The new chips power updated MacBook Pro computers as well as an updated Mac Mini. While Apple usually releases these with a keynote, and had seemingly prepared a video, the releases dropped on a Tuesday with little fanfare. The new Macs they’re in have no external changes, but the engine swap alone will be significant.
M2 Pro and M2 Max
What about users like me? Software engineers or video editors who need more than 32GB of RAM for their workflow and more power? That’s where the M2 Max comes in. The M2 Max has the same 12-core CPU, but up to a 38-core GPU. It also comes at its low end with 32GB of unified memory, up to a whopping 96GB of RAM. Now that’s enough memory for a workflow! Unfortunately, you still can’t run Windows on the new Macs, so gaming is out of the question, but for your work computer churning out videos or compiling apps? It’s going to scream past whatever you’re using now.
New Configurations
The new processors come in either the new MacBook Pro or Mac Mini. Both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro can be configured with the M2 Max and up to 86GB of memory. The 14-inch model has battery life up to 12 hours of “wireless web browsing” and it’s 15 hours on the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Prices start at $1,999 for the M2 Pro and 14-inch model, and can go all the way up to $6,499 for a fully upgraded M2 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro.
While the Mac Mini starts at $599, this is for the M2-based model. If you want the new M2 Pro, that configuration starts at $1,299. This is for a 10-core model of the M2 Pro. For the 12-core model, expect to add $300. A fully “maxed out” Mac Mini will come with a 12-core M2 Pro, 32GB of memory, 8TB of internal storage, 10 Gigabit ethernet, and will cost $4,499.
Apple’s new pro-level processors continue the tradition of the M1 Pro and M1 Max, bringing a significant jump in performance over the base M2 processors. Competition from Intel and AMD has been playing catch-up, but has been closing the gap. Apple’s tight integration of hardware in their ARM-based system on a chip (SOC) designs mean they can optimize performance and battery life. Of course, their workflows are still limited, through a lack of eGPU support and the inability to run both Windows and macOS, as Intel-based Macs could. Still, for a work machine, it would be hard to do better than the new pro-level Macs from Apple.