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> I agree the M2 numbers were not amazing. What other CPU core design iteration managed to improve performance while also cutting power draw? Anandtech's deep

> I agree the M2 numbers were not amazing. What other CPU core design iteration managed to improve performance while also cutting power draw? Anandtech's deep dive on the performance and efficiency cores used in the A15 and M2: Performance: >In our extensive testing, we’re elated to see that it was actually mostly an efficiency focus this year, with the new performance cores showcasing adequate performance improvements, while at the same time reducing power consumption, as well as significantly improving energy efficiency. Efficiency: >The efficiency cores have also seen massive gains, this time around with Apple mostly investing them back into performance, with the new cores showcasing +23-28% absolute performance improvements, something that isn’t easily identified by popular benchmarking. This large performance increase further helps the SoC improve energy efficiency, and our initial battery life figures of the new 13 series showcase that the chip has a very large part into the vastly longer longevity of the new devices. https://www.anandtech.com/show/16983/the-apple-a15-soc-performance-review-faster-more-efficient/4 https://www.anandtech.com/show/16983/the-apple-a15-soc-perfo... Intel and AMD seem to have both returned to the Pentium 4 days of chasing performance via increased clock speeds and power draws.

eis 4y ago
The report you quoted and linked to is about the A15 and not the M2. The M2 is based on the A15 but from what I've seen it does use quite a bit more power (~30%?) than the M1 when loaded. Anandtech did not analyze the M2 yet as far as I can see.
- GeekyBear 4y ago
  As previously noted, those core designs are used in both the A15 and the M2. Just as the same cores were used in the A14 and M1. Using more power overall comes from adding additional GPU cores and other non-CPU core functionality.
  - eis 4y ago
    If the increase in power consumption comes from the additional GPU core, from increased frequencies in the CPU cores or other added parts to the chip imho is not that important for users (and depends on what they are doing). They see the system as a whole. They get x% more performance for y% more power usage. For the CPU x is smaller than y. This is totally normal when increasing frequencies. Note: I'm not saying the M2 is bad. It's a very good chip indeed. All I said was it was not amazing. It was an iterational, yet welcome, improvement. And I think one couldn't expect anything amazing quite so quickly.
    - GeekyBear 4y ago
      We're talking about CPU core design. Would we say the Zen 4 core design is less efficient because AMD is going to start bundling an integrated GPU with Ryzen chips, or would we just talk about Zen 4 core power draw vs Zen 3? Apple's performance cores managed to improve performance while cutting power. What other iterative core design did this? It helps to remember that Apple isn't playing the performance via clock increases no matter what happens to power and heat game.
      - eis 4y ago
        I guess that's where the misunderstanding comes from. I was not talking about CPU cores alone. Only M1, M2 as a whole. But I still am not sure if I can believe that the M2 CPU improved performance while at the same time cutting power. Can you link to some analysis? Would be very interesting. Though please not the A15 one, the cores are related but not the same and the CPUs have big differences.
        Maursault 4y ago
        Apple hardware updates are always and only moderate incremental improvements, since the very beginning. Apple is reasonably predictable in this regard. It is unrealistic to expect a generational and exponential leap in performance or efficiency in any of Apple's hardware refreshes. That has never happened, and it likely never will. What happens instead is whatever model gets a little bit better than the last revision. The M1 was not a massive leap forward, but instead an impressive lateral move. Subsequent Apple Silicon chips will only be a smidgen better than the newest previous revision.
  - rowanG077 4y ago
    So how do you explain the M2 13 inch mbp throttling severely under load while the M1 13 inch mbp doesn't as heavily. It's the same chassis. It's impossible for the M2 to use less power, the heat has to come from somewhere. It's not the GPU since many benchmark use a CPU only load to show throttling behaviour.

eis 4y ago

The report you quoted and linked to is about the A15 and not the M2. The M2 is based on the A15 but from what I've seen it does use quite a bit more power (~30%?) than the M1 when loaded. Anandtech did not analyze the M2 yet as far as I can see.

GeekyBear 4y ago
As previously noted, those core designs are used in both the A15 and the M2. Just as the same cores were used in the A14 and M1. Using more power overall comes from adding additional GPU cores and other non-CPU core functionality.
- eis 4y ago
  If the increase in power consumption comes from the additional GPU core, from increased frequencies in the CPU cores or other added parts to the chip imho is not that important for users (and depends on what they are doing). They see the system as a whole. They get x% more performance for y% more power usage. For the CPU x is smaller than y. This is totally normal when increasing frequencies. Note: I'm not saying the M2 is bad. It's a very good chip indeed. All I said was it was not amazing. It was an iterational, yet welcome, improvement. And I think one couldn't expect anything amazing quite so quickly.
  - GeekyBear 4y ago
    We're talking about CPU core design. Would we say the Zen 4 core design is less efficient because AMD is going to start bundling an integrated GPU with Ryzen chips, or would we just talk about Zen 4 core power draw vs Zen 3? Apple's performance cores managed to improve performance while cutting power. What other iterative core design did this? It helps to remember that Apple isn't playing the performance via clock increases no matter what happens to power and heat game.
    - eis 4y ago
      I guess that's where the misunderstanding comes from. I was not talking about CPU cores alone. Only M1, M2 as a whole. But I still am not sure if I can believe that the M2 CPU improved performance while at the same time cutting power. Can you link to some analysis? Would be very interesting. Though please not the A15 one, the cores are related but not the same and the CPUs have big differences.
      - Maursault 4y ago
        Apple hardware updates are always and only moderate incremental improvements, since the very beginning. Apple is reasonably predictable in this regard. It is unrealistic to expect a generational and exponential leap in performance or efficiency in any of Apple's hardware refreshes. That has never happened, and it likely never will. What happens instead is whatever model gets a little bit better than the last revision. The M1 was not a massive leap forward, but instead an impressive lateral move. Subsequent Apple Silicon chips will only be a smidgen better than the newest previous revision.
- rowanG077 4y ago
  So how do you explain the M2 13 inch mbp throttling severely under load while the M1 13 inch mbp doesn't as heavily. It's the same chassis. It's impossible for the M2 to use less power, the heat has to come from somewhere. It's not the GPU since many benchmark use a CPU only load to show throttling behaviour.