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Apple M4 Pro (14 cores) vs Apple M4 Max (14 cores)

Apple M4 Pro (14 cores)

► remove from comparison Apple M4 Pro (14 cores)

The 14-core Apple M4 Pro is a powerful ARM architecture processor (SoC) for laptops and mini-PCs that debuted in Sep 2024. It features 10 performance CPU cores running at up to 4.5 GHz along with 4 efficient cores running at up to 2.6 GHz. The 20-core M4 GPU and at least 24 GB of fast 273 GB/s LPDDR5x on-package memory depending on the configuration are included as well, as is USB 4 and Thunderbolt 5 support.

The built-in 16 core neural engine (up to 38 TOPS) is found across the whole M4 chip family. Furthermore, all M4 processors are thought to be based on the ARM v9.4-A architecture to a certain degree.

Performance

In our testing, the M4 Pro delivered multi-thread benchmark scores very close to those of the 16-core M3 Max as well as the Intel Core i9-12950HX. Some small generation-to-generation improvement is obviously present but it's the new integrated graphics adapters that are the real stars of the show.

Graphics

The 20-core M4 GPU has hardware support for ray tracing as well as mesh shading and other modern technologies. It supports external displays with resolutions as high as "8K" and it can HW-decode a few popular video codecs such as h.264, h.265 and AV1.

Its gaming performance is at least as good as that of the GTX 1660 Ti Laptop. Please keep in mind that very few games have been compiled specifically for Apple silicon Macs meaning most titles have to be run via emulation layers. Some of them are displayed with visual artefacts as a result, or don't start at all.

Power consumption

When under heavy CPU and GPU load, the SoC briefly consumes around 80 W before settling at around 70 W later. With no load at all, it makes do with 2 W to 7 W. A single P-core of the chip eats around 6 W when under heavy load.

The 2nd generation 3 nm TSMC process the M4 Pro is built with delivers good power efficiency, as of late 2024.

Apple M4 Max (14 cores)

► remove from comparison

The 14-core Apple M4 Max is a powerful ARM architecture processor (SoC) for laptops and mini-PCs that debuted in Sep 2024. It features 10 performance CPU cores running at well over 4 GHz along with 4 efficient cores running at under 3 GHz. The 32-core M4 Max GPU and at least 36 GB of fast 410 GB/s LPDDR5x on-package memory depending on the configuration are included as well, as is USB 4 and Thunderbolt 5 support.

The built-in 16 core neural engine (up to 38 TOPS) is found across the whole M4 chip family. Furthermore, all M4 processors are thought to be based on the ARM v9.4-A architecture to a certain degree.

Performance

The M4 Max is set to be just a bit faster than the 14-core M4 Pro, meaning it outguns the 16-core M3 Max by a small margin. This is nothing to scoff at, yet it's the new integrated graphics adapters that are the real stars of the show.

Graphics

The 32-core M4 Max GPU has hardware support for ray tracing as well as mesh shading and other modern technologies. It supports external displays with resolutions as high as "8K" and it can HW-decode a few popular video codecs such as h.264, h.265 and AV1.

Its gaming performance is set to be about as good the GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop. Please keep in mind that very few games have been compiled specifically for Apple silicon Macs meaning most titles have to be run via emulation layers. Some of them are displayed with visual artefacts as a result, or don't start at all.

Power consumption

The slower M4 Pro (14 cores) consumes around 80 W when under full load but is happy with just 2 W to 7 W when idling. We presume the 14-core M4 Max needs just slightly more juice than its slower brother to keep going.

The 2nd generation 3 nm TSMC process the M4 Max is built with delivers good power efficiency, as of late 2024.

