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Head-to-head

Apple - M3 Max vs Apple - M4 Ultra

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M3 MaxAPPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M3 Max
50.0/ 100D
Cores46· 40%
Benchmarks54· 40%
Platform—· 20%
M4 UltraAPPLERENDER
Probe B
Apple
M4 Ultra
63.1/ 100C
Cores54· 40%
Benchmarks72· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M3 Max and M4 Ultra, the M3 Max comes out ahead in tdp, while the M4 Ultra wins on cores and l3 cache. Overall, the M3 Max scores 50 and the M4 Ultra scores 63.1 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The M4 Ultra is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 13.1 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.

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

Pick the M4 Ultra 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 cores, l3 cache, cinebench r23 (multi), among others.

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

Bottom line: the M4 Ultra is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.

Why Apple - M3 Max wins

  • ▲TDP — 60.00 W less. 60 vs 120.

Why Apple - M4 Ultra wins

  • ▲Cores — 100.00% more. 32 vs 16.
  • ▲L3 cache — 100.00% more. 64 MB vs 32 MB.
  • ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 96.27% more. 52600 vs 26800.
  • ▲Boost clock — 11.11% more. 4.5 GHz vs 4.05 GHz.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M3 MaxApple - M4 Ultra
Coresⓘ1632lead
Threadsⓘ1632lead
Base clockⓘ0 GHz0 GHz
Boost clockⓘ4.05 GHz4.5 GHzlead
L3 cacheⓘ32 MB64 MBlead

Platform

SpecApple - M3 MaxApple - M4 Ultra
SocketⓘSolderedSoldered
TDPⓘ60 Wlead120 W
Integrated graphicsⓘtruetrue
DDR5ⓘtruetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M3 MaxApple - M4 Ultra
Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ2680052600lead
Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ21002290lead
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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