Apple M2
Apple M2 vs Apple M3
CPU Comparison Result
Below are the results of a comparison of the characteristics and performance of the Apple M2 and Apple M3 processors. This comparison will help you determine which one best suits your needs.
Basic
Label Name
Apple
Apple
Launch Date
June 2022
October 2023
Platform
Laptop
Laptop
CPU Name
Apple M2
Apple M3
Model Name
?
The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.
Apple M2
Apple M3
Foundry
TSMC
TSMC
Generation
Apple M2 series
Apple M3 series
CPU Specifications
Performance Cores
4
4
Efficient-cores
4
4
Total Cores
?
Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).
8
8
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
8
8
CPU Architecture
Apple Avalanche + Apple Blizzard
Apple M3 performance cores + efficiency cores
Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency
?
Maximum E-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.
2.42 GHz
2.75 GHz
Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency
?
Maximum P-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.
3.48 GHz
4.06 GHz
L1 Cache
P-cores: 192 KB instruction + 128 KB data per core; E-cores: 128 KB instruction + 64 KB data per core
P-cores: 192 KB instruction + 128 KB data per core; E-cores: 128 KB instruction + 64 KB data per core
L2 Cache
P-core cluster: 16 MB; E-core cluster: 4 MB
P-core cluster: 16 MB; E-core cluster: 4 MB
L3 Cache
8 MB system level cache
-
Technology
?
Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.
5 nm
3 nm
Instruction Set
?
The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.
ARMv8.6-A
ARMv8.6-A
Extended Instruction Set
ARMv8.6-A, NEON
ARMv8.6-A, NEON
Instruction Set Extensions
NEON
NEON
Transistor Count
20 billion
25 billion
Memory Specifications
Memory Type
?
Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.
Unified LPDDR5-6400
Unified LPDDR5-6400
LPDDR5 Speed
LPDDR5-6400
LPDDR5-6400
Max Memory Size
?
Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.
24 GB
24 GB
Max Memory Bandwidth
?
Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).
100 GB/s
100 GB/s
Maximum Memory Speed
6400 MT/s
6400 MT/s
Memory Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
GPU Specifications
External Display Standard
Thunderbolt 3 / USB4 with DisplayPort
Thunderbolt 3 / USB4 with DisplayPort, HDMI
GPU Name
Apple M2 GPU
Apple M3 GPU
Max External Display Resolution
Up to 6K 60Hz external display
Up to 6K 60Hz external display; up to 5K 60Hz second external display with lid closed; HDMI up to 4K 120Hz
Video Concurrency
-
Hardware-accelerated video encode/decode; AV1 decode
Video Decode
H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW; up to 8K H.264 and HEVC decode; multiple 4K and 8K ProRes streams
H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW, AV1 decode
Video Encode
H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW; up to 8K H.264 and HEVC decode
H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW
Video Processing Unit
Apple media engine with ProRes acceleration
Apple media engine with ProRes acceleration and AV1 decode
GPU Max Dynamic Frequency
1398 MHz
1400 MHz
Graphics Core Count
10
10
Number of Displays Supported
One external display up to 6K 60Hz
Up to 2 external displays with lid closed
GPU APIs
Metal, OpenCL
Metal, OpenCL
Graphics Performance
Up to 3.6 TFLOPS FP32
Up to 3.55 TFLOPS FP32
Media Engine
Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW
Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW, and AV1 decode
Video Decode Engines
1
1
Video Encode Engines
1
1
ProRes Encode/Decode Engines
1
1
OpenCL Support
?
OpenCL (Open Computing Language) is a multi-platform API (Application Programming Interface) for heterogeneous parallel programming.
Yes
Yes
AI Specifications
NPU Name
Apple Neural Engine
Apple Neural Engine
NPU Performance
15.8 TOPS
18 TOPS
AI Engine
16-core Apple Neural Engine
16-core Apple Neural Engine
Neural Engine Core Count
16
16
Connectivity
Bluetooth Support
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth 5.3
Bluetooth 5.3
Wi-Fi Standard
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Interfaces and Ports
Thunderbolt Support
Yes, Thunderbolt 3 up to 40 Gb/s
Yes, Thunderbolt 3 up to 40 Gb/s
USB Version
USB4
USB4
USB4 Support
Yes, USB4 up to 40 Gb/s
Yes, USB4 up to 40 Gb/s
Miscellaneous
Hardware-Verified Secure Boot
Yes, Apple silicon secure boot chain of trust
Yes, Apple silicon secure boot chain of trust
Image Signal Processor
Apple image signal processor
-
Runtime Anti-Exploitation
Kernel Integrity Protection, Pointer Authentication Codes, Fast Permission Restrictions
Kernel Integrity Protection, Pointer Authentication Codes, Fast Permission Restrictions
Advantages
Apple M3
- Higher Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency: 4.06 GHz (3.48 GHz vs 4.06 GHz)
- Higher Technology: 3 nm (5 nm vs 3 nm)
- Newer Launch Date: October 2023 (June 2022 vs October 2023)
Geekbench 6
Single Core
Apple M2
2549
Apple M3
+16%
2945
Multi Core
Apple M2
9953
Apple M3
+5%
10437
Performance
Apple M3
Single Core
Multi Core
Passmark CPU
Single Core
Apple M2
3903
Apple M3
+22%
4756
Multi Core
Apple M2
15559
Apple M3
+23%
19214
Performance
Integer Math
Multi Core
37 GOps/Sec
42 GOps/Sec
Floating Point Math
Multi Core
37.9 GOps/Sec
48.7 GOps/Sec
Find Prime Numbers
Multi Core
175 M Primes/Sec
236 M Primes/Sec
Random String Sorting
Multi Core
23.9 M Strings/Sec
27.7 M Strings/Sec
Data Encryption
Multi Core
9.6 GB/Sec
11.5 GB/Sec
Data Compression
Multi Core
187.3 MB/Sec
229.1 MB/Sec
Physics
Multi Core
1684 Frames/Sec
1877 Frames/Sec
Extended Instructions
Multi Core
7.3 B Matrices/Sec
10 B Matrices/Sec
Single Thread
Multi Core
3.9 GOps/Sec
4.8 GOps/Sec
Show more
Cinebench R23
Single Core
Apple M2
1595
Apple M3
+23%
1965
Multi Core
Apple M2
8654
Apple M3
+21%
10437
Geekbench 5
Single Core
Apple M2
1914
Apple M3
+12%
2150
Multi Core
Apple M2
8812
Apple M3
+19%
10450
Cinebench 2024
Single Core
Apple M2
120
Apple M3
+14%
137
Multi Core
Apple M2
555
Apple M3
+19%
659
Cinebench 2024 GPU
Apple M2
3340
Apple M3
3340
SiliconCat Rating
157
Ranks 157 among Laptop CPU on our website
508
Ranks 508 among all CPU on our website
139
Ranks 139 among Laptop CPU on our website
464
Ranks 464 among all CPU on our website
Apple M2
Apple M3
