There is a lot of variety in terms of processor speed, number of cores, Turbo Boost figures and whether it is an i3 or an i9. It’s not only processor generation you need to consider with Intel though.

9th Generation – Coffee Lake Refresh (2018).

Here’s how the Intel processor line up has looked since around 2011: If you are considering buying one second hand we would recommend that you don’t! Read Should I buy a second hand Mac? That should help you identify how old the model is and whether a different Mac might be a better choice. So you will probably see a description such as 2.0GHz quad-core 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor. In recent years Apple has specified an Intel processor generation for each Mac in its marketing materials.

Various Macs in Apple’s refurbished store.

Mac Pro, 8-core Xeon W, 3.5GHz 8-core (and various build-to-order options).

The M1 was Apple’s first chip designed by Apple specifically for the Mac and it made shockwaves in the industry with giant leaps in performance. The M1 has eight processor cores (four of which are high performance and four are high-efficiency). In June 2020 Apple announced that it would transition Mac from Intel to its “world-class custom silicon.” This process began with Apple’s M1 processor, which was introduced in November 2020 and it features inside these Macs: We have more information about the various M1-series chips in a separate article. Here’s more information about the Apple SOCs you will find inside the current range of Macs.

BTO: Intel Xeon W, 2.5GHz, 28-core, Turbo Boost: 4.4GHz.BTO: Intel Xeon W, 2.7GHz, 24-core, Turbo Boost: 4.4GHz.

BTO: Intel Xeon W, 3.2GHz, 16-core, Turbo Boost: 4.4GHz.BTO: Intel Xeon W, 3.3GHz, 12-core, Turbo Boost: 4.4GHz.Intel Xeon W, 3.5GHz, 8-core, Turbo Boost: 4.0GHz.BTO: M1 Ultra chip with 20-core CPU, 64-core GPU.BTO: M1 Max chip with 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU.Apple M1 Ultra chip with 20-core CPU, 48-core GPU.Apple M1 Max chip with 20‑core CPU, 24‑core GPU.

How to enable turbo boost mac os