Apple’s Upcoming ARM Computers could be interesting
Sorry, I Mean Apple Silicon Computers
When I was watching the WWDC keynote and they finally revealed they were going to move to their own CPUs and GPUs for their computers, I was over the moon. Since Intel has been struggling to move to smaller chipsets—unlike their chief competition, AMD—I’m not surprised that Apple has ditched them and moved to their own silicon. Apple does not want to be held back by anyone, and their non-computer devices are already outpacing Samsung, Microsoft, and others when it comes to hardware.
Changing the Industry
The next thought that struck me was: how is this going to change the industry? Whether you like it or not, Apple leads the way when it comes to computers, mobiles, and tablets. We saw it with the adoption of USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 (or USB 4, as it will be called), and the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack from mobiles.
Like it or not, I feel that in the long term, ARM CPUs are going to power the majority of devices, including your desktop gaming computer. We are coming to the limit of what we can do with x86_64 CPUs; you can only chuck more cores at them and hope for the best. ARM has a huge advantage in our increasingly mobile world—it provides more compute power per watt than x86_64, hands down. It’s also cheaper to manufacture an ARM CPU.
Performance Expectations
What excites me most is the hardware we are going to get from Apple. The Developer Transition Kit (DTK) has the same A12Z chip found in the latest iPad Pro. This chip already holds its own against the i5 and i7 CPUs in a wide selection of Apple's laptops, including the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro I’m writing this on.
I really hope Apple keeps the Mac mini form factor for their new desktop-grade Apple Silicon chips. I'm dreaming of something comparable to Intel’s i9-9900K, with at least 32GB of RAM and a GPU with specs similar to an AMD Radeon VII. Imagine having that power in something the size of a Mac mini that isn’t thermal-throttled to high heaven!
While my dream of a "stupidly powerful" Mac mini might take some time, I’d settle for a machine that can handle my Plex server, Home Assistant, and a web server all in one box. I need something capable of real-time transcoding of two video streams, as well as running Docker containers without the whole thing grinding to a halt. (I’ve had to put my Home Assistant plans on hold because my current i3 Mac mini with 4GB of RAM just can’t cope.)
My "Dream" Specs
I think something with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of SSD storage, 18 ARM cores (12 high-performance, 6 efficiency cores for background work), and 16 graphics cores might do the job. I should point out that I’m just spitballing here based on the performance of the A12Z—I’m just excited to see where they go with this!
Are you looking forward to the new ARM-based hardware coming out over the next few years? What products would you like to see? Do you think I’ll get my dream Mac mini anytime soon? Let me know in the comments below.