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Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) vs Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
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CPU comparison with benchmarks
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| Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) | Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) | |
CPU comparisonApple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) or Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) - 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) has 28 cores with 28 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.06 GHz. Up to 256 GB of memory is supported in 8 memory channels. The Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) was released in Q1/2025. The Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) has 14 cores with 14 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.50 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 6 memory channels. The Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) was released in Q4/2024. |
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| Apple M series (32) | Family | Apple M series (32) |
| Apple M3 Ultra (2) | CPU group | Apple M4 (7) |
| 3 | Generation | 4 |
| M3 | Architecture | M4 |
| Desktop | Segment | Notebook |
| Apple M2 Ultra (60-GPU) | Predecessor | Apple M3 Max (14-CPU 30-GPU) |
| -- | Successor | -- |
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CPU Cores and Base FrequencyThe Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) has 28 CPU cores and can calculate 28 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) is 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) while the Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) has 14 CPU cores and 14 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) is at 0.70 GHz (4.50 GHz). |
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| Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) |
| 28 | Cores | 14 |
| 28 | Threads | 14 |
| hybrid (big.LITTLE) | Core architecture | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
| No | Hyperthreading | No |
| No | Overclocking ? | No |
| 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) 20x Palma P-Core |
A-Core | 0.70 GHz (4.50 GHz) 10x Donan P-Core |
| 0.74 GHz (2.75 GHz) 8x Palma E-Core |
B-Core | 0.74 GHz (2.85 GHz) 4x Donan E-Core |
NPU AI performanceThe performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. |
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| Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) |
| Apple Neural Engine | AI hardware | Apple Neural Engine |
| 32 Neural cores @ 70 TOPS | AI specifications | 16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS |
| -- | NPU + CPU + iGPU | -- |
Integrated graphics (iGPU)The Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) or Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) 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. |
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| Apple M3 Ultra (60 Core) | GPU | Apple M4 Max (32 Core) |
| 0.39 GHz | GPU frequency | 0.39 GHz |
| 1.40 GHz | GPU (Turbo) | 1.68 GHz |
| -- | GPU Generation | -- |
| 3 nm | Technology | 3 nm |
| 8 | Max. displays | 3 |
| 960 | Compute units | 512 |
| 7680 | Shader | 4096 |
| Yes | Hardware Raytracing | Yes |
| No | Frame Generation | No |
| 256 GB | Max. GPU Memory | 32 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 M3 Ultra (60 Core) | GPU | Apple M4 Max (32 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 | Decode |
| Decode | Codec AVC | Decode |
| Decode | Codec VC-1 | Decode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec JPEG | Decode / Encode |
Memory & PCIeThe Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) can use up to 256 GB of memory in 8 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 818.7 GB/s. The Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) supports up to 128 GB of memory in 6 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 410.0 GB/s. |
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| Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) |
| LPDDR5-6400 | Memory | LPDDR5X-8533 |
| 256 GB | Max. Memory | 128 GB |
| 8 (Octa Channel) | Memory channels | 6 (Hexa Channel) |
| 818.7 GB/s | Max. Bandwidth | 410.0 GB/s |
| No | ECC | No |
| 80.00 MB | L2 Cache | 44.00 MB |
| -- | L3 Cache | -- |
| 4.0 | PCIe version | 4.0 |
| -- | PCIe lanes | -- |
| -- | PCIe Bandwidth | -- |
Thermal ManagementThe thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) is 115 W, while the Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) has a TDP of --. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently. |
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| Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) |
| 115 W | TDP (PL1 / PBP) | -- |
| -- | TDP (PL2) | -- |
| -- | TDP up | -- |
| -- | TDP down | -- |
| 100 °C | Tjunction max. | 100 °C |
Technical detailsThe Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) is manufactured in 3 nm and has 80.00 MB cache. The Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) is manufactured in 3 nm and has a 44.00 MB cache. |
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| Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) | Characteristic | Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) |
| 3 nm | Technology | 3 nm |
| Monolithic | Chip design | Monolithic |
| Armv8-A (64 bit) | Instruction set (ISA) | Armv9-A (64 bit) |
| Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation | ISA extensions | Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation, AVX2, SME |
| -- | Socket | -- |
| Apple Virtualization Framework | Virtualization | Apple Virtualization Framework |
| Yes | AES-NI | Yes |
| macOS, iPadOS | Operating systems | macOS, iPadOS |
| Q1/2025 | Release date | Q4/2024 |
| -- | Release price | -- |
| show more data | show more data | |
28C 28T @ 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!
14C 14T @ 0.70 GHz (4.50 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 3 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 4.06 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 4.50 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 4.06 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 4.50 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 4.06 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 4.50 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 3.60 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 0.70 GHz |
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Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Geekbench 6 is a partial load benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. In the single-core test, only the fastest CPU core is measured. The test run simulates the performance in practice.
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Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 4.06 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 4.50 GHz |
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Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
The practical Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests the system's performance under partial load. The processor's maximum power consumption is far from being used up.
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Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 3.60 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 0.70 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 4.06 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 4.50 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
Apple M3 Ultra (60 Core) @ 1.40 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
Apple M4 Max (32 Core) @ 1.68 GHz |
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AI performance (NPU)
The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is given here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher.
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).
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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 0.70 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 0.70 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 3.60 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 0.70 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 M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU)
28C 28T @ 3.60 GHz |
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Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU)
14C 14T @ 0.70 GHz |
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Devices using this processor |
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| Apple M3 Ultra (28-CPU 60-GPU) | Apple M4 Max (14-CPU 32-GPU) |
| Apple Mac Studio (2025) | Unknown |
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