Apple M4 (8 cores) vs Apple M2 Max
Primary details
Comparing Apple M2 Max and Apple M4 (8 cores) processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 391 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple M-Series | Apple M4 |
| Power efficiency | 20.02 | no data |
| Release date | 17 January 2023 (1 year ago) | 28 October 2024 (less than a year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Apple M2 Max and Apple M4 (8 cores) basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 12 (Dodeca-Core) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.424 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 4 GHz |
| L1 cache | 3.3 MB | no data |
| L2 cache | 36 MB | no data |
| L3 cache | 48 MB | no data |
| Chip lithography | 5 nm | 3 nm |
| Number of transistors | 67000 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on Apple M2 Max and Apple M4 (8 cores) compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Power consumption (TDP) | 79 Watt | 5 Watt |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Apple M2 Max 38-Core GPU | Apple M4 8-core GPU |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 17 January 2023 | 28 October 2024 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 8 |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 5 nm | 3 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 79 Watt | 5 Watt |
Apple M2 Max has 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads.
Apple M4 (8 cores), on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, a 66.7% more advanced lithography process, and 1480% lower power consumption.
We couldn't decide between Apple M2 Max and Apple M4 (8 cores). We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Apple M2 Max is a notebook processor while Apple M4 (8 cores) is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M2 Max and Apple M4 (8 cores), ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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