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Head-to-head

Apple - M3 vs Apple - M4 Max (16-core)

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M3APPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M3
43.6/ 100D
Cores43· 40%
Benchmarks44· 40%
Platform—· 20%
M4 Max (16-core)APPLERENDER
Probe B
Apple
M4 Max (16-core)
50.7/ 100D
Cores48· 40%
Benchmarks54· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M3 and M4 Max (16-core), the M3 comes out ahead in tdp, while the M4 Max (16-core) wins on cinebench r23 (multi) and cores. Overall, the M3 scores 43.6 and the M4 Max (16-core) scores 50.7 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The M4 Max (16-core) edges ahead on the Mars Score (43.6 vs 50.7), but the 7.1-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.

Pick the M3 if you care most about tdp. The biggest gaps in its favor are tdp.

Pick the M4 Max (16-core) if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are cinebench r23 (multi), cores, l3 cache, among others.

There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.

Bottom line: the M4 Max (16-core) is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.

Why Apple - M3 wins

  • ▲TDP — 23.00 W less. 22 vs 45.

Why Apple - M4 Max (16-core) wins

  • ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 84.03% more. 26500 vs 14400.
  • ▲Cores — 75.00% more. 14 vs 8.
  • ▲L3 cache — 75.00% more. 28 MB vs 16 MB.
  • ▲Boost clock — 11.11% more. 4.5 GHz vs 4.05 GHz.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M3Apple - M4 Max (16-core)
Coresⓘ814lead
Threadsⓘ814lead
Base clockⓘ0 GHz0 GHz
Boost clockⓘ4.05 GHz4.5 GHzlead
L3 cacheⓘ16 MB28 MBlead

Platform

SpecApple - M3Apple - M4 Max (16-core)
SocketⓘSolderedSoldered
TDPⓘ22 Wlead45 W
Integrated graphicsⓘtruetrue
DDR5ⓘtruetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M3Apple - M4 Max (16-core)
Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ1440026500lead
Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ19502275lead
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

Cores→Threads→Base clock→Boost clock→L3 cache→Socket→TDP→Integrated graphics→DDR5→Cinebench R23 (multi)→Cinebench R23 (single)→
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