The Apple M2 is a System on a Chip (SoC) from Apple that is found in the late 2022 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13. It offers 8 cores divided into four performance cores and four power-efficiency cores, providing a significant boost in performance and power efficiency compared to the previous M1 chip.
Core Configuration
The big cores of the M2 offer 192 KB instruction cache, 128 KB data cache, and 16 MB shared L2 cache, an increase from the 12 MB found in the M1. The four efficiency cores are smaller and offer only 128 KB instruction cache, 64 KB data cache, and 4 MB shared cache. The efficiency cores (E cluster) clock with up to 2.4 GHz, while the performance cores (P cluster) clock with up to 3.5 GHz, providing higher performance than the M1 cores.
The architecture of the M2 is similar to the A15 (iPhone 13) with Avalanche and Blizzard cores. The chip features a unified memory architecture for the CPU and GPU cores and supports up to 24 GB LPDDR5-6400 for a bandwidth of up to 100GB/s.
Performance
According to Apple, the M2 offers an 18% higher CPU performance at the same power consumption level compared to the Apple M1. In testing, the MacBook Pro 13 with active cooling was able to reach the 18% increase in Geekbench Multi. In other benchmarks, gains of 12 to 15% were measured compared to the M1, bringing performance close to that of the M1 Pro with 8 cores. However, the passively cooled MacBook Air may suffer from throttling in longer load scenarios.
Integrated Graphics and Neural Engine
The integrated graphics card in the M2 offers 8 or 10 cores and a peak performance of 3.6 TFLOPs. Additionally, the SoC integrates a fast 16 core neural engine with a peak performance of 16 TOPS (for AI hardware acceleration), a secure enclave (e.g., for encryption), Thunderbolt / USB 4 controller, an ISP, and media de- and encoders.
Technical Specs
The Apple M2 includes 20 billion transistors (up from the 16 billion of the M1) and is manufactured in the second generation 5nm process at TSMC (most likely N5P). The power consumption is rated at 20W, which was also measured under CPU load.
Comparison to previous Apple M-Series chips
When comparing the Apple M2 to other Apple M-Series chips, the M2 Max has a clock rate of 2.42 - 3.48 GHz, 12/12 cores and a 48 MB L3 cache. The M2 Pro has a clock rate of 2.42 - 3.48 GHz, 12/12 cores and a 24 MB L3 cache. The M1 Max has a clock rate of 2.06 - 3.22 GHz, 10/10 cores and a 48 MB L3 cache. The M1 Pro has a clock rate of 2.06 - 3.22 GHz, 10/10 cores and a 24 MB L3 cache. The M2 Pro 10-Core has a clock rate of 2.42 - 3.48 GHz, 10/10 cores and a 24 MB L3 cache. The M1 Pro 8-Core has a clock rate of 2.06 - 3.22 GHz, 8/8 cores and a 16 MB L3 cache. The M2 has a clock rate of 2.42 - 3.48 GHz, 8/8 cores and an 8 MB L3 cache. And lastly, the M1 has a clock rate of 2.06 - 3.22 GHz, 8/8 cores and an 8 MB L3 cache.
Conclusion
The Apple M2 is a significant improvement over the previous M1 chip, offering increased performance and power efficiency for the latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13 models. With its 8 cores divided into performance and efficiency cores, a unified memory architecture, and powerful integrated graphics and neural engine, the M2 is well-suited for demanding tasks such as video editing, gaming, and AI-based applications. Additionally, the M2's 20 billion transistors and 5nm manufacturing process also make it one of the most advanced and powerful chips on the market. Overall, the M2 is a significant step forward in Apple's chip development and sets a high standard for future SoCs.
In conclusion, the Apple M2 is a powerful and advanced SoC that offers significant improvements over the previous M1 chip. We hope you found this article informative and insightful. We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the M2, and any experiences you may have had with it. Please feel free to leave your comments below and join the conversation by using the hashtags #AppleM2 #MacBookAir #MacBookPro13. Your feedback is valuable to us, and we look forward to hearing from you.
