Comparing SSD Performance: M2 MacBook Air vs M1 MacBook Air
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Chapter 1: Introduction to M2 MacBook Air
Apple’s recently launched laptops featuring the M2 chip, particularly the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the revamped MacBook Air, have garnered significant attention from users, especially the latter. While the design of the 13-inch MacBook Pro has remained largely unchanged for six years, the MacBook Air has undergone a complete redesign.
Despite its appealing new chassis, enhanced display with a cutout, and the return of MagSafe, there is a notable downside. Reports indicate that the base models of these new MacBooks have SSD speeds that are up to 50% slower compared to their M1 predecessors.
Section 1.1: Understanding the SSD Speed Reduction
Currently, we know why the SSDs in the entry-level M2 Macs are slower. The motherboards of both M1 and M2 models have two slots for NAND chips. While the M1 MacBooks utilized both slots with two 128GB NAND chips (totaling 256GB), the M2 models only employ one slot with a single 256GB NAND chip, leaving the other slot vacant. This configuration limits the M2's system to accessing just one drive, whereas the M1 could access two, resulting in nearly double the performance for the M1.
In the video "M2 vs M1 MacBook Air: Make the right choice!", we delve into the differences and help you determine which model best suits your needs.
Section 1.2: The Implications of Slower SSD Speeds
To illustrate, in setups like RAID 0, files are distributed across two disks to achieve faster speeds. The basic configuration of the M2 MacBook Air has arrived in our testing lab, prompting us to evaluate its SSD speed against that of the base MacBook Air M1. We conducted two tests using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and AJA System Test Lite, both of which are widely recognized for assessing SSD performance.
A slower SSD can hinder system performance, especially for modern operating systems like macOS that may resort to virtual memory swapping if they run out of primary memory. This process allows the OS to free up RAM by temporarily transferring some data to disk storage, enabling continued functionality despite reduced available memory.
Chapter 2: Performance Comparisons
The video "M2 MacBook Air VS M1 - CPU, Disk Speed, Thermals & More!" provides a comprehensive comparison of these two models, highlighting their performance under various conditions.
In our Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, the M2 MacBook Air recorded write speeds of 1397 MB/s and read speeds of 1459 MB/s during a 5GB file test. This performance suggests that the SSD may struggle with tasks involving 12K DCI 60 FPS video in ProRes 422 HQ, which is not a commonly used format.
In contrast, the M1 MacBook Air achieved write speeds of 2139 MB/s and read speeds of 2830 MB/s, indicating no issues with the aforementioned video format.
This data reveals that the M2’s SSD is 34.7% slower for writing and 48.4% slower for reading compared to the M1, according to the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test. The drop in both write and read speeds is substantial.
AJA System Test Lite confirmed these findings with a 16GB 4K video test, where the M2 Air reached 1451 MB/s for writing and 1294 MB/s for reading, compared to the M1's 1719 MB/s for writing and 2865 MB/s for reading.
The new Air M2 is 15.6% slower for writes and 54.8% slower for reads based on these tests, emphasizing that as file sizes increase, the disparity in write speeds narrows, but reading speeds remain significantly slower on the M2.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the question arises: is this a significant issue? It becomes a concern only if you plan to utilize these devices for purposes beyond their intended design. For casual users, the longer wait times may not be bothersome. However, for professional applications, it might be advisable to consider a 512GB configuration for an additional $200 to mitigate the impact of the single drive slot on performance. Alternatively, opting for machines equipped with M1 Pro, M1 Max, or M1 Ultra may be wise.
For routine users, the slower disk performance is unlikely to be problematic. Additionally, for $200, you could invest in a 2TB external NVME drive, which provides ample storage.
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