Disassembly shows that the 2023 Apple MacBook Pro uses a smaller heat sink.
CTOnews.com, January 31, the disassembly shows that the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models have much smaller radiators due to supply chain problems.
Image above: there is a larger heat sink on the M1 Pro logic board. Below: the smaller radiator on the M2 Pro logic board (source: iFixit) iFixit and Max Tech indicate that the modified heat dissipation structure of the new MacBook Pro appears to be due to a reduction in the overall footprint of M2 Pro and M2 Max SoC in the equipment. M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro contain two large memory modules, but M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro use four smaller memory modules. Although the dies for M2 Pro and M2 Max are physically larger than those for M1 Pro and M1 Max, SoC as a whole takes up less space.
Left: M1 Pro SoC; right: M2 Pro SoC (source: iFixit) this means that the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro models do not need a radiator as large as the previous generation. It is not clear whether this will significantly affect the thermal efficiency.
The reason for using four smaller memory modules seems to be a supply chain problem. The entire SoC is installed on one substrate, so four smaller modules enable Apple to use a smaller substrate, saving material and reducing complexity.
"at the time of Apple's design, the ABF substrate was very scarce," said Dylan Patel, chief analyst at SemiAnalysis. "by using four smaller modules instead of two larger modules, they can reduce the complexity of routing from memory to SoC in the substrate, reducing the number of layers on the substrate. This allows them to further expand the limited substrate supply."
CTOnews.com learned that the CPU performance of M2 Pro and M2 Max is 20% higher than that of the previous generation, and 30% higher than that of the previous generation, but as the new chip continues to be based on TSMC's 5nm process, some users have pointed out that Apple may have sacrificed heat dissipation to improve performance.
