This week, Apple unveiled the latest generation of Mac Studio, surprisingly offering two distinct chip families: M3 Ultra and M4 Max. While Apple asserts that the M3 Ultra can be up to twice as fast as the M4 Max for certain workloads, benchmark results indicate that the performance gap between the two CPUs is not as substantial as one might think.
M3 Ultra May Not Be Significantly Faster Than M4 Max for CPU Tasks
A recent Geekbench 6 benchmark conducted on the new Mac Studio featuring the advanced version of the M3 Ultra chip provides insights into the performance of Apple’s most potent chip to date. With a 32-core CPU, the M3 Ultra achieved scores of 3221 in single-core and 27749 in multi-core tests. While these figures are noteworthy, they don’t vastly exceed the scores noted for the M4 Max chip in Geekbench.
In comparison, the high-end M4 Max chip, which has a 16-core CPU, received scores of 3921 in single-core and 25650 in multi-core. This suggests that the M4 Max possesses quicker CPU cores relative to the M3 Ultra, even though the Ultra chip does marginally outperform the M4 Max in the multi-core benchmark by only 8%.
However, several factors must be considered when interpreting these results. First, it’s important to highlight that the M3 chip series utilizes the first generation of the 3-nanometer architecture (the same as the A17 Pro chip) produced by TSMC, which is less efficient than the second generation that accompanies the M4 and A18 chips. This could explain the M3 Ultra’s lower single-core performance compared to the M4 Max.
Secondly, the benchmark only evaluates CPU capabilities. While the M4 Max can be equipped with a GPU of up to 40 cores, the M3 Ultra offers configurations with a GPU of up to 80 cores. Performance discrepancies are likely to be significant for graphics-intensive applications. Additionally, the M3 Ultra benefits from enhanced memory bandwidth (800GB/s vs. 500GB/s).
Breaking: M3 Ultra benchmarks have leaked, confirming that it’s now the world’s FASTEST production CPU.
Scores are a bit low because of old M3 core tech and diminishing returns with more cores, thanks to how the multi-core update works with Geekbench 6. https://t.co/WWoSiQ7zWD
— Vadim Yuryev (@VadimYuryev) March 7, 2025
So, what does this imply for consumers? Those who require a high-performance computer for tasks that don’t heavily depend on GPU capabilities may opt for the M4 Max Mac Studio (starting at $1,999) and still experience CPU performance that is largely comparable to the pricier M3 Ultra version, which begins at $3,999.
As for Apple’s decision to launch an M3 Ultra chip instead of an M4 Ultra, some speculate that the company is reserving the Ultra variant of the M4 series for a future generation of the Mac Pro, thereby maintaining a distinct separation from the Mac Studio.
The new Mac Studio is now available for pre-order, with the official release date set for March 12.
