Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) vs MediaTek MT8121

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) CPU1 vs CPU2 MediaTek MT8121
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) MediaTek MT8121

CPU comparison

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) or MediaTek MT8121 - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has 10 cores with 10 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. Up to 64 GB of memory is supported in 4 memory channels. The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) was released in Q3/2021.

The MediaTek MT8121 has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 1.30 GHz. The CPU supports up to GB of memory in 0 memory channels. The MediaTek MT8121 was released in Q4/2013.
Apple M series (23) Family Mediatek MT-Serie (72)
Apple M1 (9) CPU group MediaTek MT81xx A7 (5)
1 Generation 1
M1 Architecture Cortex-A7
Mobile Segment Mobile
-- Predecessor --
Apple M2 Max (38-GPU) Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) is a 10 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). The MediaTek MT8121 has 4 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 1.30 GHz.

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
10 Cores 4
10 Threads 4
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
8x Firestorm
A-Core 1.30 GHz
4x Cortex-A7
0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
2x Icestorm
B-Core --

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

Apple M1 Max (32 Core) GPU PowerVR SGX544
0.39 GHz GPU frequency 0.16 GHz
1.30 GHz GPU (Turbo) 0.16 GHz
1 GPU Generation --
5 nm Technology 45nm
5 Max. displays 1
512 Compute units 2
4096 Shader 4
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
32 GB Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version 10.1

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

Apple M1 Max (32 Core) GPU PowerVR SGX544
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 No
Decode Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC No
Decode Codec VC-1 No
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) supports a maximum of 64 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The MediaTek MT8121 can connect up to GB of memory in 0 memory channels.

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
LPDDR5-6400 Memory
64 GB Max. Memory
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 0
409.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth --
No ECC No
28.00 MB L2 Cache --
-- L3 Cache --
4.0 PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has a TDP of 45 W, that of the MediaTek MT8121 is --.

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
45 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has a 28.00 MB cache, while the MediaTek MT8121 cache has a total of 0.00 MB.

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic MediaTek MT8121
5 nm Technology 28 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8.5-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv7-A (32 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions --
-- Socket --
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization None
Yes AES-NI No
macOS Operating systems Android
Q3/2021 Release date Q4/2013
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (32 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the MediaTek MT8121 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 0 stars (0 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 (4%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 (2%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1783 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
71 (4%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12693 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
239 (2%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
Apple M1 Max (32 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
10600 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
PowerVR SGX544 @ 0.16 GHz
5 (0%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
112 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
796 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1534 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12402 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
2397 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12439 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
192 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
22255 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
12,402 CB R23 MC @ 45 W
275 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (100%)
MediaTek MT8121 MediaTek MT8121
4C 4T @ 1.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) MediaTek MT8121
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Unknown

News and articles for the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) and the MediaTek MT8121


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