Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) vs Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)

Let's find out which one of Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) and Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

• Name
  Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
• Family
  Apple M series Apple M series
• CPU group
  Apple M2 Apple M1
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Generation
  2 1
• Predecessor
  Apple M1 Max (24-GPU) --

In this block we are going to compare Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) vs Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) 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
  12 / 12 8 / 8
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A-Core
  8x Avalanche 6x Firestorm
• B-Core
  4x Blizzard 2x Icestorm
• Hyperthreading / SMT
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• A-Core Frequency
  3.50 GHz 3.20 GHz
• B-Core Frequency
  2.80 GHz 2.06 GHz

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) and Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

• GPU name
  Apple M2 Max (30 Core) Apple M1 Pro (14 Core)
• GPU frequency
  1.40 GHz 1.30 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  480 224
• Shader
  3840 1792
• Max. GPU Memory
  96 GB 32 GB
• Max. displays
  2 3
• Generation
  2 1
• Technology
  5 nm 5 nm
• Release date
  Q1/2023 Q3/2021

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) and Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU). 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) and Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) 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
  96 GB 32 GB
• Memory channels
  4 (Quad Channel) 2 (Dual Channel)
• Bandwidth
  409.6 GB/s 204.8 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 M2 Max (30-GPU) or Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)? 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 (PL1)
  45 W 30 W
• TDP up
  -- 40 W
• Tjunction max.
  100 \xc2\xb0C --

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) and Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

• Technology
  5 nm 5 nm
• Chip design
  Chiplet Chiplet
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• L2-Cache
  36.00 MB 24.00 MB
• Architecture
  M2 M1
• Operating systems
  macOS, iPadOS 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
  Q1/2023 Q3/2021
• Part Number
  -- APL 1103
• Documents
  Technical data sheet --