Apple M2 vs Apple M1 Max

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Apple M2 vs Apple M1 Max and see which is better for games or simple use for video editing, rendering, streaming, programming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Blender, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, AIDA64, 3DMark, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Blender, Handbrake, SuperPi, PassMark, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Prime95, Furmark, Gears 5, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Apple M1 Max or Apple M2.

Summary benchmark results

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

59%

M1 Max

60%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Max is 1% better than M2. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

M1 Max

57%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	101.3
Valorant	110.7	115.1
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	64.5
Apex Legends	104.1	108.2
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	86.3
Overwatch	89.7	93.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	79.4
DOOM Eternal	55.4	57.6
Warzone	86.4	89.8
Assassin's Creed	93.0	96.7
Valheim	91.9	95.5

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

535%

M1 Max

332%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M2 is more energy efficient than the M1 Max as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 18W. Power consumption is particularly 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 M2	Apple M1 Max
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	313
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	1811
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	617
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	3106
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	2360
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	12204

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

	Apple M2	Apple M1 Max
Single-Core	4095	5344
Multi-Core	29665	34572

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

	Apple M2	Apple M1 Max
Single-Core	1929	1793
Multi-Core	9243	13028

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of 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 there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M2	Apple M1 Max
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	October 07, 2021
Type	Laptop	Laptop;Desktop
Socket	M2	M1
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Generation	2	1
Turbo Frequency
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	8	10
Threads	8	10
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	57000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	18 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz
Max. Memory		64 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400	6400
Memory bandwidth		409 GByte/s
L1 cache	2MB	4MB
L2 cache	12MB	24MB
L3 cache	16MB	48MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		APL1105

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 is 8% better than M1 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Max has 2 more core than M2. 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 M2 is better: 5
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 Max is better: 29
However, it should be realized that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 and Apple M1 Max before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M2 - all data

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

• Apple M2 specs and review.

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.