Between the M3 Max and M4, the M3 Max comes out ahead in l3 cache and cores, while the M4 wins on tdp and boost clock. Overall, the M3 Max scores 50 and the M4 scores 45.9 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The M3 Max edges ahead on the Mars Score (50 vs 45.9), but the 4.1-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the M3 Max if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. The biggest gaps in its favor are l3 cache, cores, cinebench r23 (multi).
Pick the M4 if you care most about tdp and boost clock. Its strongest claims are tdp, boost clock.
There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Apple - M3 Max wins
- ▲L3 cache — 100.00% more. 32 MB vs 16 MB.
- ▲Cores — 60.00% more. 16 vs 10.
- ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 59.52% more. 26800 vs 16800.
Why Apple - M4 wins
- ▲TDP — 38.00 W less. 22 vs 60.
- ▲Boost clock — 8.64% more. 4.4 GHz vs 4.05 GHz.
Spec comparison
Cores
| Spec | Apple - M3 Max | Apple - M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Coresⓘ | 16lead | 10 |
| Threadsⓘ | 16lead | 10 |
| Base clockⓘ | 0 GHz | 0 GHz |
| Boost clockⓘ | 4.05 GHz | 4.4 GHzlead |
| L3 cacheⓘ | 32 MBlead | 16 MB |
Platform
| Spec | Apple - M3 Max | Apple - M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Socketⓘ | Soldered | Soldered |
| TDPⓘ | 60 W | 22 Wlead |
| Integrated graphicsⓘ | true | true |
| DDR5ⓘ | true | true |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple - M3 Max | Apple - M4 |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ | 26800lead | 16800 |
| Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ | 2100 | 2110lead |
Frequently asked
Spec-level deep dives
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