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Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) vs Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
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Summary
The Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) is a high-end processor for desktop workstations, manufactured using a 5 nm process.
It features 60 GPU cores, 72 MB of L2 cache, and 819 GB/s memory bandwidth, which also supports very good AI performance. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU), manufactured using a 3 nm process, targets high-end laptops and workstations.
It offers 16 CPU cores, 40 GPU cores, 36 MB of L2 cache, and 410 GB/s memory bandwidth. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) shows significantly better single-core performance. However, the Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) significantly outperforms the M3 Max in multi-core benchmarks, ideal for parallelized workloads.
For gaming, the M2 Ultra offers superior graphics performance thanks to its 60 GPU cores and higher memory bandwidth. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) benefits from 3 nm and higher performance per watt. The Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU), manufactured using a 5 nm process, is designed for maximum raw performance.
The Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) positions itself in the top segment. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) offers excellent performance efficiency in a high-priced segment.
It features 60 GPU cores, 72 MB of L2 cache, and 819 GB/s memory bandwidth, which also supports very good AI performance. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU), manufactured using a 3 nm process, targets high-end laptops and workstations.
It offers 16 CPU cores, 40 GPU cores, 36 MB of L2 cache, and 410 GB/s memory bandwidth. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) shows significantly better single-core performance. However, the Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) significantly outperforms the M3 Max in multi-core benchmarks, ideal for parallelized workloads.
For gaming, the M2 Ultra offers superior graphics performance thanks to its 60 GPU cores and higher memory bandwidth. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) benefits from 3 nm and higher performance per watt. The Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU), manufactured using a 5 nm process, is designed for maximum raw performance.
The Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) positions itself in the top segment. The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) offers excellent performance efficiency in a high-priced segment.
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU)
- Highest multi-core and graphics performance.
- Very high memory bandwidth (819 GB/s), good for AI.
- Ideal for extreme professional desktop applications.
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
- Superior single-core performance.
- High energy efficiency due to 3 nm manufacturing.
- Excellent performance for demanding mobile or compact workstations.
Benchmarks
Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks
Single-core performance
Multi-core performance
Cinebench 2024 Single-Core
Single-core performance
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.06 GHz
Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU)
100 %
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.06 GHz
Cinebench R23 Single-Core
Single-core performance
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.06 GHz
Cinebench R23 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU)
100 %
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
16C / 16T · 3.60 GHz
Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.06 GHz
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU)
100 %
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
16C / 16T · 3.60 GHz
Geekbench 5, 64bit Single-Core
Single-core performance
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
16C / 16T · 4.06 GHz
Geekbench 5, 64bit Multi-Core
Multi-core performance
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU)
100 %
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
16C / 16T · 3.60 GHz
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU)
100 %
Apple M2 Ultra (60 Core)
Apple M3 Max (40 Core)
AI performance (NPU)
24C / 24T · 0.66 GHz
16C / 16T · 0.70 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
Cinebench R20 (SC)
666 entries
666 entries
Geekbench 5 (SC)
2,512 entries
2,512 entries
Cinebench R20 (MC)
615 entries
615 entries
Geekbench 5 (MC)
2,483 entries
2,483 entries
FP32 SP (iGPU)
2,219 entries
2,219 entries
PassMark CPU-Mark
2,504 entries
2,504 entries
Cinebench R15 (SC)
1,113 entries
1,113 entries
Cinebench R15 (MC)
1,110 entries
1,110 entries
CPU performance per watt (efficiency)
140 entries
140 entries
AI performance (NPU)
218 entries
218 entries
Specifications
At a glance
|
Wischen
|
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Apple M series (38) | Apple M series (38) |
| CPU group | Apple M2 (8) | Apple M3 (6) |
| Architecture | M2 | M3 |
| Technology | 5 nm | 3 nm |
| Segment | Notebook | Notebook |
| Socket | ||
| Predecessor | Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) | Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) |
| Successor | Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) | Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
CPU Cores and Base Frequency
|
Wischen
|
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Cores / Threads | 24 / 24 | 16 / 16 |
| Hyperthreading / SMT | ✗ | ✗ |
| Core architecture | hybrid (big.LITTLE) | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
| Core Cluster 1: | 16x Avalanche 0.66 - 3.50 GHz |
12x Palma P-Core 0.70 - 4.06 GHz |
| Core Cluster 2: | 8x Blizzard 0.60 - 2.42 GHz |
4x Palma E-Core 0.74 - 2.75 GHz |
| L2-Cache | 72.00 MB | 36.00 MB |
| L3-Cache | ||
| Overclocking | ✗ | ✗ |
Integrated graphics (iGPU)
|
Wischen
|
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| GPU name | Apple M2 Ultra (60 Core) | Apple M3 Max (40 Core) |
| GPU frequency | 0.45 - 1.40 GHz | 0.39 - 1.40 GHz |
| CUs / Shader | 960 / 7680 | 640 / 5120 |
| Raytracing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Max. displays | 8 | 5 |
| Max. GPU Memory | 192 GB | 128 GB |
| Technology | 5 nm | 3 nm |
| Release date | Q2/2023 | Q4/2023 |
NPU AI performance
|
Wischen
|
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| AI hardware | Apple Neural Engine | Apple Neural Engine |
| AI specifications | 32 Neural cores @ 31.6 TOPS | 16 Neural cores @ 35 TOPS |
| NPU + CPU + iGPU |
Memory & PCIe
|
Wischen
|
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | LPDDR5-6400 (819.1 GB/s) | LPDDR5-6400 (409.6 GB/s) |
| Max. Memory | 192 GB | 128 GB |
| Memory channels | 8 | 4 |
| ECC | No | No |
| PCIe | 4.0 x 64 | 4.0 |
| PCIe Bandwidth | 126.0 GB/s |
Thermal Management
|
Wischen
|
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 80 W | 57 W |
| TDP (PL2) | ||
| TDP up | ||
| TDP down | ||
| T. junction max. | 100 °C | 100 °C |
Technical details
|
Wischen
|
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) |
|---|---|---|
| Chip design | Monolithic | Monolithic |
| AES-NI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Operating systems | macOS, iPadOS | macOS, iPadOS |
| Instruction set | Armv8.5-A (64 bit) | Armv8-A (64 bit) |
| ISA extensions | Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation | Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation |
| Release date | Q2/2023 | Q4/2023 |
| Release price | ||
| Documents |
User Reviews
Your rating
Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) is 4.9 stars (247 ratings), while Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) has received 4.9 stars (637 ratings).
Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.
Most popular CPUs in both categories
1
Apple M5 Max (18-CPU 32-GPU)
18C / 18T · 4.61 GHz
2
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
3
Apple M5 Max (18-CPU 40-GPU)
18C / 18T · 4.61 GHz
4
Apple M5 Pro (15-CPU 16-GPU)
15C / 15T · 4.61 GHz
5
Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C / 20T · 3.20 GHz
6
Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU)
24C / 24T · 3.50 GHz
7
Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C / 8T · 3.20 GHz
8
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C / 16T · 4.06 GHz
9
Apple M4 (8-CPU)
8C / 8T · 4.46 GHz
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