Apple MacBook Pro A2992 2023. Apple M3 Pro Review

Apple MacBook Pro A2992 2023. Apple M3 Pro test

After a rather cold winter, spring has arrived, and with it a small rash of apples. We are, of course, talking about the laptops Apple, which suddenly flew to us, and these are those of both the M1, M2 and even the M3 PRO version. I managed to snatch the latter for testing. I also tested it quite a bit and today I can share my impressions with you.

From this article you will learn that:

• MacBook Pro 14 with M3 Pro is a solidly built premium laptop that, as befits Apple, offers the highest quality materials and fit, regardless of the version.
• The version with M3 Pro has more advanced cooling (two fans) and more connectivity than the basic model with M3 (more Thunderbolt ports and better accessory support).
• The laptop can handle two external monitors at the same time, which gives it an edge in professional work.
• The M3 Pro processor is a noticeable step up from its predecessors - it offers high performance with lower power consumption, although at the expense of slightly lower memory bandwidth.
• In practice, the M3 Pro's performance is very close to that of the M2 Pro, and in full configuration it can even surpass it.
• The SSD in this generation is much faster than in some of the M2 Pro models, thanks to the use of more NAND bones (transfers up to ~6 GB/s).
• The M3 Pro's graphics chip, despite having fewer cores, manages to be more efficient than the previous generation and offers up to 40-50% advantage over the basic M3.
• Battery life is one of the biggest assets - even more than 20 hours with video playback and about 16.5 hours of Internet browsing.
• The laptop is distinguished by very high energy efficiency - it offers high performance with low power consumption and less heating.
• The operating culture stands at a very high level - in everyday use the device is virtually silent, and the fans only start up at higher loads.
• Compared to older models (such as the M1), the M3 Pro gives a clear performance boost, especially in demanding applications.
• It's a piece of hardware aimed at those looking for a powerful, long-lasting laptop for professional work and advanced tasks.

A2992 connectors and impressions

I'll start right away with the specifics, because the appearance of the MacBook can be seen in the photos below, and in fact in these hardware the workmanship is never bad. The materials, hinges everything workmanship is top notch yes, so I'll move on and relay the specifics....

Connectors on the left and right side of the MacBook A2992 on the M3 Pro processor

The MacBook Pro 14 equipped with the M3 Pro processor uses the same port design and cooling system as the more powerful configuration with the M3 Max, which has already been thoroughly analyzed in tests. In practice, this means the presence of two fans responsible for efficient heat dissipation, as well as three USB-C 4.0 ports supporting the Thunderbolt 4 standard, which translates into greater versatility and higher throughput for everyday work. At the same time, the basic version of the MacBook Pro 14 with the M3 chip has been noticeably simplified - it offers only one fan and two USB-C 4.0 ports limited to the Thunderbolt 3 standard, which in practice can make a difference for more demanding tasks and working with multiple peripherals.

The device's chassis is available in a classic silver variant and a new Space Black color, which is actually closer to a very dark gray than a deep black, and contrasts sharply with the black keyboard. The surface of the version I came to test - silver, does not collect fingerprints. It's also worth noting that the model with the M3 Pro chip offers simultaneous support for two external monitors, which is a significant advantage over the base configuration with the M3 processor and can make a big difference in professional applications and multi-screen work.

Processor - M3 Pro in 5-core configuration

The new generation of the Apple M3 Pro chip has been redesigned in a way that at first glance seems subtle, but in practice significantly affects the nature of the entire computer's operation. Unlike the M2 Pro, where the architecture was based on clusters containing four cores each (both performance and power-efficient), the newer model takes a more flexible approach, while also being more "stretched" in terms of structure. In the M3 Pro, we are dealing with two clusters of six cores each, but in the tested, slightly trimmed-down configuration, five performance cores remain active, which, combined with six energy-saving cores, gives a total of 11-core unit.

The cores themselves aren't just cosmetically refreshed - they maintain technological consistency with the rest of the M3 family, offering high operating frequencies reaching around 4.06 GHz for the performance cores and up to around 2.75 GHz for the energy-saving cores. In practical scenarios, these values are indeed achievable, which translates into stable and predictable performance under load. At the same time, Apple decided to noticeably reduce the width of the memory bus - from 256 bits on the M2 Pro to 192 bits on the M3 Pro - which automatically lowered the maximum memory bandwidth from 200 GB/s to 150 GB/s. It's a change that can make a difference in tasks that are heavily dependent on data transfer, though it remains virtually unnoticeable in many everyday applications

The photo shows the MacBook A2992 with the matrix flap open

Also of interest is the power consumption, which has been better optimized on the new chip. The full 12-core version of the M3 Pro reaches a power consumption of about 26-27 watts under maximum load, while the tested 11-core version runs noticeably more economically, staying in the range of about 23-24 watts. By comparison, the previous generation M2 Pro in the 10-core variant was able to reach around 27 watts, showing that Apple is consistently pushing the limit of energy efficiency.

In multi-core tests, the smaller version of the M3 Pro ranks very close to the older M2 Pro chips - achieving results between the 10-core and 12-core variants, with performance differences in both cases not exceeding about 10%. Significantly, the full version of the M3 Pro with all six performance cores active manages to be even noticeably faster - gaining about a 12% advantage and in practical applications matching and at times even overlapping performance with the top M2 Pro's 12-core version.

