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CanadaMark wrote:
The memory bandwidth on Apple silicon is there for GPU performance, not CPU performance (doubling it does almost nothing for CPU performance, for example). Memory bandwidth is however extremely important for GPU performance, which is why Apple has taken the unified memory approach and also why Nvidia is using GDDR6X with over 1.0 TB/s memory bandwidth in their best cards. The memory bandwidth on the M3 CPU is nowhere near what is available with Nvidia GPUs, which is what you would pair with an Intel/AMD CPU if you were building a comparable Windows machine.
With the M3 Pro dropping down to 150GB/s that is roughly 7 times less than what high-end Nvidia cards are offering and about half that of the entry level Nvidia GPUs like the 4060.
I'm not saying it's bad, just adding clarity on how it needs to be compared if you are looking at Windows machines....Show more →
For comparison, the M2 chips in a MBP, with a Pro configuration run 200GB/s, and Max configuration run 400GB/s ... and have a very low heat signature. With the greater performance GPU's of a high end Nvidia, there is also an accompanying greater TDP / heat signature requirement.
That's not to say GPU performance can't be higher in a Windows Nvidia rig ... but it does require more power / more heat to do so. In a laptop, and particularly if used on the lap, the Nvidia's can get a bit roasty / toasty. Best I can tell, the MBP modular approach, builds out additional memory bandwidth, while it retains a very good performance / heat balance.
I have an M2 Max with 400GB/s ... can't speak to the Ultra configuration (or the M3). My Nvidia in my Thinkpad Extreme ... it just gets too hot to be comfortable to use under load (pano stitching / uprezzing).
While the Max does offer double the GPU cores of the Pro ... it was the increase in memory bandwidth from 200GB/s to 400 GB/s that I was most interested in. I opted for the 64GB (Max was a requirement), but even if I would have only gotten 32GB ... which could be supported in a Pro ... I still would have gotten the Max, for the 2X memory bandwidth over the Pro.
Which, btw ... I did in fact purchase a 32GB Pro and a 32GB Max, as well as a 64GB Max (one at a time, demo / return) in the M1 variants. For my uses, I didn't notice any real diff between 64GB Max vs. 32GB Max. But, I did notice some diff between 32GB Max (400GB/s) vs. 32GB Pro (200GB/s) for some heavier operations / tasks (pano stitching / uprezzing, etc.). For general use, nothing notable. Can't speak to video, I'm stills only.
My takeaway was that the 2X memory bandwidth can facilitate better responsiveness, even if the need for 2X memory amount isn't a requirement for a given task. And, given that the memory is shared between CPU and GPU operations ... all the more reason for getting the faster bandwidth (imo).
Which, btw ... when I got the M2 MBA, the memory was lower at 24GB, but it also came with a bandwidth of 100GB/s. The difference between that and the M1's was VERY noticeable. I really don't think it was the reduction from 32GB to 24GB, rather despite the % CPU increase in clock speed ... SLICING the memory bandwidth in half again (400 / 200 / 100) for 100GB/s in the base units is a VERY different responsiveness vs. 200 or 400. Imo, marginal % in clock speed pales in comparison to the 2X / 4X factor of memory bandwidth when asking for intensive operations. We don't always need the full capacity of say 64GB, but it strikes me that we can always benefit from the more responsive bandwidth (task dependent wrt to threshold of detection).
Imo, the bigger gains for sustained operations come from the bandwidth capacity, more than the clock speed increases. A bit early yet to see how the M3 plays out in this, but no matter what AMOUNT of memory one opts for, I'd pay attention to how much bandwidth rate they can process that memory at, too.
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