The Geekbench 6 benchmarks for the new M4 Pro and M4 Max have leaked, and they’re packing unprecedented power. I’ll admit—I didn’t expect the M4 Max to bring this much improvement, especially after the significant leap seen with the M4 Pro. But Apple has surprised us, pushing record-breaking performance in these new chips. Before deciding if an M4 Mac is for you, let’s break down the benchmarks and determine which might be best for your needs.
Leaked M4 Pro Single-Core CPU: A New Speed Leader
The leaked scores for the M4 Pro single-core are mind-blowing! This chip reached an impressive 3,925 points, making it the fastest production CPU out there, beating top Intel and AMD desktop chips with only a 4.5 GHz clock speed. That’s insane power packed into a 14-inch laptop! Compared to previous M-series chips, the M4 Pro single-core score is 26% faster than the M3 Pro and M3 Max—the largest year-over-year boost since the M1. This speed will make everyday tasks like web browsing and basic app usage incredibly smooth.
M4 Pro Multi-Core CPU: Even More Impressive Gains
In multi-core performance, the M4 Pro flexes even harder. The 14-core M4 Pro surpasses the 16-core M3 Max by 8.3% and is a whopping 48% faster than the M3 Pro. This performance puts the M4 Pro ahead of even the high-end M2 Ultra in the Mac Studio, being 6% faster. Now, you can get this power in a $2,200 MacBook rather than a pricey $4,000 Mac Studio, proving just how much of a leap this is.
M4 Max Geekbench Leaks: Unmatched Performance
Next, let’s dive into the M4 Max—a chip with major improvements despite having the same core layout as the M3 Max. This powerhouse scores 4,060 points in single-core performance, making it the world’s first chip to break the 4,000-point mark, which is 3.5% faster than the M4 Pro. The performance jump here hints that Apple is likely pushing additional power to the M4 Max, making it significantly faster than Intel’s best chips.
M4 Max Multi-Core CPU: Setting New Standards
On the multi-core front, the M4 Max achieves 26,675 points, solidifying it as the world’s fastest production chip with 16% more power than Intel’s 285K and 30% more than AMD’s 9950X. Despite the core count remaining the same as the M3 Max, Apple has clearly pushed boundaries, making this jump the largest yet without a core increase.
M4 Pro Geekbench 6 Metal Graphics: Impressive, But with Limits
The M4 Pro’s GPU performance didn’t disappoint either. Its 22-core GPU scored 111,000 points, which is a solid 41% improvement over the 18-core M3 Pro. However, the M4 Pro’s GPU is on par with the older 32-core M1 Max from 2021, making it best suited for lighter GPU tasks. For heavy graphics tasks, the M4 Pro might not be enough.
M4 Max Geekbench 6 Metal Graphics: A New GPU Leader
As expected, the M4 Max dominates in GPU performance too. Its 40-core GPU scores 192,000 points, marking a 25% jump from the M3 Max. That’s 73% faster than the M4 Pro and nearly matches the 60-core M2 Ultra—without the Ultra’s bulk or lack of ray tracing support. The M4 Max offers near-ultimate GPU power in a sleek MacBook, making it a great choice for intensive graphics work.
Should You Go for the M4 Pro or M4 Max?
If you’re primarily looking for CPU power for tasks like high-end programming, music production, or CPU rendering, the 14-core M4 Pro offers the best value for the dollar. At $1,600 for the Mac Mini version, it’s an incredible deal, even with 64GB of RAM capacity, making it ideal for multi-taskers and creators.
For users needing serious GPU performance—whether for 8K video editing, gaming, 3D rendering, or heavy graphics workloads—the 40-core M4 Max is your best bet. The M4 Max handles high-end visuals almost as well as an M2 Ultra in a much more affordable and portable package.
If you want to go all out and have the budget, there’s no replacement for the M4 Max for ultimate performance. However, if 3D rendering is your primary work, you may still benefit from a Windows machine with a dedicated Nvidia GPU.
Stay tuned, as we’ll be testing out the M4 series Macs soon. With Apple setting new standards with each iteration, it’s a thrilling time for Mac enthusiasts.
