1- read this:
https://www.howtogeek.com/701804/how-unified-memory-speeds-up-apples-m1-arm-macs/
2 - USB-C is part of the "standard" now and it is also the future...
https://www.howtogeek.com/211843/usb-type-c-explained-what-it-is-and-why-youll-want-it/
PCs and Macs differ in that regard.
The newest Macs are designed with performance in mind.
The unified memory while shared with the GPU, is so fast as to overcome any performance impact by having to share it.
Also, the embedded SSDS also are blazingly fast also can take over any ram swap required if the RAM were to somehow get used up.
MacOS has unparalleled memory management now, leaps and bound ahead of what standard PCs can do.
In this case, the unified memory is a major improvement on what PCs did and currently do to share memory with the GPU.
Your friend needs to read up on what the new Apple SOCs are actually capable of.
MacPcConsultant wrote:
1. What is the advantage of "integrated memory"? Integrated means that the memory is shared by the CPU and GPU, so won't that result in slowing?
2. Why did Apple not include a standard USB port, reducing or eliminating the need for adapters/dongles ?
Not sure where you got "integrated memory"...
non-the-less Chris Rorden University South Carolina sums it up like this:
“While some operations lend themselves to the CPU, others are ideal for the GPU. An analogy would be transport via jet plane (CPU: moving a small amount fast), or super tanker (GPU: moving a huge amount with longer latency). However, many operations require sharing data between the CPU and GPU some memory transfer can be the bottleneck. In contrast, the Apple M1 chip has unified memory, allowing the GPU and CPU to share memory without penalty.”
Both CPU & GPU sit on the same SoC.
Maybe to help people here answer your questions, first tell us your use-case.
How are you going to use your future Mac?
Then the explanations might make more sense for you. No offense, but your questions can be answered in a rather simple way or super complex - like you already pointed out ;-)
Thank you. Good links, but memory bandwidth has to be shared by the CPU and GPU in this UMA. So when a higher resolution is used and/or higher refresh rate requires a higher bandwidth leaving less for the CPU. This is so complex.
https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/uma-advantages-disadvantages.669169/
Much has occurred and/or been happening since December 2001, when 'forum' comments
were discussed; even now there are giant leaps beyond last 2020/21 M1 'System on Chip.'
The upper end 16-inch Apple silicon Max is near unequaled; well beyond their Pro cousins.
32-core GPU - 16-core Neural Engine - 400GB/s memory bandwidth
Unified, integrated, beyond most any comparison; are much more than tiny integrated circuits.
The M1x Pro and Max higher-end Apple silicon, aren't looking back; near two decades.
• MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch - Technical Specifications - Apple
https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro-14-and-16/specs/
Speculative? Not hardly in regard to major distance and strides. (That said, the initial offerings
could have been higher M1x caliber to attract 'more Pro' users.) Greater capacity within format
& more advanced usage of compression on demand.. Yet that's probably been done, by now.
Although more advanced one(s) likely under wraps; Apple, being its largest ever, may take strides.
Not sure what to conclude after reading your post. Please explain.
A PC friend told me that in the world of PCs, non-UA is considered lower end.
My bad. I meant unified, not integrated.
New 14" and 16" MacBookPro questions
