Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) vs Apple M1 (7-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M1 (7-GPU)
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) and the Apple M1 (7-GPU) and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) 16 core processor released in Q4/2023 with the Apple M1 (7-GPU) which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2020.
Apple M series (25) Family Apple M series (25)
Apple M3 (6) CPU group Apple M1 (9)
3 Generation 1
M3 Architecture M1
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) is a 16 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz). The processor can compute 16 threads at the same time. The Apple M1 (7-GPU) clocks with 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz), has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.

Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Characteristic Apple M1 (7-GPU)
16 Cores 8
16 Threads 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz)
12x P-Core
A-Core 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
4x Firestorm
0.74 GHz (2.75 GHz)
4x E-Core
B-Core 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
4x Icestorm

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Characteristic Apple M1 (7-GPU)
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
16 Neural cores @ 35 TOPS AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS

Internal Graphics

Graphics (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.

Apple M3 Max (40 Core) GPU Apple M1 (7 Core)
0.39 GHz GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
1.40 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.30 GHz
-- GPU Generation 1
3 nm Technology 5 nm
5 Max. displays 2
640 Compute units 112
5120 Shader 896
Yes Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
128 GB Max. GPU Memory 8 GB
-- DirectX Version --

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 M3 Max (40 Core) GPU Apple M1 (7 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
Decode Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 128 GB of memory in a maximum of 4 memory channels is supported by the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU), while the Apple M1 (7-GPU) supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 68.2 GB/s enabled.

Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Characteristic Apple M1 (7-GPU)
LPDDR5-6400 Memory LPDDR4X-4266
128 GB Max. Memory 16 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
409.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 68.2 GB/s
No ECC No
36.00 MB L2 Cache 16.00 MB
-- L3 Cache --
4.0 PCIe version 4.0
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) has a TDP of 57 W. The TDP of the Apple M1 (7-GPU) is 18 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Characteristic Apple M1 (7-GPU)
57 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 18 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up 25 W
-- TDP down 10 W
100 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) has 36.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 3 nm. The cache of Apple M1 (7-GPU) is at 16.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 5 nm.

Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Characteristic Apple M1 (7-GPU)
3 nm Technology 5 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8.5-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, iPadOS Operating systems macOS
Q4/2023 Release date Q4/2020
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (539 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple M1 (7-GPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.9 stars (48 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) (78%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) (35%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz
141 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
112 (79%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz
1607 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
509 (32%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz
1968 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1503 (76%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
24028 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7759 (32%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz
2150 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1742 (81%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
22736 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7650 (34%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz
3125 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
2369 (76%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
21045 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
8576 (41%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
Apple M3 Max (40 Core) @ 1.40 GHz
14200 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
Apple M1 (7 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
2290 (16%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
24,028 CB R23 MC @ 57 W
422 (98%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W
431 (100%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 0.70 GHz
35 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (31%)

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.
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz
496 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
6311 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
117 (100%)

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 M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
14463 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
314 (100%)

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.
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.06 GHz
266 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 3.60 GHz
3375 (100%)
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)
Unknown

News and articles for the Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) and the Apple M1 (7-GPU)


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