Apple M4 Max (14 cores) vs Apple M3 Max 16-Core
Aggregate performance score
Apple M4 Max (14 cores) outperforms Apple M3 Max 16-Core by an impressive 66% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 224 | 64 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Apple M3 | Apple M4 |
| Power efficiency | 31.56 | 51.15 |
| Designer | Apple | Apple |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (1 year ago) | 30 November 2024 (less than a year ago) |
Detailed specifications
M3 Max 16-Core and M4 Max (14 cores) basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 14 (Tetradeca-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 14 |
| Base clock speed | 2.748 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 4.51 GHz |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 3 nm |
| Number of transistors | 92000 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on M3 Max 16-Core and M4 Max (14 cores) compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Power consumption (TDP) | 78 Watt | 80 Watt |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M3 Max 40-Core GPU | Apple M4 32-core GPU |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating.
Geekbench 6.4 Multi-Core
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 25.70 | 42.72 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 30 November 2024 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 14 |
| Threads | 16 | 14 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 78 Watt | 80 Watt |
Apple M3 Max 16-Core has 14.3% more physical cores and 14.3% more threads, and 2.6% lower power consumption.
Apple M4 Max (14 cores), on the other hand, has a 66.2% higher aggregate performance score, and an age advantage of 1 year.
The Apple M4 Max (14 cores) is our recommended choice as it beats the Apple M3 Max 16-Core in performance tests.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
