Apple 的第二代内部芯片已可供客户使用，因此您现在可以在 M1 和 M2 产品之间进行选择。M2 芯片有何不同？相比 M1 是否值得购买？
我们将简要介绍每个芯片系列，然后比较它们的CPU性能、效率和图形处理能力。
苹果的M1芯片
M1芯片(M1 chip)系列包括 M1、M1 Pro、M1 Max和M1 Ultra。M1芯片有160亿个晶体管，M1 Pro有337亿个晶体管，M1 Max有570亿个晶体管。M1 Ultra(M1 Ultra)芯片本质上是两个M1 Max芯片通过 UltraFusion 封装架构融合在一起。
基础 M1 芯片有 8GB 和 16GB 内存选项。M1 Pro(M1 Pro)有 16GB 和 32GB 版本，而M1 Max则有 32GB 和 64GB 版本。M1 Ultra(M1 Ultra)拥有20核CPU，其中包括16个高性能核心和4个高效核心。它还拥有高达 64 核的GPU。
苹果的M2芯片
M2系列芯片包括M2、M2 Pro和M2 Max ，分别于2022年(M2 Max)7月(July)和2022年1月(January 2022)发布。在撰写本文时， M2 Ultra(M2 Ultra)仍在开发中，但有消息称它可能会在 2023 年发布。
M2 芯片相对于 M1 代来说并没有重大改进，除了GPU性能之外，我们将在下面详细介绍这一点。M1 相对于之前基于 Intel 的MacBook(MacBooks)来说是一个巨大的飞跃，就像是多代的飞跃。然而，我们现在可以预期，随着每年 iPhone 和 iPad 的发布，新一代的改进也会随之而来。
重要的是要记住，您通常必须比较每个相应层的 M1 和 M2 芯片，因为（例如）M1 Pro的性能将优于基本型号 M2，但不会比基本型号(M1 Pro)M1s好多少。
性能比较：M1 与 M2
与 M1 相比，基础 M2 芯片仅快一点。在多核测试中，速度提高了约 12%，而在单核操作中，速度仅提高了 10%。这可能是因为 M2 的时钟速度比 M1 稍高。这与 Apple 声称的速度提高 18% 不太相符，但请记住，基准测试和实际性能可能有很大不同。
这个故事在每一代更高级别的芯片上都在继续。CPU性能存在明显且可测量的差异，但是否值得为升级支付每层有时巨大的价格差异，这是值得商榷的。根据一般经验，很少值得升级到一代。尽管如此，如果您是新买家或落后了几代人，最新产品还是值得考虑的。
效率比较：M1 与 M2
按每瓦特计算，M2 的效率比 M1 更高。换句话说，您可以在相同的功耗下获得更高的性能，或者以更少的功耗获得相同的性能。M2 芯片在提供最佳性能水平时绝对会消耗更多功率，但由于这超出了 M1 的能力，因此这不是一个简单的比较。
最后，真正重要的是使用任一芯片的设备可以获得多长的电池寿命。从这方面来说，在所有条件相同的情况下，从技术上讲，M2 的电池续航时间确实较短。然而，现实世界中的差异很小，在实际测试中，较旧的MacBook Air（例如）比 M2 的续航时间长约 30 分钟。(30 minutes longer than the M2)
这听起来好像很多，但考虑到两台笔记本电脑在现实条件下都很容易超过 14 小时，所以这并不是一个有意义的差异。因此，我们认为任何人在做出购买决定时都不应该真正担心。
显卡比较：M1 与 M2
虽然CPU(CPU)性能的提升通常不是什么值得大书特书的事情，但苹果公司(Apple)却为其 M2 芯片带来了图形性能的显着提升。当然，M1 芯片也毫不逊色，甚至基本型号的M1 MacBook Air也比普通PS4游戏机拥有更多的原始GPU处理能力，但当涉及到游戏或其他GPU密集型应用程序
时，您永远不会有足够的GPU处理能力。(GPU)
基础 M1 和 M2 芯片在GPU功率方面的性能差异为 35%。M1 Pro和M2 Pro之间的差异据称为 30%。因此，这大致就是GPU(GPU)密集型应用程序中平均
预期的增量。
假设您喜欢在(Suppose)Mac上玩一些较重的游戏或使用受益于GPU加速的应用程序，例如视频编辑器以及 3D 动画和建模。在这种情况下，从 M1 升级到 M2 更有意义，因为当前的Apple Silicon系统不支持eGPU(eGPUs)。
AI 性能比较(AI Performance Comparison)：M1 与 M2
所有Apple Silicon芯片都配有“神经引擎(Neural Engine)”，这是一个专用处理器（或多个处理器），旨在加速 AI（人工智能(Artificial Intelligence)）和 ML（机器学习(Machine Learning)）工作负载。
现在，这对普通用户来说可能没有任何区别，但越来越多的日常软件使用这样的硬件。如果您是一位从事视频、图像处理或音频工作的创意人员，您可能会发现软件中的新功能利用人工智能来实现令人惊叹的功能。即使您不创作东西，人工智能技术也可以实时清理视频和音频，消除噪音或背景，以及许多其他简洁的功能，让您的生活更轻松。
苹果(Apple)表示，在神经引擎(Neural Engine)方面， M2 芯片比M1(M1s)具有 40% 的性能优势，这是各代芯片之间的巨大飞跃。尽管如此，唯一应该明确关心这一点的人是那些 100% 知道他们使用由该技术加速的软件的人。
其他主要区别：M1 与 M2
在比较 M1 和 M2 系列时，您应该了解的最重要的区别之一是，某些型号的SSD(SSD)速度有所下降。例如，在基本型号M1 MacBook Air中，Apple对(Apple)SSD使用了双通道设计，因为存储分为两个闪存模块。不幸的是，入门级M2 MacBook Air中只有一个内存模块，因此有效传输速度减半。
对于基础型号MacBook Air的设计目标人群来说，这几乎没有什么区别，但这也是(MacBook Airs)M1 MacBook Air在视频编辑等应用中脱颖而出的原因之一。如果您想要与 M1 相同的SSD性能，则需要至少购买 512GB M2 设备，这需要双通道设置来容纳两组闪存。
与基于 M1 的系统相比，您还可以选择不同的RAM分配。(RAM)例如，一些 M2 设备现在具有 24GB RAM层，提供 16GB 和 32GB 之间的中间地带。由于Apple Silicon使用统一内存，因此您的RAM既是系统 RAM，又是GPU RAM，因此通常越大越好。尽管如此，对于市场上的普通用户来说，8GB RAM 对于MacBook Air这样的设备来说(MacBook Air)仍然绰绰有余(8GB of RAM is still more than enough )！
