Apple M2 vs Apple M4 Pro (12 cores)
Aggregate performance score
Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) outperforms Apple M2 by a whopping 198% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) and Apple M2 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 167 | 815 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Apple M4 | Apple Apple M-Series |
| Power efficiency | 82.29 | 44.25 |
| Release date | 30 October 2024 (less than a year ago) | 10 June 2022 (2 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) and Apple M2 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 | 2.592 GHz | 2.424 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.51 GHz | 3.48 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 2 MB |
| L2 cache | 4 MB | 20 MB |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 5 nm |
| Number of transistors | no data | 20000 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) and Apple M2 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) | 32 Watt | 20 Watt |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) and Apple M2. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5 | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M4 16-core GPU | Apple M2 10-Core GPU ( - 1398 MHz) |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 27.97 | 9.40 |
| Recency | 30 October 2024 | 10 June 2022 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 8 |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 32 Watt | 20 Watt |
Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) has a 197.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads, and a 66.7% more advanced lithography process.
Apple M2, on the other hand, has 60% lower power consumption.
The Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) is our recommended choice as it beats the Apple M2 in performance tests.
Note that Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) is a desktop processor while Apple M2 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M4 Pro (12 cores) and Apple M2, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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