Apple’s recent announcement of the Mac Studio featuring the M3 Ultra and M4 Max chips has sparked excitement and confusion. Deciphering the performance difference between these powerful processors isn’t as simple as comparing names. Early benchmark results suggest a surprising narrative regarding their CPU capabilities.
Initial Geekbench 6 scores, shared by Vadim Yuryev, indicate that while the M3 Ultra claims the “world’s fastest production CPU” title, the margin of victory over the M4 Max is narrower than anticipated. The M3 Ultra Mac Studio achieved impressive scores of 3221 in single-core and 27749 in multi-core performance. However, the M4 Max trails closely behind with a single-core score of 3921 and a multi-core score of 25647.
M3 Ultra geekbench benchmarks. Source: Geekbench
This data reveals a key insight: the M4 Max boasts faster individual cores. The M3 Ultra’s advantage lies solely in its multi-core performance, leading by approximately 8%.
M4 Max CPU geekbench leak. Source: Geekbench
Apple’s assertion that the M3 Ultra delivers “nearly 2x faster performance than M4 Max in workloads leveraging high CPU and GPU core counts” appears inconsistent with these initial benchmarks. Further testing with a wider range of applications will provide a more comprehensive understanding of real-world performance differences.
The M4 Max’s superior single-core performance is attributed to its second-generation 3nm architecture, offering greater efficiency compared to the first-gen 3nm technology used in the M3 chips.
The performance gap is expected to widen considerably when GPU performance is considered. The M4 Max’s GPU core count maxes out at 40, while the M3 Ultra offers up to 80 cores. This difference will significantly impact graphics-intensive tasks.
These early CPU benchmarks provide valuable information for potential Mac Studio buyers prioritizing CPU-centric workloads. For users not heavily reliant on GPU performance, the M4 Max configuration may offer a compelling balance of performance and value.
Finally, the absence of an M4 Ultra in the Mac Studio lineup doesn’t necessarily rule out its future existence. Rumors persist about a potential M4 Ultra-powered Mac Pro launch later this year.
