M4 Max Claims Top Spot in Geekbench 6 Single-Core Performance

The M4 Pro may be Apple's standout chip in terms of offering an excellent price-to-performance ratio among the company's latest Mac models, but the M4 Max caters to users seeking…

By Ishika Setia

November 2, 2024

3 min read

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The M4 Pro may be Apple’s standout chip in terms of offering an excellent price-to-performance ratio among the company’s latest Mac models, but the M4 Max caters to users seeking powerful, no-frills computing capabilities to tackle any task effortlessly. According to the latest Geekbench 6 results, single-threaded, the M4 Max is the fastest chip in town. That said, the multi-core performance is a different story, but the SoC continues to put down impressive numbers nonetheless, albeit with a limited number of CPU cores.

M4 Max Claims Top Spot in Geekbench 6 Single-Core Performance, But Multi-Core Gains Over M4 Pro Remain Modest

Apple kept the M3 Max and M4 Max at the same core configuration cap, so the top models feature a 16-core CPU with 12 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. A fresh Geekbench 6 leak from James Atkinson reveals that the M4 Max not only reached a single-core score of 4,060, the highest mark yet seen, though not the first to reach this milestone.

The M4 found in Apple’s iPad Pro previously hit a score of 4,000, albeit with the aid of liquid nitrogen. For multi-core performance, the CPU core configuration has not changed, and therefore the delta between the M4 Max, and M4 Pro is just 17.6%, which is little less than other comparisons. In contrast, versus the M3 Max, the gap stretches to 21.9% larger. While that is only a minor all-core clock improvement, the higher M4 Max multi-core score comes as a result of its ramped-up clock speeds.

Interestingly, the Geekbench 6 leak shows that the M4 Max runs at higher speeds, 4.50GHz instead of the 4.40GHz or 4.41GHz speeds of the other M4 CPUs. The ‘Pro’ and ‘Max’ versions may have gotten some minor tweaks to their performance cores this year. The M4 Pro, however, is the higher priority option likely offering a 14-core CPU, though a maximum of 20 GPU cores, whereas a potential M4 Max could have a 40-core GPU. In single-core performance, Apple remains way out in front even though its competitor is still trailing.

FAQs

What makes the M4 Max chip different from the M4 Pro?

The M4 Max features a higher core count and improved performance capabilities, making it the preferred choice for demanding applications, while the M4 Pro offers a more balanced price-to-performance ratio.

Can the M4 Max handle gaming?

Yes, the M4 Max has enough processing power to run modern AAA gaming titles, although the extent to which games can leverage its capabilities depends on developer optimization.