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Apple M1 vs Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
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Summary
The Apple M1 (November 2020), manufactured using the 5 nm process, integrates 8 CPU cores and an Apple M1 (8 Core) graphics unit (16 MB L2 cache, 68 GB/s memory bandwidth).
It is designed for everyday tasks and entry-level creative projects. The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) (2024), manufactured using the 3 nm process, features 16 CPU cores and an Apple M4 Max (40 Core) graphics unit (52 MB L2 cache, 546 GB/s memory bandwidth).
This makes it ideal for professional AI applications and the highest demands. Performance and Gaming: The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) significantly surpasses the Apple M1 in single-core and multi-core performance. For gaming, the Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) offers superior performance thanks to its 40 GPU cores and high memory bandwidth.
The Apple M1 is suitable for less demanding games. Energy, Price, and Recommendation: The Apple M1 is energy-efficient and offers excellent value for money for everyday use. The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) delivers more performance, remains efficient, but requires more energy under load.
Its higher price is justified by peak performance for professional workloads such as 3D rendering and AI development.
It is designed for everyday tasks and entry-level creative projects. The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) (2024), manufactured using the 3 nm process, features 16 CPU cores and an Apple M4 Max (40 Core) graphics unit (52 MB L2 cache, 546 GB/s memory bandwidth).
This makes it ideal for professional AI applications and the highest demands. Performance and Gaming: The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) significantly surpasses the Apple M1 in single-core and multi-core performance. For gaming, the Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) offers superior performance thanks to its 40 GPU cores and high memory bandwidth.
The Apple M1 is suitable for less demanding games. Energy, Price, and Recommendation: The Apple M1 is energy-efficient and offers excellent value for money for everyday use. The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) delivers more performance, remains efficient, but requires more energy under load.
Its higher price is justified by peak performance for professional workloads such as 3D rendering and AI development.
Apple M1
- High energy efficiency
- Solid performance for everyday tasks
- Good value for money
- Suitable for entry-level creative projects
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
- Outstanding multi-core and graphics performance
- Ideal for demanding professional workloads
- Excellent for AI applications
- Advanced 3 nm manufacturing process
Benchmarks
Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks
Single-core performance
Multi-core performance
Cinebench 2026 Single-Thread
Single-core performance
Apple M1
61 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.51 GHz
Cinebench 2026 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance
Apple M1
22 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.51 GHz
Cinebench 2024 Single-Core
Single-core performance
Apple M1
63 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.51 GHz
Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance
Apple M1
25 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.51 GHz
Cinebench R23 Single-Core
Single-core performance
Apple M1
68 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.51 GHz
Cinebench R23 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance
Apple M1
28 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
16C / 16T · 1.26 GHz
Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance
Apple M1
59 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.51 GHz
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance
Apple M1
33 %
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
16C / 16T · 1.26 GHz
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)
Apple M1
15 %
Apple M1 (8 Core)
Apple M4 Max (40 Core)
AI performance (NPU)
Apple M1
29 %
8C / 8T · 0.60 GHz
16C / 16T · 1.26 GHz
More benchmarks
Cinebench 2026 (ST)
218 entries
218 entries
Cinebench 2026 (MC)
219 entries
219 entries
Cinebench 2024 (SC)
427 entries
427 entries
Cinebench 2024 (MC)
422 entries
422 entries
Cinebench R23 (SC)
690 entries
690 entries
Cinebench R23 (MC)
665 entries
665 entries
Geekbench 6 (SC)
1,989 entries
1,989 entries
Geekbench 6 (MC)
1,927 entries
1,927 entries
Geekbench 5 (SC)
2,512 entries
2,512 entries
Geekbench 5 (MC)
2,483 entries
2,483 entries
FP32 SP (iGPU)
2,219 entries
2,219 entries
Blender 3.1 Benchmark
213 entries
213 entries
PassMark CPU-Mark
2,504 entries
2,504 entries
Blender 2.81 (bmw27)
190 entries
190 entries
V-Ray CPU-Render
251 entries
251 entries
CPU performance per watt (efficiency)
140 entries
140 entries
AI performance (NPU)
218 entries
218 entries
Specifications
At a glance
|
Wischen
|
Apple M1 | Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Apple M series (38) | Apple M series (38) |
| CPU group | Apple M1 (9) | Apple M4 (7) |
| Architecture | M1 | M4 |
| Technology | 5 nm | 3 nm |
| Segment | Notebook | Notebook |
| Socket | ||
| Predecessor | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) | |
| Successor | Apple M2 | Apple M5 Max (18-CPU 40-GPU) |
CPU Cores and Base Frequency
|
Wischen
|
Apple M1 | Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Cores / Threads | 8 / 8 | 16 / 16 |
| Hyperthreading / SMT | ✗ | ✗ |
| Core architecture | hybrid (big.LITTLE) | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
| Core Cluster 1: | 4x Firestorm 0.60 - 3.20 GHz |
12x Donan P-Core 1.26 - 4.51 GHz |
| Core Cluster 2: | 4x Icestorm 0.60 - 2.06 GHz |
4x Donan E-Core 1.02 - 2.59 GHz |
| L2-Cache | 16.00 MB | 52.00 MB |
| L3-Cache | ||
| Overclocking | ✗ | ✗ |
Integrated graphics (iGPU)
|
Wischen
|
Apple M1 | Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| GPU name | Apple M1 (8 Core) | Apple M4 Max (40 Core) |
| GPU frequency | 0.39 - 1.30 GHz | 0.39 - 1.58 GHz |
| CUs / Shader | 128 / 1024 | 640 / 5120 |
| Raytracing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Max. displays | 2 | 3 |
| Max. GPU Memory | 8 GB | 96 GB |
| Technology | 5 nm | 3 nm |
| Release date | Q4/2020 | Q4/2024 |
NPU AI performance
|
Wischen
|
Apple M1 | Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| AI hardware | Apple Neural Engine | Apple Neural Engine |
| AI specifications | 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS | 16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS |
| NPU + CPU + iGPU |
Memory & PCIe
|
Wischen
|
Apple M1 | Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | LPDDR4X-4266 (68.2 GB/s) | LPDDR5X-8533 (546.0 GB/s) |
| Max. Memory | 16 GB | 128 GB |
| Memory channels | 2 | 8 |
| ECC | No | No |
| PCIe | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| PCIe Bandwidth |
Thermal Management
|
Wischen
|
Apple M1 | Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 18 W | 90 W |
| TDP (PL2) | ||
| TDP up | 20 W | |
| TDP down | 10 W | |
| T. junction max. | 100 °C |
Technical details
|
Wischen
|
Apple M1 | Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| Chip design | Monolithic | Monolithic |
| AES-NI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Operating systems | macOS | macOS, iPadOS |
| Instruction set | Armv8.5-A (64 bit) | Armv9.2-A (64 bit) |
| ISA extensions | Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation | Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation, AVX2, SME |
| Release date | Q4/2020 | Q4/2024 |
| Release price | ||
| Documents |
User Reviews
Your rating
Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple M1 is 4.5 stars (767 ratings), while Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) has received 4.8 stars (737 ratings).
Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.
Most popular CPUs in both categories
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Apple M5 Max (18-CPU 32-GPU)
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2
Apple M5 Max (18-CPU 40-GPU)
18C / 18T · 4.61 GHz
3
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
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4
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
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Apple M4 (8-CPU)
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Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU)
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
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Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C / 16T · 4.51 GHz
9
Apple M1
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
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