Last week, Apple unveiled its latest MacBook Pro lineup featuring M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chipsets. Initial CPU benchmarks (as reported by Geekbench) suggest a bright future for the flagship M4 Max chipset. Now, we dive into the GPU benchmarks, where the M4 Max continues to impress.
The GPU performance metrics are derived from Blender Open Data, a platform where users can evaluate Blender’s performance on their devices, both through CPU and GPU tests. Unlike synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench, the Blender benchmark is more indicative of real-world performance and may align better with your specific usage needs.
M4 Max vs comparable Nvidia offerings
According to data from Blender Open Data, the M4 Max achieved an average score of 5208 across 28 tests. This places it slightly below the laptop variant of Nvidia’s RTX 4080, while also outpacing the last-gen desktop RTX 3080 Ti and the current desktop RTX 4070.
This is particularly noteworthy, given that Apple’s graphics capabilities are fully integrated on-chip, whereas the discrete RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 4070 require considerable physical space within desktop setups.
M4 Max vs top Nvidia offerings
Nevertheless, the comparison isn’t entirely favorable. When pitted against the top-of-the-line Nvidia option, the RTX 4090 Laptop, the M4 Max lags significantly. The laptop RTX 4090 boasts an average score of 6863, making it roughly 30% faster than the M4 Max.
There’s also the consideration of efficiency; Apple’s M4 Max consumes considerably less power compared to any leading Windows laptops. However, for those whose primary goal is to maximize performance while mobile, the M4 Max might not be the optimal choice, although its efficiency does translate into impressive performance.
Conclusion
An intriguing point to note is that the desktop RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 10880. If hypothetically, an M4 Ultra chip is developed that doubles the performance of the M4 Max, it could surpass that score, making the next generation of Mac Studio particularly enticing.
What are your thoughts on the latest Apple Silicon? Share your opinions in the comments.
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