Apple's M3 Max Chip reportedly has 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores

A day after revealing that the M3 Mac Mini could have 24 GB of RAM, Mark Gurman has spilled the beans on Apple's next-gen high-end chipset, the Apple M3 Max chip. The Bloomberg journalist says that test logs from a third-party Mac app developer showed a new MacBook Pro laptop which has been code-named J514.

Apple M3 Max specs leaked

Such logs have been accurate in the past, when Apple tests the compatibility of third-party apps on its unreleased devices. This time, the logs indicate that the M3 Max chip that powers the computer has 16 CPU cores and 40 GPU cores. That may seem like a huge number, but it is actually not that far off from Apple's current lineup. The MacBook Pro M2 Max has a 12-core CPU and a 38-core GPU. So the M3 Max chip has 4 more CPU cores and 2 additional GPU cores.

The M2 Max has eight high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, the M3 Max SoC will have 12 high-performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores. This could give it a massive boost for handling intensive tasks like video editing, graphic designing, and perhaps for playing AAA games. In comparison, the base version of the M3 chip has eight CPU cores and up to 10 GPU cores, while the M3 Pro will have 12 CPU cores and 18 graphics cores.

The M3 Max like the other chips in the series will be built on a 3nm process, to improve the power efficiency and battery life on MacBooks. Apple is also said to be working on an M3 Ultra, but details about the high-end chip are not yet available.

The MacBook Pro M3 Max is said to have 48 GB of Unified Memory (RAM). That's a rather unusual number, but once again it is not entirely out of place. The Apple MacBook Pro M2 Max has 32 GB of RAM, but can be customized to include 64 GB or 96 GB of RAM. The 48 GB memory on the M3 Max laptop will likely be a customization option, and not a part of the base variant of the MacBook Pro.

Apple has completed its transition from Intel chips to Apple Silicon across its entire line-up, a fact that the company's CEO, Tim Cook, stated during the recent earnings call for Q3. Speaking of which, during the earnings call, Apple admitted to a decline in iPhone and Mac sales. The Cupertino-company's revenue from its computers dropped by 7% year-over-year to record $6.8 billion, despite the release of a 15-inch Macbook Air M2. The slump is expected to continue, and the company has informed its investors that it expects Mac sales numbers to decline by a double-digit percentage in Q4 of the fiscal year. Things could improve for the Silicon Valley giant in October when the next Macs are expected to be announced, the holiday season will likely be another factor when sales numbers could be driven strongly.

Apple is working on several Mac models with an M3 chip including, 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, an iMac, an M3 Pro, and a Mac Mini. The 14-inch MacBook Pro could feature an M3 Pro chip, while the 16-inch model will be equipped with an M3 Max, just like the previous-gen models. All M3 Macs are expected to hit the market in the coming year.

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