Apple recently unveiled its M4 Max chip with the new MacBook Pro models. The company says it is faster than the latest AI PC chip from Intel. But how good is it compared to its predecessor, the M3 Max? Here’s a detailed comparison between the Apple M4 Max and M3 Max chips.
Apple M4 Max vs Apple M3 Max: Specifications
| Parameter | M4 Max | M3 Max | ||
| Architecture | TSMC 3nm (N3E) | TSMC 3nm (N3B) | ||
| CPU | 14-cores (10P + 4E) |
16-cores (12P + 4E) |
14-cores (10P + 4E) |
16-cores (12P + 4E) |
| GPU | 32-core | 40-core | 30-core | 40-core |
| NPU | 16-core, 38 TOPS | 16-core, 18 TOPS | ||
| Memory Type | LPDDR5X, 8533MHz | LPDDR5, 6400MHz | ||
| Memory bandwidth | 410 GB/s | 546 GB/s | 307.2 GB/s | 409.6 GB/s |
| Apple Intelligence Support | Yes | Yes | ||
Apple M4 Max vs Apple M3 Max: Device List
The Apple M4 Max chip was announced recently in October 2024. It is available on two MacBooks:
- MacBook Pro 14-inch (2024), 14-core CPU
- MacBook Pro 16-inch (2024), 16-core CPU
The Apple M3 Max chip was launched in October 2023. Just like its successor, it is only available on two MacBook Pro models:
- MacBook Pro 14-inch (2023), 14-core CPU
- MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023), 16-core CPU
Apple M4 Max vs Apple M3 Max: CPU
The Apple M3 Max was the top-end chip from the company for over a year, as we did not witness an M3 Ultra. It features up to a 16-core CPU with 12 performance cores and four efficiency cores. It was designed to be the perfect fit for power users, especially for applications like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve.
The M3 Max chip is 80% faster than the M1 Max chip. During its launch, it was the most efficient processor and offered the best ratio between performance and power consumption.
The M4 Max chip uses the same core configuration with up to a 16-core CPU. However, it is based on the second-generation TSMC N3E node which improves the overall efficiency. The M4 Max chip is 2.2x faster than the M1 Max. Based on these metrics, the M4 Max is almost 20% faster than the M3 Max in terms of CPU performance.
Currently, benchmarks are not available for the M4 Max chip. Hence, we are limited to comparing the potential of these two chips based on the data provided by Apple. We will update this article once we get access to benchmarks.
The M4 Max also supports Thunderbolt 5, enabling data transfer speeds of up to 120GB/s. The M3 Max is limited to Thunderbolt 4 at 40GB/s.
Apple M4 Max vs Apple M3 Max: GPU
The Apple M3 Max comes with up to a 40-core GPU. It was among the first chips from the company to have support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing. It helped to generate realistic shadow effects in image and video processing.
The GPU on the M3 Max is 50% faster than the M1 Max. During its launch, it was the fastest processor for video editing and offered the best rendering and playback experience. It now has been succeeded by the M4 Max.
The M4 Max chip has a 40-core GPU but Apple has upgraded the base model from 30-cores to 32-cores for the 14-inch MacBook Pro. The GPU performance of the M4 Max is 1.9x times of the M1 Max chip. This means that the M4 Max is up to 27% faster than the M3 Max, in GPU-related tasks.
The biggest upgrade comes in total memory bandwidth, which has been boosted from 409.6 GB/s to 546 GB/s. The M4 Max has the highest memory bandwidth for a consumer chip, which helps to move data faster and improves the overall performance in all applications.
Apple M4 Max vs Apple M3 Max: Neural Engine
The Apple M3 Max comes with a 16-core neural engine. It is capable of 18 TOPS of AI performance. This NPU was 60% faster than the M1 Max and offered performance improvements in Topaz, scene detection in Adobe Premiere Pro, and other AI-related applications.
The Apple M4 Max takes a huge leap in this department. While the number of cores is still 16, this chip is capable of 38 TOPS in AI performance. Apple further says that is 3x faster than the Intel Ultra 7 258V chip.
Apple hardly provides a comparison between two consecutive generations but not this time. The company says the M4 Max is two times faster than the M3 Max in terms of AI performance. It even beats its Intel counterpart and is currently only second to the Snapdragon X Elite chips.
If you are looking for an Apple device, then the M4 Max chip is the most powerful processor for AI. You can leverage its power for training on-device AI models or consumer applications such as Adobe Premiere Pro and others. Both chips are compatible with Apple Intelligence, with the M4 Max obviously capable of better performance.
Apple M4 Max vs Apple M3 Max: Verdict
The Apple M4 Max is almost 25% faster than the M3 Max in all aspects. It also uses the newer N3E architecture, which makes it more efficient than its predecessor. The biggest upgrade comes in AI performance where the new chip is twice as fast.
If you are looking to buy a new top-end MacBook, then getting the MacBook Pro with the M4 Max should be your first choice. The price difference between the M3 Max and the M4 Max is almost negligible.
However, if you already have an M3 Max MacBook, you can skip upgrading to the M4 Max. Although you get a performance boost, it’s not that significant unless your primary usage is related to AI.
