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Final Mac Mini Leaks
- Thread starter ReturnAlt10
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That did not age well...! ;^p
I still wonder if the 5nm+ M2 SoC is just a sort of placeholder, with the real M2 SoCs (M2 Pro / M2 Max / M2 Ultra / M2 Extreme) coming on 3nm...
Then the M3 will come along, with an improved 3nm+ process & first-gen hardware ray tracing...?
Meaning the SoC to look for is the M5; on 2nm+ & with third-gen hardware ray tracing; perfect for an octo-SoC ASi Mac Pro...!!!
Different process sizes require different chip/core designs. You don’t just take the core design from a 5NP M2 and build it on a 3nm process. Assuming that there are M2 Pro/Max etc, they are likely to all be on 5NP. We will likely see the M3 series once 3nm is in full production. TSMC just announced that 3nm production would be delayed to later next year due to Intel pulling out of a deal.
I see M2 @ 5nm+ as a possible smoke screen, a "hey look, we're advancing the whole Apple silicon thing...!", designed to take attention away from the fact that Apple will most likely miss their two-year target for a complete transition to Apple silicon because the ASi Mac Pro is not ready...
I dunno, rumors around here about M2 Pro / Max Ultra / Extreme all being on 3nm; and moving the entry-level M2 from 5nm+ to 3nm would be better for the iPad Pro line-up...?
As for Intel cauing 3nm delays, doubtful, seeing as Apple is front-of-the-line for all & any TSMC process improvements & advancement; I mean, Apple basically finances the majority of that, as if TSMC was actually Apple's private foundry...?
But hey, who knows...?!? Time travel...! ;^p