Apple M4 Max 40-Core GPU vs Apple M4 Pro 20-Core GPU vs Apple M4 Pro 16-Core GPU

Apple M4 Max 40-Core GPU

The Apple M4 Max GPU (40 cores) is an integrated graphics adapter that's built into the 16-core Apple M4 Max SoC. It features 40 "cores" and has access to at least 48 GB of fast 546 GB/s LPDDR5x on-package RAM depending on the configuration. As is typical for graphics adapters released in 2024, it has hardware support for ray tracing as well as mesh shading and other modern technologies. It also supports external displays with resolutions as high as "8K" and can HW-decode a few popular video codecs such as h.264, h.265 and AV1.

Performance

Its gaming performance is set to be approximately as good as that of the GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop. Please keep in mind that very few games have been compiled specifically for Apple silicon Macs meaning most titles have to be run via emulation layers. Some of them are displayed with visual artefacts as a result, or don't start at all.

Power consumption

Given the power on offer, we expect the iGPU to consume over 45 W when under heavy loads.

Just like the rest of the Apple M4 Max chip, the integrated graphics adapter is manufactured on a "second generation 3 nm" TSMC process which is still cutting-edge as of late 2024.

Apple M4 Pro 20-Core GPU

The Apple M4 Pro GPU (20 cores) is an integrated graphics adapter designed by Apple that's built into the 14-core Apple M4 Pro SoC. It features 20 "cores" and has access to at least 24 GB of fast 273 GB/s LPDDR5x on-package RAM depending on the configuration. As is typical for graphics adapters released in 2024, it has hardware support for ray tracing as well as mesh shading and other modern technologies. It also supports external displays with resolutions as high as "8K" and it can HW-decode a few popular video codecs such as h.264, h.265 and AV1.

Performance

Its gaming performance is at least as good as that of the GTX 1660 Ti Laptop. Please keep in mind that very few games have been compiled specifically for Apple silicon Macs meaning most titles have to be run via emulation layers. Some of them are displayed with visual artefacts as a result, or don't start at all.

• The Witcher 3 1080p Ultra = 53 fps (close to the GTX 1660 Ti Laptop)
• Baldur's Gate 3 1440p Ultra = 42 fps (close to the GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop)
• Cyberpunk 2077 2.1 Phantom Liberty 1080p Ultra = 40 fps (close to the GTX 1660 Ti Laptop)

In synthetic benchmarks, the iGPU is about 30% faster than the old M3 Pro GPU and is even on par with a fast GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited).

Power consumption

When under heavy CPU and GPU load, the iGPU portion of the 14-core M4 Pro consumes about 32 W according to monitoring software "powermetrics". With no load, it makes do with as little as 1 W to 3 W.

Just like the rest of the Apple M4 Pro chip, the integrated graphics adapter is manufactured on a "second generation 3 nm" TSMC process which is still cutting-edge as of late 2024.

Apple M4 Pro 16-Core GPU

The Apple M4 Pro 16-core GPU is an integrated graphics card developed by Apple and integrated into the 12-core Apple M4 Pro SoC. It has 16 of the 20 graphics cores and, depending on the configuration, has access to at least 24 GB of fast 273 GB/s LPDDR5x on-package RAM (unified memory). As is typical for graphics cards from 2024, it has hardware support for ray tracing, mesh shading and other modern technologies. It also supports external displays with resolutions up to 8K and can decode some common video codecs such as h.264, h.265 and AV1 HW.

Performance

Its gaming performance is highly dependent on the game and if it is using emulation or if it is optimized for Apple silicon. In Baldur's Gate 3, for example, the iGPU is similar to a GeForce RTX 4050 in Windows 11. In synthetic benchmarks, the performance looks much better and can compete with an RTX 4060. The old M3 Pro 18-core GPU can easily be beaten despite the higher core count.

Power consumption

Under heavy CPU and GPU load, the iGPU part of the 12-core M4 Pro consumes approx. 25 W (Unigine Valley, max) according to the monitoring software "powermetrics".

Just like the rest of the Apple M4 Pro chip, the integrated graphics card is manufactured in a "second generation 3 nm" TSMC process, which will still be modern at the end of 2024.