Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) vs Apple A7

Last updated: 2023-11-14

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M2 Max (30-GPU)		Apple A7
CPU comparison Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) or Apple A7 - 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) has 12 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.50 GHz. Up to 96 GB of memory is supported in 4 memory channels. The Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) was released in Q1/2023. The Apple A7 has 2 cores with 2 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 1.40 GHz. The CPU supports up to 1 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The Apple A7 was released in Q3/2013.

Apple M series (25)	Family	Apple A series (22)
Apple M2 (8)	CPU group	Apple A7 (1)
2	Generation	7
M2	Architecture	A7
Mobile	Segment	Mobile
Apple M1 Max (24-GPU)	Predecessor	Apple A6
Apple M3 Max (14-CPU 30-GPU)	Successor	Apple A8

CPU Cores and Base Frequency The Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) has 12 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) is 0.66 GHz (3.50 GHz) while the Apple A7 has 2 CPU cores and 2 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Apple A7 is at 1.40 GHz.
Apple M2 Max (30-GPU)	Characteristic	Apple A7
12	Cores	2
12	Threads	2
hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Core architecture	normal
No	Hyperthreading	No
No	Overclocking ?	No
0.66 GHz (3.50 GHz) 8x Avalanche	A-Core	1.40 GHz 2x Cyclone
0.60 GHz (2.42 GHz) 4x Blizzard	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 M2 Max (30-GPU)	Characteristic	Apple A7
Apple Neural Engine	AI hardware	--
16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS	AI specifications	--

Internal Graphics The Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) or Apple A7 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
Apple M2 Max (30 Core)	GPU	PowerVR G6430
0.45 GHz	GPU frequency	0.45 GHz
1.40 GHz	GPU (Turbo)	--
2	GPU Generation	--
5 nm	Technology	28 nm
5	Max. displays	2
480	Compute units	16
3840	Shader	128
No	Hardware Raytracing	No
No	Frame Generation	No
96 GB	Max. GPU Memory	--
--	DirectX Version	10

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 M2 Max (30 Core)	GPU	PowerVR G6430
Decode / Encode	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	No
Decode / Encode	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	No
Decode / Encode	Codec h264	No
Decode / Encode	Codec VP9	No
Decode	Codec VP8	No
No	Codec AV1	No
Decode	Codec AVC	No
Decode	Codec VC-1	No
Decode / Encode	Codec JPEG	No

Memory & PCIe The Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) can use up to 96 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 409.6 GB/s. The Apple A7 supports up to 1 GB of memory in 1 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 12.8 GB/s.
Apple M2 Max (30-GPU)	Characteristic	Apple A7
LPDDR5-6400	Memory	LPDDR3-1333
96 GB	Max. Memory	1 GB
4 (Quad Channel)	Memory channels	1 (Single Channel)
409.6 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	12.8 GB/s
No	ECC	No
36.00 MB	L2 Cache	1.00 MB
--	L3 Cache	4.00 MB
4.0	PCIe version	--
32	PCIe lanes	--
63.0 GB/s	PCIe Bandwidth	--
Thermal Management The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) is 45 W, while the Apple A7 has a TDP of --. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.
Apple M2 Max (30-GPU)	Characteristic	Apple A7
45 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	--
--	TDP (PL2)	--
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	--
100 °C	Tjunction max.	--
Technical details The Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) is manufactured in 5 nm and has 36.00 MB cache. The Apple A7 is manufactured in 28 nm and has a 5.00 MB cache.
Apple M2 Max (30-GPU)	Characteristic	Apple A7
5 nm	Technology	28 nm
Chiplet	Chip design	Chiplet
Armv8.5-A (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	Armv8-A (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation	ISA extensions	--
--	Socket	--
Apple Virtualization Framework	Virtualization	None
Yes	AES-NI	No
macOS, iPadOS	Operating systems	iOS
Q1/2023	Release date	Q3/2013
--	Release price	--

show more data		show more data

Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 0.66 GHz (3.50 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 GHz buy now on Amazon and save!

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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks

Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) (100%)

Apple A7 (15%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks

Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) (100%)

Apple A7 (3%)

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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	1874 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 GHz	278 (15%)

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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	15506 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 GHz	528 (3%)

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 M2 Max (30-GPU) Apple M2 Max (30 Core) @ 1.40 GHz	10650 (100%)
	Apple A7 PowerVR G6430 @ 0.45 GHz	115 (1%)

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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	121 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	1025 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	1695 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	14855 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	2689 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	14207 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	26310 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 14,855 CB R23 MC @ 40 W	371 (100%)
	Apple A7 1.40 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 0.66 GHz	15.8 (100%)
	Apple A7 2C 2T @ 1.40 GHz	0 (0%)

Devices using this processor
Apple M2 Max (30-GPU)	Apple A7
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)	Apple iPhone 6 Apple iPhone 6 Plus Apple iPad Mini 4 Apple TV HD Apple HomePod Apple iPod touch (6. Gen)

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