哪种芯片更好？
客观地说，M2 芯片在您想要提及的任何指标中都表现更好，除了只有单个SSD数据传输通道的设备的(SSD)SSD性能（如上所述）。
因此，从这方面来说，M2“更好”，这不足为奇。然而，M2 系列的进入影响了基于 M1 的产品的定价，使得决定购买
特定Apple Silicon产品的哪个版本变得有点困难。
无论您使用 M1 还是 M2 设备，更多地取决于它所在的设备，而不是芯片本身。在大多数应用中，M1 系列的计算机功能仍然超出了大多数人的需要。我们认为需要额外GPU能力的人应该认真考虑 M2 设备。对于其他人来说，现在是以大幅折扣购买M1 Apple设备的好时机，尤其是(M1 Apple)M1 Air iPad和M1 MacBook Air等入门级设备。对于M2 MacBook Pro来说，它不值得购买 M1 13 英寸MacBook Pro，因为两款笔记本电脑除了内部主芯片外都是相同的。
Apple M1 vs M2 Chip: What’s Different and Which Is Better?
Apple’s second-generation of in-housе silicon is available to customers, so you can now choose between M1 and M2 products. How are M2 chips different, and are they worth buying over an M1?
We’ll briefly cover each chip family and then compare them on CPU performance, efficiency, and graphical power.
Apple’s M1 Chip
The M1 chip range includes the M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra. The M1 chip has 16 billion transistors, the M1 Pro has 33.7 billion transistors, and the M1 Max has 57 billion transistors. The M1 Ultra chip is essentially two M1 Max chips fused together with an UltraFusion packaging architecture.
The base M1 chip has 8GB and 16GB memory options. The M1 Pro has 16GB and 32GB variants, while the M1 Max includes 32GB and 64GB options. The M1 Ultra has a 20-core CPU that includes 16 high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. It also has up to a 64-core GPU.
Apple’s M2 Chip
The M2 family of chips includes the M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max, released in July and January 2022. The M2 Ultra is still in the works when writing, but word on the street is that it might be released in 2023.
The M2 chips aren’t a massive improvement over the M1 generation, except perhaps for GPU performance, which we’ll cover in detail below. M1 was such a huge leap over the previous Intel-based MacBooks that it was like a multi-generation jump. However, we can now expect a generational improvement in line with the annual iPhone and iPad releases.
It’s essential to remember that you must generally compare the M1 and M2 chips of each respective tier since (for example) an M1 Pro will outperform a base model M2, just not by as much as it beats the base model M1s.
Performance Comparison: M1 vs. M2
Compared to the M1, the base M2 chip is only a little faster. In multi-core tests, it’s around 12% faster, while in single-core operations, it’s only 10% faster. This is probably because the M2 has slightly higher clock speeds than the M1. This isn’t quite in line with Apple’s claims of 18% faster speeds, but remember that benchmarks and real-world performance can be quite different.
