Apple M1 Max vs Apple M1 Pro

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Apple M1 Max vs Apple M1 Pro tests and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming. Here you can find all information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like Prime95, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, Blender, SuperPi, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Blender, Furmark, 3DMark, PCMark 10, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Valorant
Rainbow Six Siege
Death Stranding
Overwatch
Last Man Standing
Fortnite
DOOM: Eternal
Borderlands 3
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Apex Legends
Red Dead Redemption 2
Grand Theft Auto V
Cyberpunk 2077
Fallout 76
Halo Infinite
Valheim
Watch Dogs Legion

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Apple M1 Pro or Apple M1 Max.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

M1 Max

60%

M1 Pro

59%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Max is 1% better than M1 Pro. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

M1 Pro

57%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, DOTA 2A, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, League of Legends (LOL).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	101.0
Valorant	115.1	114.8
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	64.3
Apex Legends	108.2	107.9
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	86.1
Overwatch	93.2	93.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	79.2
DOOM Eternal	57.6	57.4
Warzone	89.8	89.5
Assassin's Creed	96.7	96.4
Valheim	95.5	95.3

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Max

332%

M1 Pro

358%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 Pro is more energy efficient than the M1 Max since it has less power consumption: 18W vs. 16W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Apple M1 Max	Apple M1 Pro
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	304
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	1716
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	590
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	2936
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	2233
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	11512

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M1 Max	Apple M1 Pro
Single-Core	5344	5046
Multi-Core	34572	32596

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M1 Max	Apple M1 Pro
Single-Core	1793	1723
Multi-Core	13028	12737

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M1 Max	Apple M1 Pro
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	October 07, 2021
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Laptop
Socket	M1	M1
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Generation	1	1
Turbo Frequency
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	10	10
Threads	10	10
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	34000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	16 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	6400
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s	208 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	24MB
L3 cache	48MB	24MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1105	APL1103

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 Max is better: 25
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 Pro is better: 1
However, it should be understood that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M1 Max and Apple M1 Pro before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M1 Max - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Apple M1 Max specs and review.

Apple M1 Pro - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Apple M1 Pro specs and review.