hence, the M2 delivers up to 18% more enhanced multithreaded performance.
The M2 features more GPU cores over the M1, as the M2 bears 10 cores while the M1 has 8. The extra 2 cores the M2 has, confers it with a 25% higher graphics performance than the M1.
The Neural Engine is the same as that of the M1 chip, but the M2 can process up to 15.8 trillion operations per second an upgrade of 40% over the M1.
The M2 chipset can deliver up to 100GBs of memory bandwidth which translates to M2 having a higher bandwidth over the M1 chip. Apple also claims the M2 has a more efficient and excellent battery life.
In summation, the M2 offers a significant amount of upgrades over the M1. The M2 lays a promising foundation for whatever comes next in Apple’s Silicon business, as the chip is certain to provide a moderate improvement over the M1 chip.
