Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) vs Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)

Let's find out which one of Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) and Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

• Name
  Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
• Family
  Apple M series Apple M series
• CPU group
  Apple M1 Apple M1
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Generation
  1 1
• Successor
  Apple M2 Max (38-GPU) --

In this block we are going to compare Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) vs Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

• CPU Cores / Threads
  10 / 10 20 / 20
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A-Core
  8x Firestorm 16x Firestorm
• B-Core
  2x Icestorm 4x Icestorm
• Hyperthreading / SMT
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• A-Core Frequency
  3.20 GHz 3.20 GHz
• B-Core Frequency
  2.06 GHz 2.06 GHz

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) and Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

• GPU name
  Apple M1 Max (32 Core) Apple M1 Ultra (64 Core)
• GPU frequency
  1.30 GHz 1.30 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  512 1024
• Shader
  4096 8192
• Max. GPU Memory
  32 GB 64 GB
• Max. displays
  3 3
• Generation
  1 1
• Technology
  5 nm 5 nm
• Release date
  Q3/2021 Q1/2022

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) and Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU). Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode Decode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  Decode Decode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

To choose the best model between Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) and Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

• Memory type
  LPDDR5-6400 LPDDR5-6400
• Max. Memory
  64 GB 128 GB
• Memory channels
  4 (Quad Channel) 8 (Octa Channel)
• Bandwidth
  409.6 GB/s 819.2 GB/s
• ECC
  No No
• PCIe
  4.0 4.0
• AES-NI
  Yes Yes

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) or Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

• TDP up
  60 W 120 W

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) and Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

• Technology
  5 nm 5 nm
• Chip design
  Chiplet Chiplet
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• L2-Cache
  28.00 MB 52.00 MB
• Architecture
  M1 M1
• Operating systems
  macOS macOS
• Virtualization
  Apple Virtualization Framework Apple Virtualization Framework
• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• ISA extensions
  Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
• Release date
  Q3/2021 Q1/2022
• Part Number
  APL 1104 --