Differences in vector processing performance between the M1 Max and M3 Pro, and in their use of power. Their frequency control is more complex.
powermetrics
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.
Once you know how to configure an app to be able to use Game Mode, you can run better tests. Here are measurements of CPU and GPU performance for comparison between Full Screen and Game Mode.
Apple claims that its macOS VMs can run Metal and deliver “great graphics performance”. How could you assess that, and are they really that good?
How does Game Mode give highest priority access to CPU and GPU? An investigation of the involvement of P and E cores, and the GPU brings some surprises.
How to interpret various measurements reported in Activity Monitor, from % CPU to Energy Impact, and how they can be compared across different Macs.
Using a test of compressing a 1 GB file with AppleArchive, measurements of power used by core clusters show how efficient using the E cores really is.
How can you tell when software uses the Neural Engine in an M1 series Mac? How much power does it use, and what is Espresso? Mysteries unravelled.
Current CPU % given in Activity Monitor can be misleading and has limited value for M1 models. Here’s how to improve it.
The Eclectic Light Company 