As we gear up for Apple’s September 15 iPhone event, we’re learning more about what to expect from the rumored M3 chip lineup, especially when it comes to the high-end M3 Ultra chip, which is slated for release in 2024.
Marco Gurman
Bloomberg has been a source of juicy Apple scoops and predictions, stating in its Power On newsletter that the M3 Ultra will offer a huge CPU core boost and a modest GPU core boost. 9to5Mac breaks down the specs for each of the Ultra chips we should be looking at.
The entry-level M3 Ultra is said to have a 32-core CPU with 24 performance cores and eight efficiency cores, as well as a 64-core GPU, a potentially huge leap over the M2 Ultra, which has a 24-core CPU. with 16 performance cores and eight efficiency cores, plus a 60-core GPU.
As for the high-end models, the M3 Ultra will ship with a 32-core CPU with 24 performance cores and eight efficiency cores, and 80 GPU cores, which once again beats the current top-end M2 Ultra. -core CPU with 16 performance cores and eight efficiency cores and a 76-core GPU. Though, again, there’s only a slight increase in GPU cores.
The core increase in the M3 Ultra’s CPU will come in the form of performance cores rather than efficiency cores. Having more performance cores means the new chip will be better able to perform complex computing tasks, which should allow it to run various demanding programs with ease.
Most day-to-day tasks can be handled by the more powerful efficiency cores (to save battery life on MacBooks), but if you’re pushing the machine, the performance cores will kick in and help you with your work.
The M3 Ultra’s specs (if they turn out to be accurate) will be a bit too much for most people, so you’d be better off sticking with the modest and hopefully cheaper M3 chip. It will be quite a leap in performance over the M2 and future-proof your new acquisition for years to come.
We’re rumored to see new M3 Macs in October 2023, with 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros powered by M3 Pro chips expected to make an appearance next year.
