How do the M4 chips compare to previous generations and each other

Repairs and Mods
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Let’s explore how the latest M4 chips stack up against their older models and each other. What are the key differences

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This isn’t a real performance test. It’s more about comparing the specs of the different M series chips, but M1 is left out.

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AccentAddict said:
This isn’t a real performance test. It’s more about comparing the specs of the different M series chips, but M1 is left out.

Why is M1 not part of this discussion

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I had no idea the M4 Pro could support 64GB in the Mac Mini but is limited to 48GB on MacBooks. I wanted 64GB, so I guess the M4 Max was my only option.

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RooneyOnWheels said:
I had no idea the M4 Pro could support 64GB in the Mac Mini but is limited to 48GB on MacBooks. I wanted 64GB, so I guess the M4 Max was my only option.

That’s a solid choice for those of us using the Mini with multiple VMs. We don’t necessarily need the Max chip, but having extra RAM is beneficial.

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@Leeland
I’m curious why they don’t offer that configuration on MacBooks. It can’t just be a space issue. Are they trying to upsell the Max chip? Also, the M3 Max base had 96GB but now offers only 36GB. That does clarify the lineup.

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@RooneyOnWheels
I think it’s an upsell strategy. The M4 Pro in the Mini can handle 64GB, so the M4 Pro in the MacBook Pros should also support that.

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Leeland said:
@RooneyOnWheels
I think it’s an upsell strategy. The M4 Pro in the Mini can handle 64GB, so the M4 Pro in the MacBook Pros should also support that.

Definitely an upsell tactic. I wouldn’t have gone for the M3 Max if the Pro offered more RAM. The same goes for M1 and M2. As a developer, I really need lots of RAM for VMs and containers, but high-end GPU performance isn’t necessary.

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@StevenMiller
Apple caught onto that quickly. The M1 Pro and Max were quite powerful. They limited the M2 and M3 generations shortly after.

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Leeland said:
@StevenMiller
Apple caught onto that quickly. The M1 Pro and Max were quite powerful. They limited the M2 and M3 generations shortly after.

I’m waiting for a good reason to trade my M1 Max, but I can’t find one, other than the excitement of new tech.

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@DanBurn
You could try Notebook LM or Jan app for running local LLM models or stable diffusion apps for creating images and videos. I made that mistake and now it feels like I can never have enough hardware.

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@RooneyOnWheels
HFS TIL. While I was testing those demos, they didn’t take much time to perform as advertised. I tried Notebook and some stability-related apps. Stability took longer to generate those short videos. Would that mean it could be faster, or are you talking about downloading and running them locally?

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RooneyOnWheels said:
I had no idea the M4 Pro could support 64GB in the Mac Mini but is limited to 48GB on MacBooks. I wanted 64GB, so I guess the M4 Max was my only option.

I suspect it’s an issue with board space or layout. None of the M4 Pro MacBook Pros have more than three memory dies, yet they fit four dies with the M4 Max. Or maybe it’s just a tactic to encourage upgrades to the M4 Max. Here’s my breakdown of the M4 variations:

  • M4 (iPad Pro) - 9/10, with (2) SDRAM in 4 GB chips (only for lower spec iPad Pro)
  • M4 - 8/8 or 10/10, with (2) SDRAM in 8/12/16 GB chips (for higher spec iPad Pro, iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook Pro 14)
  • M4 Pro - 12/16 or 14/20, with (3) SDRAM in 8/16 GB chips (MacBook Pro 14/16)
  • M4 Pro (Mac Mini) - 12/16 or 14/20, with (4) SDRAM in 8/16 GB chips (only for Mac Mini)
  • M4 Max - 14/32 with (3) SDRAM in 12GB chips (MacBook Pro 14/16)
  • M4 Max - 16/40 with (4) SDRAM in 12/16/32 GB chips (MacBook Pro 14/16)
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@HyundaiCruiser
Thanks for the breakdown. It seems logical that they offer different configurations for higher speeds. But I’m unsure whether the SDRAM varies across the base, Pro, or Max models, or if they all use the same with just higher capacity.

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@RooneyOnWheels
Yes, they’re definitely testing with memory speeds too. I have more details in this table, along with some observations:

  • The M4 Pro in the Mac Mini with 64GB of RAM seems suspicious. It could be a quad-channel variant, as that SDRAM chip capacity seems unusual.
  • M4 Pro and M4 Max with triple-channel memory have different bandwidths, so the Max operates at a higher speed per channel.
  • The base M4 iPad Pro is the only model using 4GB SDRAM chips, which should quickly shift to 16GB to simplify supply chain management.
  • The lower M4 Max currently has a single configuration, unlike the previous M3 Max which had several SDRAM options.
  • The most common M4 10/10 has six efficiency cores, more than most other variants, and has only been outdone by Ultra chips with eight cores in the past. This version might offer slight battery improvements.
Chip Models CPU P/E-cores GPU cores Neural cores Memory channels Memory bandwidth Memory per chip Total memory
M4 iPad Pro (low) 3/6 10 16 2 120GB/s 4G 8G
M4 iMac (low) 4/4 8 16 2 120GB/s 8G or 12G 16G or 24G
M4 iPad Pro (high), iMac (high); Mac Mini; 14 MBP 4/6 10 16 2 120GB/s 8G or 12G or 16G 16G or 24G or 32G
M4 Pro 14 MBP; Mac Mini 8/4 16 16 3 273GB/s 8G or 16G or 21.3G 24G or 48G or 64G (only for Mini)
M4 Pro 14 MBP; 16 MBP; Mac Mini 10/4 20 16 3 273GB/s 8G or 16G or 21.3G 24G or 48G or 64G (only for Mini)
M4 Max 14 MBP; 16 MBP 10/4 32 16 3 410GB/s 12G 36G
M4 Max 14 MBP; 16 MBP 12/4 40 16 4 546GB/s 12G or 16G or 32G 48G or 64G or 128G
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@HyundaiCruiser
For the Mini’s 64GB, couldn’t they have used 32GB modules in pairs? What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?

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RooneyOnWheels said:
@HyundaiCruiser
For the Mini’s 64GB, couldn’t they have used 32GB modules in pairs? What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?

If they switched to dual-channel memory, the bandwidth would drop. Who knows, Apple has a unique approach in the silicon industry. They might create some unusual memory modules, and with DDR5X, almost any capacity could be manufactured. If I’m right about it, they could soon offer some serious performance.