How do the latest M4 chips stack up against their predecessors? Let’s take a closer look at the differences.
This isn’t really a performance test. It’s more about comparing the specs of the different M series chips, although M1 isn’t included.
Bay said:
This isn’t really a performance test. It’s more about comparing the specs of the different M series chips, although M1 isn’t included.
Why is M1 missing from this discussion?
I had no idea the M4 Pro could support 64GB in the Mac Mini but is limited to 48GB on MacBooks. Since I wanted 64GB, I guess the M4 Max was the only option for me.
Jael said:
I had no idea the M4 Pro could support 64GB in the Mac Mini but is limited to 48GB on MacBooks. Since I wanted 64GB, I guess the M4 Max was the only option for me.
Yes, that’s a solid choice for those of us running the Mini with multiple VMs. While we don’t necessarily need the Max chip, having extra RAM can be quite beneficial.
@Tatum
I’m curious why they don’t offer that configuration on MacBooks. It can’t just be a space issue. Are sales low for that configuration, or are they just trying to upsell the Max chip? Also, the M3 Max base had 96GB but now only offers 36GB. That does make the lineup clearer.
@Jael
I believe it’s an upsell strategy. The M4 Pro in the Mini can handle 64GB, so the M4 Pro in the MacBook Pros should also support that capacity.
Tatum said:
@Jael
I believe it’s an upsell strategy. The M4 Pro in the Mini can handle 64GB, so the M4 Pro in the MacBook Pros should also support that capacity.
Definitely an upsell tactic. I wouldn’t have gone for the M3 Max if the Pro offered more RAM. The same goes for M1 and M2. As a developer, I really need lots of RAM for VMs and containers but don’t have a use for high-end GPU performance.
@Lyle
Apple picked up on that pretty quickly. The M1 Pro and Max were quite powerful. They seemed to limit the M2 and M3 generations soon after.
Tatum said:
@Lyle
Apple picked up on that pretty quickly. The M1 Pro and Max were quite powerful. They seemed to limit the M2 and M3 generations soon after.
I keep waiting for a good reason to trade my M1 Max, but I really can’t find one, aside from the excitement of new tech.
@Jaden
You could try out Notebook LM or Jan app for running local LLM models, or stable diffusion apps for creating images and videos. I made that mistake and now it feels like I can never have enough hardware.
@Jael
HFS TIL. While I was testing those demos, they didn’t take much time to perform as advertised. I tried Notebook and some stability-related apps. Stability took a bit longer to generate those short videos. Would that mean it could be faster? Or are you talking about when downloading and running them locally?
Jael said:
I had no idea the M4 Pro could support 64GB in the Mac Mini but is limited to 48GB on MacBooks. Since I wanted 64GB, I guess the M4 Max was the only option for me.
I suspect it’s an issue with board space or layout. None of the M4 Pro MacBook Pros have more than three memory dies, yet they manage to fit four dies with the M4 Max. Or maybe it’s just a tactic to encourage upgrades to the M4 Max. Here’s my breakdown of the M4 variations:
- M4 (iPad Pro) - 9/10, with (2) SDRAM in 4 GB chips (only for lower spec iPad Pro)
- M4 - 8/8 or 10/10, with (2) SDRAM in 8/12/16 GB chips (for higher spec iPad Pro, iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro 14)
- M4 Pro - 12/16 or 14/20, with (3) SDRAM in 8/16 GB chips (MacBook Pro 14/16)
- M4 Pro (Mac Mini) - 12/16 or 14/20, with (4) SDRAM in 8/16 GB chips (only for Mac Mini)
- M4 Max - 14/32 with (3) SDRAM in 12GB chips (MacBook Pro 14/16)
- M4 Max - 16/40 with (4) SDRAM in 12/16/32 GB chips (MacBook Pro 14/16)
@Blakeley
Thanks for the breakdown. It seems logical that they offer different configurations for higher speeds. But I’m unsure whether the SDRAM varies across the base, Pro, or Max models, or if they all use the same with just higher capacity.
@Jael
Yes, they’re definitely experimenting with memory speeds too. I have more details in this table, along with some observations.
- The M4 Pro in the Mac Mini with 64GB of RAM seems suspicious. I suspect it could be a quad-channel variant, as that SDRAM chip capacity seems unusual.
- M4 Pro and M4 Max with triple-channel memory have different bandwidths, so the Max operates at a higher speed per channel.
- The base M4 iPad Pro is the only model using 4GB SDRAM chips, which should quickly shift to 16GB to simplify supply chain management.
- The lower M4 Max currently has a single configuration, unlike the previous M3 Max which had several SDRAM options.
- The most common M4 10/10 has six efficiency cores, more than most other variants, and has only been outdone by Ultra chips with eight cores in the past. Perhaps this version offers slight battery improvements.
| Chip | Models | CPU P/E-cores | GPU cores | Neural cores | Memory channels | Memory bandwidth | Memory per chip | Total memory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M4 | iPad Pro (low) | 3/6 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 120GB/s | 4G | 8G |
| M4 | iMac (low) | 4/4 | 8 | 16 | 2 | 120GB/s | 8G or 12G | 16G or 24G |
| M4 | iPad Pro (high), iMac (high); Mac Mini; 14 MBP | 4/6 | 10 | 16 | 2 | 120GB/s | 8G or 12G or 16G | 16G or 24G or 32G |
| M4 Pro | 14 MBP; Mac Mini | 8/4 | 16 | 16 | 3 | 273GB/s | 8G or 16G or 21.3G | 24G or 48G or 64G (only for Mini) |
| M4 Pro | 14 MBP; 16 MBP; Mac Mini | 10/4 | 20 | 16 | 3 | 273GB/s | 8G or 16G or 21.3G | 24G or 48G or 64G (only for Mini) |
| M4 Max | 14 MBP; 16 MBP | 10/4 | 32 | 16 | 3 | 410GB/s | 12G | 36G |
| M4 Max | 14 MBP; 16 MBP | 12/4 | 40 | 16 | 4 | 546GB/s | 12G or 16G or 32G | 48G or 64G or 128G |
@Blakeley
For the Mini’s 64GB, couldn’t they have used 32GB modules in pairs? What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?
Jael said:
@Blakeley
For the Mini’s 64GB, couldn’t they have used 32GB modules in pairs? What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?
If they switched to dual-channel memory, the bandwidth would drop. Who knows, Apple has a unique approach in the silicon industry. They might create some unusual memory modules, and with DDR5X, almost any capacity could be manufactured. If I’m right about it, they could soon offer some serious performance.
I’m excited to see how these chips perform with Final Cut Pro, particularly with 8K footage! I hope they’ve made significant improvements!
I heard M4 Max would have a 128GB option! That’s amazing!
I can’t decide whether to get the M4 or M4 Pro. I want a portable option without compromising performance. What do you recommend?