MacBook Pro 2017 Specs, Rumors: Apple Likely To Go With Power Efficient AMD Ryzen 7 Processor
A lot of tech enthusiasts know that Apple is going to release its MacBook Pro 2017 sometime later year. What they don't know, however, is the components that the Cupertino-based tech giant will use under its hood, particularly its processor. Luckily, many rumors and speculations have emerged online suggesting that Apple might go with the new AMD Ryzen 7 instead of the popular Intel chipset.
One reason why Apple would choose the AMD Ryzen 7 processor over the Intel for its MacBook Pro 2017 is due to its energy efficiency. Architosh reported that the upcoming System on Chip (SoC) from AMD is more than 30 percent power efficient than the i7 line of high-end processors.
The AMD Ryzen 7 1800x and 1700x - the two highest versions of the flagship - offer 95W (watts) of Thermal Design Points (TDP's). Its competition, the Intel i7, offers a significantly higher TDP at around 140W. By these numbers, it is very much easy to presume that the AMD Ryzen 7 flagship is very ideal for the MacBook Pro 2017.
The Cupertino-based tech giant has greatly focused on power efficiency for its product over the years. And the AMD Ryzen 7 processors seem to perfectly fit in the company's preference for its MacBook Pro 2017.
While the power efficiency of AMD Ryzen 7 sounds enticing for the MacBook Pro 2017, fans are still wondering if it can perform well. Tom's Guide has performed several benchmark test to see if the new AMD Ryzen 7 1800x can stand up against the Intel i7-6900K and i7-7700K. And as it turns out, the former is not exactly far behind in performance based on the frame rates per second result.
These chips were tested on several demanding computer games, mainly "Hitman (2016)," "Metro: Last Light Redux" and "Ashes of the Singularity," at the highest settings. The purpose of this test, of course, is to gauge the power of the AMD Ryzen 7. Furthermore, it is very unlikely for these games to run on any Apple laptop, even on the MacBook Pro 2017.
Based on the results, it is very much convincing that AMD Ryzen 7 is not exactly as powerful as the i7 flagships. But it can still hold up on its own when put in a stress test. However, ExtremeTech has concluded on its review that the latest AMD SoC is very much ideal for workstation rather than for heavy gaming.
No official word yet coming from Apple on whether or not it would use the AMD Ryzen 7 processor on its MacBook Pro 2017. That being said, it's highly advisable to take this speculation with a tiny pinch of salt.
