How have the CPUs in our Macs become faster since the Macintosh 128K was launched by Steve Jobs forty years ago?
frequency
How to compare an undocumented if not secret co-processor? Using different tests that use very high power, and can result in strange patterns of core allocation. So how does the M3 Pro fare here?
Comparison with M1 variants, energy use with comparison between M3 Pro and Max, virtualisation, Game Mode, vector processing and matrix co-processing – all in summary.
Assessing throughput using tests of fast Fourier transforms and sparse Cholesky factorisation from the Accelerate library. Is there an AMX there?
Differences in vector processing performance between the M1 Max and M3 Pro, and in their use of power. Their frequency control is more complex.
Examines two special core allocation modes: for the virtual cores in a macOS VM, and in Sonoma’s new Game Mode.
Looks at power use and energy efficiency in M3 Pro chips, deriving equations for energy use according to numbers of cores used and their role.
Using assembly language test loops to understand the differences between M1 Pro and M3 Pro CPU cores casts new light on their differences.
Know yourself, including your methods and their limitations; nothing to excess, and certainty brings insanity: the maxims for those who study macOS.
Zipf’s law seems very deeply embedded in language, and pervades many utterly non-linguistic data. We still do not understand why.
The Eclectic Light Company 