First tests of Apple M1 Max graphics: really close to mobile GeForce RTX 3080 and Radeon RX 6800M

 Earlier this week, Apple unveiled updated 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops that use the new M1 Pro and M1 Max SoC platforms . The first tests of the performance of the graphics subsystem of the M1 Max chip appeared on the web, and they turned out to be very impressive, but still fall short of Apple's declared level.

First tests of Apple M1 Max graphics: really close to mobile GeForce RTX 3080 and Radeon RX 6800M

Recall that the Apple M1 Max chip uses a 32-core GPU. Each core has 16 execution units, and each unit contains 8 arithmetic logic units (ALU). Thus, the total number of the latter in the processor is 4096 pieces. According to Apple, the graphics subsystem of the M1 Max delivers peak performance up to 10.4 teraflops. Thus, in theory, it should be at the level of the mobile GeForce RTX 3060, which has a declared figure of 10.91 teraflops.

However, during the presentation, Apple stated that the integrated GPU of the M1 Max chip with a power consumption level of 60W is a competitor to the GeForce RTX 3080 mobile video card with a TGP of 160W. According to the company, the integrated GPU of the new Apple processor provides a similar level of performance, but at the same time consumes 100 watts less power. However, these results should be taken with some degree of skepticism, since Apple did not provide a context indicating in which tests and conditions both GPUs were tested. In addition, manufacturers often embellish the performance of their new products.

The GFXBench complex synthetic benchmark is usually used to test the GPU performance of smartphones, so it doesn't reflect the performance of modern graphics cards as well. Nevertheless, the GPU of the M1 Max chip was tested in it, since most of the typical graphics tests are not available on macOS. The Apple processor benchmark was conducted on MacOS X with the Metal low-level API. Tests of mobile GeForce RTX 3080 and Radeon RX 6800M, in turn, took place in a Windows environment with OpenGL API.

The table and the graph below show the performance results of these GPUs in GFXBench tests  in  Offscreen mode (without displaying them on the screen).


As you can see, the integrated graphics of the Apple M1 Max processor perform very well against the background of mobile GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU and Radeon RX 6800M. In some cases, "built-in" significantly outperforms video cards of competitors, and in some cases it only slightly lags behind them. Only in the ALU 2 test is the great superiority of discrete video cards noticeable. Most impressive, however, is that this level of performance is demonstrated by the integrated graphics, which oppose the full-fledged discrete mobile video cards GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU and Radeon RX 6800M with TGP values ​​of 160 and 145 watts, respectively.

Apple also said that the graphics performance of the M1 Max chip is four times that of the GPU of its predecessor, the M1. The displayed results in most cases confirm the manufacturer's words, but not in all loads. 

Of course, you have to wait for the full performance tests of the new MacBook Pro laptops to make final conclusions about Apple's claims about the performance of its new processors. But even if it turns out that the Apple graphics are slower than the above video cards in games, then there will be nothing to worry about, since the main tasks of the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors will be associated with working in professional applications, for which MacBook Pro laptops are designed.

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