ModelApple M4 Pro (14 cores)Apple M4 Max (14 cores)
SeriesApple M4Apple M4
Series: M4
Apple M4 Max (16 cores) compare2.59 - 4.51 GHz16 / 16 cores
Apple M4 Max (14 cores)2.59 - 4.51 GHz14 / 14 cores
Apple M4 Pro (14 cores) « 2.59 - 4.51 GHz14 / 14 cores
Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) compare2.59 - 4.51 GHz12 / 12 cores
Apple M4 (10 cores) compare2.89 - 4.46 GHz10 / 10 cores
Apple M4 (9 cores) compare2.9 - 4.4 GHz9 / 9 cores
Apple M4 (8 cores) compare2.9 - 4 GHz8 / 8 cores
Apple M4 Max (16 cores) compare2.59 - 4.51 GHz16 / 16 cores
Apple M4 Max (14 cores) « 2.59 - 4.51 GHz14 / 14 cores
Apple M4 Pro (14 cores)2.59 - 4.51 GHz14 / 14 cores
Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) compare2.59 - 4.51 GHz12 / 12 cores
Apple M4 (10 cores) compare2.89 - 4.46 GHz10 / 10 cores
Apple M4 (9 cores) compare2.9 - 4.4 GHz9 / 9 cores
Apple M4 (8 cores) compare2.9 - 4 GHz8 / 8 cores
Clock2592 - 4512 MHz2592 - 4512 MHz
L2 Cache4 MB4 MB
Cores / Threads14 / 14
10 x 4.5 GHz Apple M4 P-Core
4 x 2.6 GHz Apple M4 E-Core
14 / 14
10 x 4.5 GHz Apple M4 P-Core
4 x 2.6 GHz Apple M4 E-Core
TDP40 Watt80 Watt
TDP Turbo PL246 Watt80 Watt
Technology3 nm3 nm
FeaturesUnified Memory LPDDR5X-8533 (273 GB/s), 16-Core Neural Engine, Media Engine (Encoding / Decoding: H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW, AV1 Decoding only)Unified Memory LPDDR5X-8533 (410 GB/s), 16-Core Neural Engine, Dual Media Engine (Encoding / Decoding: H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW, AV1 Decoding only)
iGPUApple M4 Pro 20-Core GPUApple M4 Max 32-Core GPU
ArchitectureARMARM
Announced
Manufacturerwww.apple.com

Benchmarks

Cinebench 2024 - Cinebench 2024 CPU Single Core
min: 177     avg: 177.5     median: 177.5 (100%)     max: 178 Points
Cinebench 2024 - Cinebench 2024 CPU Multi Core
min: 1662     avg: 1696     median: 1695.5 (32%)     max: 1729 Points
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Multi Core
min: 23433     avg: 23435     median: 23435 (22%)     max: 23437 Points
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Single Core
min: 2249     avg: 2270     median: 2269.5 (96%)     max: 2290 Points
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
3031 Points (19%)
Geekbench 6.3 - Geekbench 6.3 Single-Core
min: 3836     avg: 3882     median: 3881.5 (99%)     max: 3927 Points
Geekbench 6.3 - Geekbench 6.3 Multi-Core
min: 22509     avg: 22527     median: 22526.5 (87%)     max: 22544 Points
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
min: 254.3     avg: 254.4     median: 254.4 (0%)     max: 254.5 ms
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
min: 119553     avg: 119754     median: 119754 (100%)     max: 119954 Points
WebXPRT 4 - WebXPRT 4 Score
min: 337     avg: 345     median: 345 (95%)     max: 353 Points
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
min: 525     avg: 535     median: 535 (96%)     max: 545 Points
CrossMark - CrossMark Overall
min: 2148     avg: 2155     median: 2155 (81%)     max: 2162 Points
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption - external Monitor *
min: 2.62     avg: 4.2     median: 4.2 (3%)     max: 5.79 Watt
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption 150cd 1min *
min: 4.28     avg: 6     median: 6 (7%)     max: 7.74 Watt

Average Benchmarks Apple M4 Pro (14 cores) → 0% n=0

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
red legend - Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Benchmarks / Tech > Processor Comparison - Head 2 Head
Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)