Apple M2 Max vs Apple M3 Pro 12-Core
Aggregate performance score
Apple M2 Max outperforms Apple M3 Pro 12-Core by a minimal 4% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Apple M2 Max processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 407 | 385 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Apple M3 | Apple M-Series |
| Power efficiency | 56.78 | 20.10 |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (1 year ago) | 17 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Apple M2 Max 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) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2.748 GHz | 2.424 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 3.3 MB |
| L2 cache | no data | 36 MB |
| L3 cache | no data | 48 MB |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 5 nm |
| Number of transistors | 37000 Million | 67000 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Apple M2 Max 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) | 27 Watt | 79 Watt |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU | Apple M2 Max 38-Core GPU |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Geekbench 5.5 Multi-Core
Geekbench 5.5 Single-Core
WebXPRT 3
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 16.20 | 16.78 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 17 January 2023 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 79 Watt |
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core has an age advantage of 9 months, a 66.7% more advanced lithography process, and 192.6% lower power consumption.
Apple M2 Max, on the other hand, has a 3.6% higher aggregate performance score.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Apple M2 Max.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Apple M2 Max, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
