This probably wasn’t what you were expecting with a new M2-based 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The $1,299 base model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro featuring 256GB of storage has significantly slower SSD read/write speeds compared to an equivalent previous-generation model. According to YouTube channels Max Tech and Created Tech, which ran tests on the new units using Blackmagic’s Disk Speed Test App, both found that the SSD’s read and write speeds are around 1,450MB/s. This is around 50 percent slower reading and 30 percent slower writing when compared to the 13-inch MacBrook featuring the M1 chip and 256GB of storage.
Vadim Yuryev of Max Tech reported the following numbers:
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1/256GB) Read Speed: 2,900
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M2/256GB) Read Speed: 1,446
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1/256GB) Write Speed: 2,215
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (M2/256GB) Write Speed: 1,463
After disassembling the notebook, Yuryev noticed that the 256GB model arrives with a sole NAND flash storage chip. The previous model had feature two NAND storage chips, which were likely 128GB each. As such, Apple seems to have built in a single 256GB chip as opposed to two 128GB chips. Multiple NAND chips allow for faster speeds thanks to their running in parallel, which may explain the appreciable speed difference.
Yuryev offered the following comment in the video: “When you have double the chips, they kind of work together, almost like in a raid with the SSD controller, and they’re way faster than one.”
It appears that the slower SSD issue only affects the $1,299 base 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro, and tests performed on the 512GB model found SSD read/write speeds similar to the M1 models.
Apple has yet to publicly comment on this, and supply chain issues as well as costs may factor into this.
In terms of value, slower SSD speeds can impede simple tasks, such as the transfer of files to an external drive. There can also be a decline in overall performance, as Macs use SSD space temporarily as virtual RAM when the physical RAM is seeing full use.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer, Max Tech, and Created Tech