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The RAM is annoying but its a tradeoff for having it integrated into and shared by the CPU/GPU. macOS hasn't supported RAID boot for some years, but internally
by morpheuskafka 5y ago
The RAM is annoying but its a tradeoff for having it integrated into and shared by the CPU/GPU. macOS hasn't supported RAID boot for some years, but internally buying a larger storage configuration does get you more physical flash chips and increased bandwidth.
And Apple has Rosetta 2 translation which is extremely good and many applications beat Intel performance even when running translated. Having an Intel core would have defeated the cost and performance benefits of M1 and would make the cooling, power supply, etc. more expensive and larger.
- csdvrx 5y ago> Having an Intel core would have defeated the cost and performance benefits of M1 and would make the cooling, power supply, etc. more expensive and larger Not as an optional core that could be powered on when necessary.
- usefulcat 5y agoFrom what I’ve heard, translated apps are nearly as fast as native. Even if not, the number of apps that need to be translated will only decrease with time. I guess I have a hard time seeing how a dedicated full x64 core could possibly be a good use of transistors compared to the alternatives (more arm cores, more cache, fewer transistors/lower cost, lower power usage, etc).
- morpheuskafka 5y agoThe physical footprint of PSU and cooling would still have to be larger to accommodate the increased max wattage/heat, whether the chip is on at any given time or not. The chip would also need its own memory or some interface to access the main memory, which is built into the M1 chip. And, there would be a ton of firmware and microcode updates and stuff to keep track of and secure which was one reason they wanted to have their own chips.