Apple M4 vs Apple M4 Max
Apple M4
70#2 of 2 Apple chips · bottom 50%
Best single-core of any CPU at a fraction of the power; ten cores cap the multi-core.
vs
Apple M4 Max wins by 15 points
Apple M4 Max
Winner85#1 of 2 Apple chips · top 50%
Desktop-class multi-core in a laptop; the strongest integrated GPU on the list.
Overview
Key Differences
Apple M4
- ≈ estimated76% lower rated power: 22 W vs 90 W
- ≈ estimated27 points higher Efficiency score: 100 vs 73
Apple M4 Max
- ≈ estimated173% higher 3DMark Time Spy graphics (iGPU): 20,500 vs 7,500
- 116% higher Cinebench 2024 multi-core: 2,100 vs 970
- 73% higher Geekbench 6 multi-core: 26,000 vs 15,000
- ≈ estimated63 points higher iGPU score: 100 vs 37
- 44 points higher Multi-core score: 93 vs 49
Review
Apple M4 Max scores 85 overall to Apple M4's 70: #1 against #2 of 2 Apple chips.
Apple M4 leads on Efficiency by 37% (100 (estimated) vs 73 (estimated)).
Apple M4 Max leads on Single-core by 3% (100 (estimated) vs 97 (estimated)), Multi-core by 90% (93 vs 49) and iGPU by 170% (100 (estimated) vs 37 (estimated)).
Apple M4 Max is ahead in 8 of 8 benchmarks, the widest gap in 3DMark Time Spy graphics (iGPU) by 173% (20,500 (estimated) vs 7,500 (estimated)).
Apple M4 is rated at 22 W (estimated) against 90 W (estimated).
- Single-core≈ estimated97≈ estimated100 +3%Speed of one core: responsiveness, games, most apps.
- Multi-core4993 +90%All cores together: rendering, compiling, exporting.
- Efficiency≈ estimated100 +37%≈ estimated73Multi-core work done per watt of rated power.
- iGPU≈ estimated37≈ estimated100 +170%Integrated graphics: light games and desktop without a card.
- Overall7085
Benchmarks
- SPEC CPU 2017 integer, one core≈ estimated11.6≈ estimated11.9 +3%
- SPEC CPU 2017 floating point, one core≈ estimated16.4≈ estimated16.9 +3%
- Geekbench 6 single-core3,8004,050 +7%
- Geekbench 6 multi-core15,00026,000 +73%
- Cinebench 2024 single-core170178 +5%
- Cinebench 2024 multi-core9702,100 +116%
- 3DMark Time Spy graphics (iGPU)≈ estimated7,500≈ estimated20,500 +173%
- Gaming, 1080p average fps (relative)≈ estimated50≈ estimated60 +20%
Specs
| Spec | Apple M4 | Apple M4 Max |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | ||
| Cores | 10 (4P + 6E) | 16 (12P + 4E) |
| Architecture | Apple M4 | Apple M4 |
| Max clock | 4.4 GHz | 4.5 GHz |
| L2 cache | 16 MB (P) + 4 MB (E) | 32 MB (P) + 4 MB (E) |
| System cache | 8 MB | 48 MB |
| GPU | ||
| GPU cores | 10 | 40 |
| Ray tracing | Hardware, 2nd gen | Hardware, 2nd gen |
| Neural Engine | 16 cores, 38 TOPS | 16 cores, 38 TOPS |
| Memory | ||
| Type | LPDDR5X-7500 | LPDDR5X-8533 |
| Bandwidth | 120 GB/s | 546 GB/s |
| Configurations | 16 / 24 / 32 GB | 36 / 48 / 64 / 128 GB |
| Unified | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | ||
| Thunderbolt | 4 | 5 |
| External displays | 2 | 4 |
| Power | ||
| Typical package power | 22 W (est.) | 90 W (est.) |
| Cooling | Fanless in MacBook Air | Active |
| Misc | ||
| Node | TSMC N3E | TSMC N3E |
| Launched | May 2024 | October 2024 |
| Sold as | Part of a device | Part of a device |