Apple Silicon Showdown: A Comprehensive Comparison of M1 Max, M2 Max, and M4 Max – Discover the Evolution and Performance Gains!

Apple’s M4 Max chip in the new Mac Studio breaks new ground in performance, surpassing its predecessors. This chip marks an exciting advancement in Apple’s ongoing evolution of Max-series chips.

Apple has made impressive strides in developing custom silicon. Each chip generation—from the M1 Max to the M2 Max and now the M4 Max—enhances speed, efficiency, and overall capability, making it easier for users to handle demanding tasks.

The M1 Max made a significant impact when it launched in 2021. The M2 Max improved upon it slightly in 2023 with enhancements that users noticed. Now, the M4 Max takes performance to a new level, featuring expanded memory support, smarter AI features, and better graphics.

M1 Max, M2 Max, M4 Max – Specifications

M1 Max, M2 Max, M4 Max – CPU Performance

The M1 Max started with a 10-core setup. The M2 Max added more cores for better multitasking and battery life. Now, the M4 Max offers options with 14 or 16 cores, enhancing overall performance further.

In Geekbench 6 tests, the M4 Max showed significant speed increases compared to past models. It achieved a single-core score of 3,875 and a multi-core score of 24,928, reflecting nearly double the multi-core performance of the original M1 Max.

Single-core benchmarks

The M2 Max made valuable improvements as well, but the leap to the M4 Max is far more substantial in terms of power.

Multi-core benchmarks

M1 Max, M2 Max, M4 Max – Graphics Performance

The M1 Max had its strengths, but the efficiency of the newer models shines especially in multitasking. The M2 Max saw a doubling of efficiency cores, aiding background tasks and conserving battery.

The M4 Max keeps pushing boundaries with its powerful configurations, paving the way for improved graphics performance and speed, especially in demanding applications.

Apple’s M1 Max, introduced in 2021, featured a 10-core CPU with eight performance cores and two efficiency cores

M1 Max, M2 Max, M4 Max – Unified Memory & Bandwidth

Apple’s design allows the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine to share memory, which boosts performance and efficiency. This unified memory system outperforms traditional setups, as it streamlines how data is accessed.

With the M1 Max, users benefited from up to 64GB of shared RAM. The M2 Max increased this to 96GB. Now, the M4 Max supports up to 128GB, enhancing performance, especially for data-heavy tasks.

The new memory bandwidth options lead to a smoother experience for tasks requiring heavy computations.

M1 Max, M2 Max, M4 Max – Display Support

The M1 Max and M2 Max could handle up to four external displays, which was impressive. Now, the M4 Max takes it up a notch, supporting five external displays, including high-refresh 8K monitors.

The M1 Max introduced support for up to four external displays

M1 Max, M2 Max, M4 Max – Thunderbolt & Connectivity

Both the M1 and M2 Max featured Thunderbolt 4, which is great for speedy connections. Now, the M4 Max embraces Thunderbolt 5 for even faster data transfer, ideal for high-performance needs.

Both the M1 Max and M2 Max featured Thunderbolt 4

Which to Buy

When considering a MacBook Pro, think about your specific needs and budget. The right choice varies based on what you plan to do with it. If your tasks aren’t too demanding, you might find the M1 Max still meets your needs.

For heavier tasks, the M4 Max’s improvements are hard to ignore. It nearly doubles performance for intensive workloads and provides greater memory and display options, making it suitable for professionals in various fields.

So, if you’re working with 8K video, complex 3D work, or gaming across multiple screens, the M4 Max will be your best choice. However, if you’re doing lighter tasks, the M2 Max may be more than enough.

For anyone buying a MacBook Pro for the first time, the M4 Max is a standout option. It’s built to handle demanding workloads with impressive efficiency and future-proofing for years to come.

While the M4 Max is the best in the lineup, the M1 and M2 Max still deliver solid performance, especially at discounted prices. If you don’t require the latest tech, those earlier models can still be great choices.