Disk in the MacBook Pro A2992 M3 Pro

The MacBook Pro 14 still comes with a 512GB SSD (designation AP0512Z) in its standard configuration, but in this generation Apple has clearly corrected earlier design decisions that were somewhat objectionable in models with the M2 Pro chip. In that case, the limited number of NAND bones negatively affected the drive's performance, especially in terms of read and write speeds. All the more positively surprising is the fact that the tested version again uses four NAND modules - a solution previously known rather from the larger MacBook Pro 16 - which directly translates into noticeably better storage performance.

In practical measurements, the drive achieves very high transfers, reaching about 6 GB/s on reads and about 4.5 GB/s on writes, placing it among the top mobile storage media available on the market. Such values have a real impact on day-to-day work - from fast system and application startups to efficient handling of large files, such as in video projects or high-resolution photography. After the first startup, the user gets about 458 GB of the claimed 512 GB, which is due to the space reservation by the operating system and pre-installed components.

Graphics card in the A2992 M3 Pro

For the smaller variant of the M3 Pro chip, Apple decided to use a slightly truncated graphics configuration - instead of the full 18 GPU cores, the user gets 14 cores. Although the manufacturer does not disclose the exact frequencies of the GPU, the analysis of test results allows us to assume that we are dealing with a clear improvement over the previous generation. Indeed, in many scenarios, the performance of this GPU surpasses even the 16-core GPU known from the M2 Pro, which shows that the sheer number of cores is no longer the only determinant of real capabilities.

In synthetic tests such as 3DMark WildLife Extreme Unlimited, the new M3 Pro GPU ranks exactly between the two M2 Pro variants, confirming its "positioning" as an intermediate, but already clearly more technologically refined solution. The exception remains the GFXBench tests, where the differences between the generations practically blur, which may be due to the characteristics of the benchmark itself. On the other hand, much greater differences can be seen in comparison with the base M3 chip - here the advantage of the M3 Pro is already very clear and, depending on the scenario, reaches up to 40-50%, which in practice translates into much greater comfort in working with graphics, video editing or more demanding 3D applications.

A2992 M3 Pro battery life

The MacBook Pro 14 with the M3 Pro chip is equipped with a 72.6 Wh battery, which, combined with the high energy efficiency of the entire platform, translates into impressive working times away from an outlet. At first glance, there is a clear improvement over the previous generation with the M2 Pro - the differences are not cosmetic, but noticeable in everyday use. In the video playback test at 150 cd/m² brightness, the device ran for just over 20 hours, an improvement of about 3.5 hours over its predecessor. With HDR material and maximum brightness, the time is reduced to about 7 hours, which should still be considered a very good result, considering the demands of this type of content.

Equally convincing is the Wi-Fi Internet browsing test, in which the laptop achieved about 16.5 hours of operation, again outperforming the M2 Pro model by about 3.5 hours. The only scenario in which the new version performs marginally weaker is the test at maximum brightness in SDR mode - here the result of 6 hours and 15 minutes is about half an hour shorter. However, this is a direct result of the increase in maximum screen brightness from 500 to 600 cd/m², which naturally increases power consumption.

Compared to other Apple Silicon configurations, the model with the M3 Pro compares very favorably - it achieves results comparable to the base M3 variant, while outperforming the more power-hungry version with the M3 Max. This advantage is even more pronounced when juxtaposed with Windows laptops, which in this class are rarely able to come close to similar results. Significantly, the full discharge of the battery in a short period of time is practically only possible with the maximum load of the entire system and simultaneous setting of the highest brightness of the screen - in such a scenario the energy is depleted after a little over an hour. However, it is worth noting that even then the device does not limit its performance until the battery level drops to about 3%, which is a significant advantage over many Windows designs, especially those equipped with dedicated graphics cards.

The charging process also stands at a high level - it takes about two hours to fully replenish the battery, while it is possible to reach the 80% level after an hour or so, which in practice allows you to quickly get back to work even if you take a short break.

Also noteworthy is energy efficiency, which remains one of the strongest points of Apple Silicon. The maximum power consumption of the GPU in the M3 Pro oscillates around 24 watts, which is noticeably less than in the case of the M2 Pro, where the values reached around 26-27 watts. This means that the user gets higher or comparable performance with lower power requirements and less heat generation.

Operating culture and noise emissions

In everyday use, the MacBook Pro 14 with the M3 Pro chip gives the impression of a nearly silent device, which will be especially appreciated by those working in a quiet environment. During typical tasks - such as Internet browsing with multiple tabs open or video playback - the cooling system remains virtually inactive and the fans are not audible. Even in situations of higher CPU or graphics load, their speed remains relatively low, oscillating between 2,400 and 2,800 rpm, which translates into a very low noise level of about 26 dB(A). Importantly, the cooling system reacts with a certain delay - the fans start only after the system exceeds a temperature of about 100°C, which allows to maintain absolute silence for a longer period of time.

For games, the noise level depends on the specific title and its hardware requirements. In most scenarios, the laptop maintains a similar range of fan operation as under standard load, but more demanding productions such as GTA V can raise their speed to about 3,400 rpm. Only under extreme conditions, during load tests that use the CPU and GPU to their maximum simultaneously, the cooling system enters higher revolutions - reaching up to 6200-6300 rpm - which translates into a clearly audible noise level of about 49 dB(A).

MacBook A2992 shot from the top of the die flap

That's it for today, I hope I conveyed everything you needed. Currently using the MacBook pro on the M1, I find it hard to go back to it, as the M3 Pro is a noticeable jump in performance in many of my key programs. So if you're looking for a really solid and powerful piece of hardware for many years to come, today's hero is definitely such a device.

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