Apple’s M2 is a Great Value
I was watching the Hardware Unboxed performance analysis of the new 13” MacBook Pro with an M2 processor and this performance chart stood out to me:
This shows the M2 performing quite well compared to these other processors, but it wasn’t top of the pack, so I was curious what the cost was to get into these different processors.
| Processor | Best Buy Price Range |
|---|---|
| Core i9-12900HK | $2,100-3,000 |
| Core i7-12700H | N/A ($1,100-$2,100 on B&H) |
| Core i7-1260p | $1,000-2,000 |
| Ryzen 6900HS | $1,500-2,500 |
| M2 | $1,300-1,500 |
Now of course prices fluctuate, but the 13” MacBook Pro is decidedly on the lower end of the price range here. This is even more impressive when you look at power consumption, which translates into battery life. Here’s their results for power usage, and I’ve circled the top 5 performers shown in the chart above.
Yeah, the difference is massive, with the M2 using 1/6 the power of one of those chips, which is just insane.
If raw power is important to you then sure, you may like to have one of these Intel chips that can reach slightly higher than Apple’s entry-level chip, but Apple has tried to strike a balance of leading-edge performance in a small and silent device with incredible battery life, even when under load, and I think that results in awesome products for consumers.