Apple Is Rumored to Prepare a 12-Core Beast Called the “M1X”
Last updated June 20, 2021
- Leakers claim that Apple’s boosted M1 will be called “M1X”, and it’ll be a 12-core chip.
- This new model will be focused on performance, so 8 of its cores won’t pay much consideration to energy consumption.
- The M1X is rumored to be way ahead in performance compared to M1, and we’ll see it on the upcoming MacBook Pro 16.”
When the M1 arrived and awed the crowds with its performance, many people immediately started wondering what is going to be the case with the Macs. The M1 was surely impressive for laptops and the Mini, but bigger computers like the iMac or even the Mac Pro come with a big question mark. As the MacBook Pro 16” is due for renewal soon, the first rumors about the chip that’s going to beat inside it have already started to spread.
More specifically, Twitter tipsters claim that the new chip will be called “M1X” and will feature 12 cores. Eight of them will be performance cores, and four will be high-efficiency cores, so the M1X will be focused on power rather than on being frugal. The first product to have the M1X will be the next-gen MacBook Pro 16”.
So, if that is really the case, does it mean that Apple could just shove 16 or even more cores on the next-gen Mac Pro and have a crazy-powerful computer suitable for all possible pro-grade applications? Unfortunately, processor design doesn’t work as simply as that, as attaching more cores adds to the complexity in design, increases the rate of bad yields in production, and makes higher clock frequencies at stable performance harder to achieve.
All that said, Apple is probably going for this kind of approach, but we will have to wait and see what their R&D has in store for us. The MacBook Pro 16” is expected to arrive within the first quarter of 2021, and the first benchmark test results are going to be very interesting to see. The leaker said that internal sources testing a prototype told him that “if you think M1 is fast, you haven’t seen M1X”.
Already, the “standard” M1 running inside the fanless MacBook Air is outperforming the high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro by about 8%, so the M1X is expected to obliterate the previous generation. Those of you who bought the 2019 model - well, we’re sorry. Its reselling value is expected to drop like a stone once the new one is out, if not already.
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