Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) vs Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
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CPU comparison with benchmarks
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) | |
CPU comparisonIn this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) and the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.
We compare the Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) 20 core processor released in Q1/2022 with the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) which has 16 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2023. |
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| Apple M series (25) | Family | Apple M series (25) |
| Apple M1 (9) | CPU group | Apple M3 (6) |
| 1 | Generation | 3 |
| M1 | Architecture | M3 |
| Mobile | Segment | Mobile |
| -- | Predecessor | Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) |
| Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Successor | -- |
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CPU Cores and Base FrequencyThe Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) is a 20 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). The processor can compute 20 threads at the same time. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) clocks with 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz), has 16 CPU cores and can calculate 16 threads in parallel. |
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
| 20 | Cores | 16 |
| 20 | Threads | 16 |
| hybrid (big.LITTLE) | Core architecture | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
| No | Hyperthreading | No |
| No | Overclocking ? | No |
| 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz) 16x Firestorm |
A-Core | 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) 12x P-Core |
| 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz) 4x Icestorm |
B-Core | 0.74 GHz (2.75 GHz) 4x E-Core |
Artificial Intelligence and Machine LearningProcessors 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. |
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
| Apple Neural Engine | AI hardware | Apple Neural Engine |
| 32 Neural cores @ 22 TOPS | AI specifications | 16 Neural cores @ 35 TOPS |
Internal GraphicsGraphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback. |
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48 Core) | GPU | Apple M3 Max (40 Core) |
| 0.39 GHz | GPU frequency | 0.39 GHz |
| 1.30 GHz | GPU (Turbo) | 1.40 GHz |
| 1 | GPU Generation | -- |
| 5 nm | Technology | 3 nm |
| 5 | Max. displays | 5 |
| 768 | Compute units | 640 |
| 6144 | Shader | 5120 |
| No | Hardware Raytracing | Yes |
| No | Frame Generation | No |
| 64 GB | Max. GPU Memory | 128 GB |
| -- | DirectX Version | -- |
Hardware codec supportA 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. |
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48 Core) | GPU | Apple M3 Max (40 Core) |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h264 | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec VP9 | Decode / Encode |
| Decode | Codec VP8 | Decode |
| No | Codec AV1 | Decode |
| Decode | Codec AVC | Decode |
| Decode | Codec VC-1 | Decode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec JPEG | Decode / Encode |
Memory & PCIeUp to 128 GB of memory in a maximum of 8 memory channels is supported by the Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU), while the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) supports a maximum of 128 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 409.6 GB/s enabled. |
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
| LPDDR5-6400 | Memory | LPDDR5-6400 |
| 128 GB | Max. Memory | 128 GB |
| 8 (Octa Channel) | Memory channels | 4 (Quad Channel) |
| 819.2 GB/s | Max. Bandwidth | 409.6 GB/s |
| No | ECC | No |
| 52.00 MB | L2 Cache | 36.00 MB |
| -- | L3 Cache | -- |
| 4.0 | PCIe version | 4.0 |
| -- | PCIe lanes | -- |
| -- | PCIe Bandwidth | -- |
Thermal ManagementThe Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) has a TDP of 60 W. The TDP of the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) is 57 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution. |
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
| 60 W | TDP (PL1 / PBP) | 57 W |
| -- | TDP (PL2) | -- |
| 120 W | TDP up | -- |
| -- | TDP down | -- |
| -- | Tjunction max. | 100 °C |
Technical detailsThe Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) has 52.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 5 nm. The cache of Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) is at 36.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 3 nm. |
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
| 5 nm | Technology | 3 nm |
| Chiplet | Chip design | Chiplet |
| Armv8.5-A (64 bit) | Instruction set (ISA) | Armv8-A (64 bit) |
| Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation | ISA extensions | Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation |
| -- | Socket | -- |
| Apple Virtualization Framework | Virtualization | Apple Virtualization Framework |
| Yes | AES-NI | Yes |
| macOS | Operating systems | macOS, iPadOS |
| Q1/2022 | Release date | Q4/2023 |
| -- | Release price | -- |
| show more data | show more data | |
20C 20T @ 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!
16C 16T @ 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!
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Rate these processors
Average performance in benchmarks
⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
Apple M1 Ultra (48 Core) @ 1.30 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
Apple M3 Max (40 Core) @ 1.40 GHz |
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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).
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 0.60 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 0.70 GHz |
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Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)
Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz |
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Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz |
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Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)
Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz |
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Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)
Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
0.60 GHz |
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Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
24,028 CB R23 MC @ 57 W |
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Devices using this processor |
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| Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
| Apple Mac Studio (2022) | Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023) |
News and articles for the Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) and the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-28
After Apple surprisingly presented the normal Apple M2 processor as the first successor to the Apple M1 already in June 2022, the Apple M2 Pro and the Apple M2 Max may follow in autumn. The difference in performance compared to the basic version could be even greater this time and range from 25 to 40 percent.
In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-09
During WWDC 2022 on June 6th, 2022 Apple surprisingly presented its new Apple M2 processor. This will initially be installed in a completely revised Apple MacBook Air with 13.6 inches, a even thinner form factor and new colors. Apple also updated the already known (old) Apple MacBook Pro 13.3 with touch bar.
Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.
Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.
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