Above: M1 Pro logic board with larger heatsink. Bottom: Smaller heatsink on the M2 Pro logic board (Source: iFixit)

iFixit and Max Tech note that the revised thermal architecture of the new MacBook Pro appears to be a result of the reduced overall footprint of the M2 Pro and M2 Max SoCs in the device. the M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro contain two large memory modules, but the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro use The M1 Pro and M1 Max MacBook Pro contain two large memory modules, but the M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro use four thinner memory modules. Although the M2 Pro and M2 Max dies are physically larger than the M1 Pro and M1 Max dies, the 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 require as large a heat sink as their predecessors. It’s unclear if this will significantly affect thermal efficiency.

The reason for using four smaller memory modules appears to be a supply chain issue. The entire SoC is mounted on a single substrate, so four smaller modules allow Apple to use a smaller substrate, saving material and reducing complexity.

According to Dylan Patel, principal analyst at SemiAnalysis, “At the time Apple was designing, ABF substrates were in short supply. By using four smaller modules instead of two larger ones, they were able to reduce the complexity of routing from memory to SoC within the substrate, allowing for fewer layers on the substrate. This allowed them to further expand their limited substrate supply.”

The M2 Pro and M2 Max offer a 20 percent increase in CPU performance and a 30 percent increase in GPU performance over their predecessors, but as the new chips continue to be based on TSMC’s 5nm process, some users have pointed out that Apple may have sacrificed heat dissipation to improve performance.

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