Apple M4 vs Apple M3 Max – Choose Wisely, Single-Core Speed vs Multi-Core Muscle

LaptopMedia.com Comparisons Apple M4 vs Apple M3 Max - Choose Wisely, Single-Core Speed vs Multi-Core Muscle

From: Severin Kolakov 09 May 2024 / 12:59 | 0

The Apple M4 is the hottest topic right now, as everyone and their dog want to know as much as possible about this new chip. We’re doing everything we can to keep you informed, as new information constantly comes out. What we know already is that the chip smashes every competitor in single-core performance, so you Photoshop enthusiasts are about to eat well once MacBooks with it come out. We’re talking gains of over 20% when compared to one of the most powerful CPUs, the Core i9-14900K (yes, we’re talking about the desktop chip).

You’ve probably already read our Apple M4 vs Apple M3 Pro comparison, so now we’re tackling the M4 chip vs the M3 Max, to see how well can the new addition scrap against the previous dominator.

Specs table

The M3 Max has 40% to 60% more cores, depending on the configuration, which will offer a big boost in Multi-core tests.

CPU	CPU Cores	GPU Cores	Memory Bandwidth	Unified Memory	Process Technology
Apple M4 (10-core CPU)	4 performance cores + 6 efficiency cores	10 cores	120 GB/s	TBD	3 nm
Apple M3 Max (16-core CPU)	12 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores	30 cores or 40 cores	409.6 GB/s	up to 128GB	3 nm
Apple M3 Max (14-core CPU)	10 performance cores + 4 efficiency cores	30 cores or 40 cores	307.2 GB/s	up to 128GB	3 nm

Benchmarks

CPU benchmarks

The Geekbench 6 test shows the M4 boasts an impressive 18-22% lead over both M3 Max versions in Single-core performance. However, the M3 Max is much more powerful (thanks to its ample advantage in total cores) in Multi-core performance. The 14-core variant is 30% quicker, while the 16-core M3 Max is 46% faster.

CPU	Geekbench 6 Single / Multi Score
Apple M4	3810 / 14541
Apple M3 Max (16-core CPU)	3228 / 21251
Apple M3 Max (14-core CPU)	3113 / 18947

GPU benchmarks

The Geekbench 6 Metal test is a decent GPU test, which reveals that nothing comes close to the GPUs on Max SoCs. The M3 Max 40-core GPU is 189% faster than the M4 10-core GPU.

GPU	Geekbench 6 Metal
Apple M4 (10-core GPU)	53792
Apple M3 Max (40-core GPU)	155214 (+189%)

The Apple M4 shines in single-core performance, making it ideal for tasks that rely on high-speed processing of linear instructions, such as gaming, running older software, or everyday activities like web browsing and using the macOS interface.

In contrast, the Apple M3 Max excels in multi-core performance, which is better suited for professional applications that require intensive multitasking or heavy computational work. This includes video editing, 3D rendering, large-scale data processing, and running multiple applications simultaneously.

Lastly, the M3 Max GPU absolutely crushes the M4 GPU, which can be expected just by looking at the core count of each GPU.

While details on the M4 SoC is still tightly under wraps, we’re revealing everything we can find out. While we do, so you can check the current pricing of the available M3 family.

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