Search Results for: M2 Base
Mac mini (M2 base)
The Mac mini (M2, Late 2023) is Apple’s compact desktop refresh built around its second-generation M2 system-on-a-chip. The base Mac mini with M2 (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8 GB–24 GB unified memory) really shines for anyone who wants a quiet, compact Mac desktop without paying for the higher-end M2 Pro/Max silicon. It’s a good fit…
MacBook Air 15″ (M2 base)
The MacBook Air 15-inch (M2, 2023) is a larger version of Apple’s popular ultraportable laptop, offering enhanced performance, a bigger display, and excellent battery life. It’s is ideal for users seeking a balance between portability and screen size while benefiting from Apple’s efficient M2 chip. Its long battery life, and larger display make it an excellent…
MacBook Air 13″ (M2 base)
The MacBook Air 13-inch (M2, 2022) is a lightweight and efficient laptop, offering a balance of performance, portability, and battery life. The MacBook Air 13-inch (M2) is ideal for students, professionals, and casual users seeking a stylish laptop with excellent performance and battery life in a lightweight form factor. Here is a video from MKBHD with more…
Apple SoC M4 Base – Deep Dive
With the M4 chip, Apple continues its track record of delivering significant performance and efficiency gains. First launched in the redesigned iPad Pro in May 2024, the M4 now has rolled out across the entire Mac lineup. But not all M4 base chips are the same. Understanding the different configurations Apple offers is crucial for…
Why the M2 Pro & M2 Max Are Still Excellent Used Macs in 2025
With Apple’s M4 family officially on the scene, prices for older M2 Pro and M2 Max machines have dipped—yet their real-world performance still holds strong. For many users still on Intel or M1 systems, these M2 chips represent one of the best values in the second-hand Mac market right now. Based on benchmark data from…
Apple M2 Family SoC Overview and Performance Analysis
Apple’s M2 series represents the second generation of Apple Silicon chips, building upon the M1 architecture introduced in 2020. Manufactured using TSMC’s enhanced 5-nanometer process (N5P), M2 chips include roughly 20 billion transistors—approximately 25% more than the M1—while preserving Apple Silicon’s notable power efficiency. Rather than shifting to a smaller manufacturing node, the M2 architecture…
MacBook Pro 14″ (M4 Pro)
We just acquired a “base” (24 GB RAM / 512 GB SSD) MacBook M4 Pro 14″ (MSRP $1,999) model from BestBuy during their Memorial Day sale. Along with price matching against Microcenter ($1,699), a BestBuy members-only $75 rebate, “free” AppleCare+ for members, and 2% cash back from the Apple Card, it was a no brainer.…
Apple GPUs – Performance by Generations
Apple’s transition to custom M-series chips has brought significant improvements in integrated GPU performance. This blog post compares GPU performance across Apple Silicon generations—from the original M1 through M1 Pro/Max/Ultra, M2 Pro/Max/Ultra, up to the latest M3 and M4 series—using Geekbench 6 Metal benchmark scores. We use the base M1 as a 100% performance baseline…
Apple SoC Energy Efficiency Overview
Performance scores above are our Normalized Combined Geekbench Scores that combine scores for single + multicore CPU and a normalized GPU Metal metrics into an overall indicator of Mac system performance. Apple Silicon SoC Power Draw Estimates This table summarizes estimated idle and peak SoC (chip-only) power draw values for Apple Silicon chips across all…
For AI Nerds: Apple Silicon Hack Unlocks AMD eGPU for Local LLM Compute
Apple Silicon eGPU “support” isn’t what most people expect—it’s a clever community hack that wires an AMD card into your Mac via USB, not a native Thunderbolt/PCIe eGPU solution. It only unlocks raw GPU compute (for tasks like LLM inference), not Metal-powered graphics or external-monitor gaming. Because it tunnels GPU commands through libusb at USB…