The story continues with higher-tier chips in each generation. There’s a clear and measurable difference in CPU performance, but whether it’s worth the sometimes substantial price difference at each tier to pay for an upgrade is debatable. As a general rule of thumb, it’s rarely worth upgrading to just one generation. Still, the latest products are worth considering if you’re a new buyer or are several generations behind.
Efficiency Comparison: M1 vs. M2
On a per-watt basis, the M2 is more efficient than the M1. In other words, you get more performance for the same power consumption or the same performance for less power. The M2 chips draw more power in absolute terms when offering their best performance levels, but since this goes above and beyond what M1 can do, it’s not a straightforward comparison.
In the end, what actually matters is how much battery life you can get from a device with either chip. In that regard, it’s technically true that the M2 offers less battery life, all things being equal. However, the real-world difference is minuscule, with the older MacBook Air (as one example) lasting about 30 minutes longer than the M2 under real-world testing.
That sounds like a lot, but considering that both laptops easily pass the 14-hour mark under real-world conditions, it’s not a meaningful difference. So it’s not something we think anyone should really worry about when making a purchasing decision.
Graphics Comparison: M1 vs. M2
While the uplift in CPU performance generally isn’t something to write home about, Apple has given its M2 chips a significant boost in graphical performance. Of course, the M1 chips are no slouches, and even the base model M1 MacBook Air packs more raw GPU power than a vanilla PS4 console, but you can never have enough GPU power when it comes to gaming or other GPU-intensive applications.
The base M1 and M2 chips have a 35% performance difference in GPU power. The difference between the M1 Pro and M2 Pro is a claimed 30%. So that’s roughly the delta you can expect in GPU-intensive applications on average.
Suppose you like to play some heavier games on Mac or use applications that benefit from GPU acceleration, such as video editors and 3D animation and modeling. In that case, an upgrade from M1 to M2 makes more sense since no current Apple Silicon system works with eGPUs.
AI Performance Comparison: M1 vs. M2
All Apple Silicon chips come with a “Neural Engine,” which is a specialized processor (or processors) meant to accelerate AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) workloads.
Now, this may not make any difference to the average user, but more and more everyday software uses hardware such as this. If you’re a creative person working in video, image manipulation, or audio, you may find that new features in your software leverage AI to pull off amazing features. Even if you don’t create stuff, AI technology makes it possible to clean up video and audio in real-time to remove noise or backgrounds and numerous other neat features that make your life easier.
Apple has said that the M2 chips have a 40% performance advantage compared to the M1s when it comes to the Neural Engine, and that’s a giant leap between the generations. Still, the only people who should explicitly care about this are those who know 100% that they use software accelerated by this technology.
Other Key Differences: M1 vs. M2
One of the most important differences you should know about when comparing the M1 and M2 families is that there’s been a regression in some models regarding SSD speeds. For example, with the base model M1 MacBook Air, Apple used a dual-channel design for the SSD because the storage was split over two flash memory modules. Unfortunately, there’s only one memory module in the entry-level M2 MacBook Air, so the effective transfer speeds are slashed in half.
This makes little or no difference for the general-computing audience the base model MacBook Airs are designed for, but this was one of the reasons why the M1 MacBook Air punched above its weight for applications like video editing. If you want the same SSD performance as the M1 has, you’ll need to buy at least a 512GB M2 device, which requires a dual-channel setup to accommodate two banks of flash memory.
You may also have the option to choose different RAM allocations compared to M1-based systems. For example, some M2 devices now have a 24GB RAM tier, offering a middle ground between 16GB and 32GB. Since Apple Silicon uses unified memory, your RAM is both system and GPU RAM, so bigger is usually better. That said, 8GB of RAM is still more than enough for general users in the market for something like the MacBook Air!
Which Chip Is Better?
Objectively, the M2 chip performs better in any metric you’d care to mention, except SSD performance for devices that only have a single channel for SSD data transfer, as we discussed above.
So in that regard, the M2 is “better,” which should hardly be surprising. However, the entry of the M2 family has impacted the pricing of M1-based products, making it a little harder to decide which version of a given Apple Silicon product to buy.
Whether you go with an M1 or M2 device has more to do with which device it’s in rather than the chip itself. In most applications, the M1 line is still more computer than most people need. We think people who need access to that additional GPU power should seriously consider M2 devices. For everyone else, it’s a great time to pick up M1 Apple devices for significant discounts, especially for entry-level devices like the M1 Air iPad and M1 MacBook Air. For the M2 MacBook Pro, it’s not worth buying over the M1 13-inch MacBook Pro since both laptops are identical save for the main chip inside.
