Apple unveils M3 processor threeseome for Mac computers

News | October 31, 2023

By Peter Clarke

Apple MPUs/MCUs

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Apple Inc. (Cupertino, Calif.) has announced the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max as the processors powering its MacBook Pro and iMac computers.

The M3 family processors are implemented in 3nm manufacturing process technology and feature an improved GPU that provides hardware support for ray-tracing and mesh shading.

The M3 features 25 billion transistors; an 8-core CPU, with four performance cores and four efficiency cores and a 10-core GPU. There is support for 24Gbytes of unified memory
The M3 Pro is made with 37 billion transistors. It has a 12-core CPU split six and six between performance- and efficiency-optimized cores. The GPU has 18 cores and there is support for 36Gbytes of unified memory.
The M3 Max has 92 billion transistors. There’s a 40-core GPU and support for up to 128Gbytes of unified memory. The 16-core CPU features 12 performance cores and four efficiency cores.

All three cores have an enhanced neural engine to accelerate machine learning models. That engine is 15 percent faster than the neural engine in the M2 processor and 60 percent faster than the neural engine in the M1 processor.

Graphics rendering is approximately 2.5x faster than in the M1 processor. Alternatively the M3 GPU is capable of delivering the same rendering performance as M1 using half the power.

All three chips in the M3 family have a media engine, providing hardware acceleration to the most popular video codecs, including H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW. And for the first time, the media engine supports AV1 decoding, enabling power-efficient playback of streaming services.

Computers built around the M3 processors can be ordered now and will begin to arrive in shops and the supply channel from November 7.