Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) vs Apple M2 (8-GPU)

Let's find out which one of Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) and Apple M2 (8-GPU) is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

• Name
  Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M2 (8-GPU)
• Family
  Apple M series Apple M series
• CPU group
  Apple M1 Apple M2
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Generation
  1 2
• Predecessor
  -- Apple M1

In this block we are going to compare Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) vs Apple M2 (8-GPU) by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

• CPU Cores / Threads
  20 / 20 8 / 8
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A-Core
  16x Firestorm 4x Avalanche
• B-Core
  4x Icestorm 4x Blizzard
• Hyperthreading / SMT
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• A-Core Frequency
  3.20 GHz 3.50 GHz
• B-Core Frequency
  2.06 GHz 2.80 GHz

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) and Apple M2 (8-GPU) along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

• GPU name
  Apple M1 Ultra (64 Core) Apple M2 (8 Core)
• GPU frequency
  1.30 GHz 1.40 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  1024 128
• Shader
  8192 1024
• Max. GPU Memory
  64 GB 24 GB
• Max. displays
  3 2
• Generation
  1 2
• Technology
  5 nm 5 nm
• Release date
  Q1/2022 Q2/2022

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) and Apple M2 (8-GPU). Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode Decode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  Decode Decode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

To choose the best model between Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) and Apple M2 (8-GPU) you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

• Memory type
  LPDDR5-6400 LPDDR5-6400
• Max. Memory
  128 GB 24 GB
• Memory channels
  8 (Octa Channel) 2 (Dual Channel)
• Bandwidth
  819.2 GB/s 102.4 GB/s
• ECC
  No No
• PCIe
  4.0 4.0
• AES-NI
  Yes Yes

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) or Apple M2 (8-GPU)? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

• TDP (PL1)
  60 W 22 W
• TDP up
  120 W --
• TDP down
  -- 10 W
• Tjunction max.
  -- 100 \xc2\xb0C

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) and Apple M2 (8-GPU) CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

• Technology
  5 nm 5 nm
• Chip design
  Chiplet Chiplet
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• L2-Cache
  52.00 MB 20.00 MB
• Architecture
  M1 M2
• Operating systems
  macOS macOS, iPadOS
• Virtualization
  Apple Virtualization Framework Apple Virtualization Framework
• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• ISA extensions
  Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
• Release date
  Q1/2022 Q2/2022
• Documents
  -- Technical data sheet