Dude it is just GDDR#, the same stuff consoles use
PC’s have had this ability for over a decade there mate apple is just good at marketing.
What’s next? When VRAM overflows it gets dumped into regular ram? Oh wait PC’s can do that too…
Comment on Apple argues in favor of selling Macs with only 8GB of RAM
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 months agoAnd it’s not RAM, it’s UM. The usage of memory changed with the introduction of Apple Silicon.
n3m37h@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 months ago
With independent CPU and GPU, sure. There’s no SoC that performs anywhere near Apple Silicon.
n3m37h@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 months ago
According to benchmarks the 8700G vs M3 is on average 22% slower single core, and is 31% faster multicore, FP32 is 41% higher than the M3 and AI is 54% slower 8700G also uses 54% more energy
What about those stats says AMD can’t compete? 8700G is a APU just as is the M3
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 months ago
I’m talking about practical use performance. I understand your world, you don’t understand mine. I’ve been taking apart and upgrading PCs since the 286. I understand benchmarks. What you don’t understand, is how MacOS uses the SoC in a way where benchmarks =/= real-world performance. I’ve used pro apps on powerful PCs and powerful Macs, and I’m speaking from experience. We can agree to disagree.
BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Like has been done on laptops with on-board video cards since, well, forever?
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 months ago
It’s different. The GPU is broken into several parts and integrated into the SoC along with the CPU’s dedicated processes. Data is passed within the SoC without entering UM. It’s exclusively used as a storage liaison.
You should check out Apple Silicon M-Series. Specs don’t translate to performance in the way conventional PC architecture does. I guarantee you’ll see PC manufacturers going to 2nm SoC configurations soon enough. The performance is undeniable.
billiam0202@lemmy.world 7 months ago
“Unified” only means there’s not a discrete block for the CPU and a discrete block for the GPU to use. But it’s still RAM- specifically, LPDDR4x (for M1), LPDDR5 (for M2), or LPDDR5X (for M3).
Besides, low-end PCs with integrated graphics have been using unified memory for decades.
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Yes, that’s true, but it’s still an indicator of an uninformed reporter.
Apple Silicon chips pass data from one dedicated cores directly to another without the need of passing through memory, hence the smaller processor cache. There are between 18 and 58 cores in the M4 (model dependent). The architecture works very differently than the conventional CPU/GPU/RAM model.
I can run FCP and Logic Pro and have memory to spare with 16GB of UM. The only thing that pushes me into swap is Chrome. lol
BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 7 months ago
It’s a pointless distinction.
And in this case, it makes 8gig look even worse.
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Maybe you’re not familiar with the apps I’m referring to. Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are professional video and audio workstations.
8GB of UM is not for someone running two pro apps at once. If I tried to master an export from Adobe Premiere Pro in Protools on PC I’d need 32GB of RAM to to prevent stutter. I only use ~12GB of 16GB doing the same on Apple Silicon.
billiam0202@lemmy.world 7 months ago
My dude, you’re literally in here arguing that because Apple has a blob for both CPU memory and GPU memory that somehow makes that blob “not RAM.” Apple’s design might give fantastic performance, but that’s irrelevant to the fact that the memory on the chip is RAM of known and established standards.
disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Read my other replies to this comment. There’s no GPU. It’s an SoC.