Apple M4 Max and M4 Pro Take Benchmark Crown from Intel and AMD

Apple’s new M4 Max chip has set a new benchmark standard, leaving Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K trailing in performance tests. The latest addition to Apple’s silicon lineup, announced alongside the updated MacBook Pro models, has reshaped expectations in mobile computing. Pre-orders are live, and with the first units shipping on November 8, early reviews show a significant leap in performance, positioning Apple ahead of traditional x86 competitors.

M4 Max Breaks Records in Geekbench Benchmarks

The M4 Max scored an unprecedented 4,060 points in Geekbench 6’s single-core test and 26,675 in multi-core, marking it as the first production CPU to cross the 4,000-point barrier. Intel’s Core Ultra 9 285K, which was part of Intel’s Arrow Lake-S series launched in October 2024, scored 19% lower in single-core and 16% lower in multi-core tests. Despite boasting 24 cores, Intel’s chip fails to keep up with Apple’s efficiency-oriented ARM architecture.

While Intel’s chip excelled in single-threaded performance, it fell short in multi-core benchmarks compared to AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X. Despite Intel’s emphasis on single-core efficiency, AMD still leads in multi-threaded tasks, scoring 66,609 compared to Intel’s 46,872. This contrast underlines different design philosophies, with Intel focusing on tasks like gaming and real-time design, while AMD remains the go-to for multi-core heavy applications.

But AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X also falls behind the Apple’s M4 Max which is beating it by 18% in single-core and 25% in multi-core performance. This highlights Apple’s strategic advantage in developing power-efficient, high-performance chips that cater to a wide range of professional use cases, from content creation to AI modeling.

M4 Pro: A Powerful Alternative

A few days ago, Apple’s new M4 Pro was also put to the test, revealing that it holds its ground in the performance arena. This 14-core chip, featuring 10 performance and four efficiency cores, scored 3,925 in single-core and 22,669 in multi-core tests. In a surprising twist, the M4 Pro even outperformed Apple’s M2 Ultra from 2023, which had 24 cores but lagged with 2,777 single-core and 21,471 multi-core scores. These results demonstrate significant advancements in Apple’s silicon architecture, which continues to narrow the gap between mobile and desktop-class performance.

Thunderbolt 5: A Leap in Connectivity

One of the major highlights of the M4 Max and M4 Pro is the integration of Thunderbolt 5, offering up to 120 Gbps data transfer speeds. This enhancement is crucial for creative professionals who require efficient handling of large video files or multi-display setups. By tripling the speed of Thunderbolt 4, Apple has made these laptops future-proof for high-bandwidth tasks, while backward compatibility ensures seamless use of existing peripherals. Thunderbolt 5 also enables better performance for external GPUs and ultra-high-resolution displays.

Unified Memory Architecture and GPU Power

The M4 Max’s 40-core GPU is engineered for intensive graphics tasks, such as 3D modeling and real-time simulations. Compared to the M3 Max, the M4 Max’s GPU performance is 25% faster, even though it retains the same number of cores. Another key feature is the 546 GB/s memory bandwidth, a 35% increase from the M3 Max, which ensures smoother data processing and minimal latency in multitasking environments. The shared memory architecture allows the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine to access data efficiently, reducing bottlenecks in high-demand workflows.

The Future of Apple Silicon

The M4 Max and M4 Pro are key milestones in Apple’s silicon roadmap, but speculation is already brewing about the upcoming M4 Ultra, expected to power next-generation Mac Studio and Mac Pro models. If Apple continues on its current trajectory, the M4 Ultra could pose a serious threat to traditional desktop processors, further blurring the lines between mobile and desktop performance.

Last Updated on November 7, 2024 2:13 pm CET