Apple already has its new MacBook M3 on sale, which represents an advance compared to the other generations of Apple equipment that it had launched to date. With them, the Cupertino company comes to bang on the table and say: āhere I am.ā
Is the Macbook M3 so good? Is Apple's new architecture worth it? You have the answer before you, in this article, which we encourage you to read.
What's new in Apple's M3 processors?
Apple's M3s, at least on paper, are a clear revolution in terms of processor manufacturing technologies, since the strong point it will have is that It will be the first processor to offer 3 nanometer lithography, something that a few years ago was totally unthinkable and that will provide them with efficiency in energy consumption and power that we had not seen in any processor to date.
These chips will have, in their most basic version, compatibility with up to 24 GB of RAM, offering a construction of eight cores divided into 4 for high-performance tasks and 4 for ānormalā use, these being 20% āāfaster than the M2 that are currently on the market and can reach up to 16-core configurations in the M3 Max version and a whopping 128 GB of RAM in estimated compatibility.
Apple achieves this by āstackingā M3 processors: that is, The Max versions will be a sum of M3 chips that will "come together" until reaching the performance promised by the company. Of course, maintaining the processor size.
New integrated GPU: The starting point for Mac Gaming?
It will also incorporate an integrated GPU, whose name is unknown until now, which integrates a new technology called Dynamic Caching, which will use its power dynamically: that is, it will boost performance when intensive use of the GPU is required and adjust efficiency when energy consumption valley modes are needed, always seeking a balance and ensuring that everything is adapted to the needs required by the use of our Mac at all times.
Of course, cutting-edge technologies from both AMD and Nvidia could not be missing, such as the Mesh shading (which allows you to build images and objects in games without consuming so many resources) and the famous Raytracing or streak tracing, which manages to emulate the real behavior of light so that we have much more realistic results.
I'm personally curious about the performance of this rig and how it would perform compared to a regular PC and high-end PC dedicated graphics like an RTX 4090, but it certainly seems like, If they manage to awaken the interest of game developers, perhaps we are facing the birth of Macs for gaming. Since at least on paper, the M3 processors will be able to do battle with the Intel and AMD range.
What do the new MacBook M3s bring?
If we read Apple's statement from October 2023, where the company announces the launch of the new MacBook M3, Apple makes it clear to us that it continues to maintain its commercial target very clear: creatives, students and entrepreneurs.
And within the statement, where they praise the benefits of these devices, they make one thing clear that I think is notable: the possibility of having a MacBook Pro with the M3 Max and 128 GB of RAM, which seems really crazy to me that previously we could only conceive it on a powerful desktop computer like a Mac Pro.
Of course, as in every generation of laptops, we will have the brand's new Liquid Retina ports and a battery that benefits from the ultra-efficient architecture of the M20, reaching up to 6 hours of battery life.
New macOS compatible with these devices
These devices will come with macOS Sonoma, a new version of Apple's operating system that will seek to take advantage of the full potential of the house's chips and basically improves everything we have seen in other editions of macOS- Brings smoother transitions, desktop widgets, better Continuum integration, video calls with task overlays, and special profiles for video conferencing, among other things.
Now... Are these MacBook M3 computers worth it?
Without a doubt, we are facing one of the candidates for equipment of the year in size and performance, without a doubt: we have tremendously powerful, efficient equipment, that does not make noise and consumes rather little. They are undoubtedly the laptops that anyone would want, as they offer everything one could want in a compact size.
Now, all this is clouded when we talk about a variable that must be taken into account: the price.
And is that the most economical equipment, with 512 Gb of SSD, a normal M3, 14-inch screen and 8 Gb of RAM It costs 2029 euros. And that is a lot of money for many users, who still have to wait for there to be real interest in games being ported to this platform to be able to enjoy a large catalog and not just a few games.
If we now start customizing the equipment, with an M3 Max, 1 TB of SSD, 16 inches and 36 Gb of RAM, we see that it costs about 4299 euros.
My feelings here are mixed: it's a great team... but It is not even remotely the computer that I would buy to play, which is what Apple sells as its great evolution.
For that amount of money, there are wonderful top-of-the-range AMD Ryzen PC configurations, with an RTX 4090 and much more RAM, which also have full compatibility with the catalog of games that exists in Windows. AND still going to āthe most of the mostā, you will have money left over this generation's MacBook Pro.
Apple has undoubtedly turned its PCs into what Rolexes would be for watches: a very good niche product, but within the reach of a few consumers. We will have to see how this strategy affects the market share of Macs and if it is really the way to follow to be competitive in the market... or perhaps there should be a more affordable intermediate range that makes these devices shine in a market hypersaturated with alternatives from Intel, AMD and what's coming next from Qualcomm, which will be strong.