MacBook Pro M1 Max graphics could be three times more powerful than the original M1
Phenomenal graphics power! Itty bitty SoC
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For anyone hoping the M1 Max-powered MacBook Pro range would be the graphical powerhouse we were promised during theApple Unleashed event on October 18, fresh benchmarks may have revealed some good news.
As reported byMacRumors, the firstMetal Benchmark on Geekbench 5for theM1 Max SoC(system-on-a-chip) has peeled back the curtain on what we can expect from the built-in GPU, achieving a score of 68,870. This is over three times higher than that of theoriginal M1 SoC, which was released last year and secured 20,581 points in the same test.
As with all early benchmarks, take a few pinches of salt with this information until the product has officially hit the market for testing, but if itdoesprove to be genuine, the commentary on social media regarding this latest generation of MacBook Pro laptops finally feeling like ‘professional’ workstations again feels incredibly valid.
Return of the Mac(Book Pro)
We’ve had a few otherearly benchmarks for the M1 Max, but nothing specific relating to its graphical capabilities. In fact, people have beencomparing the chip against the Sony PlayStation 5 consoleby calculating teraflops, but this isn’t an ideal way of working out how well your newAppledevice will cope with demanding tasks like video editing or rendering.
Disregarding this poor comparison, Apple has stacked theMacBook Pro 14-inch (2021)and theMacBook Pro 16-inch (2021)againstgaming laptopswith dedicated graphics cards. Apple claims that the M1 Max chip offers “similar performance” to a “pro laptop with high-performing discrete GPU” while using 100 watts less power, having tested the fully specced out16-inch MacBook Proagainst theMSI GE76 Raiderand theRazerBlade 15 Advanced.
There are very few games on macOS compared to what you can get on a Windows device, but powerful creative workstations use similar components to that of gaming laptops, which makes this a much better gauge on what applications you can expect to run on a new MacBook Pro.
Analysis: what about the M1 Pro?
We’re not seeing as much information appearing regarding the less powerful M1 Pro chip sadly, which is a more affordable alternative to the M1 Max while still offering a step-up in power from the original M1.
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There’s no doubt that this week has been especially exciting for Apple fans, and we share the sentiment that the 2021 refresh for the MacBook Pro has finally made the range feel like a professional workstation again, especially for creative tasks thanks to the return of built-in ports.
Given we’ve only seen leaks regarding the top-of-the-range silicon offering, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves though. Stacking theM1 Pro and the M1 Maxagainst each other when the devices officially hit the shelves will be needed to test if the M1 Pro is a viable option for creatives looking to run demanding applications like Maya orAdobePremier.
Otherwise, those looking for a device that suits their needs might need to cough up a small fortune to buy a top-of-the-line MacBook Pro. At the maximum available configuration, the MacBook Pro 14-inch will set you back a princely $5,899 / £5,799 / AU$8,849, and there are more affordable Windows-basedmobile workstationsfor those who don’t insist on required amacOS laptop.
The M1 Max leaks and early benchmarks certainly look promising, but for such an expensive product, it’s currently performing as expected rather than knocking our socks off. We won’t know for sure, but let’s hope the M1 Pro is just as impressive when we get some official test results in.
Jess is a former TechRadar Computing writer, where she covered all aspects of Mac and PC hardware, including PC gaming and peripherals. She has been interviewed as an industry expert for the BBC, and while her educational background was in prosthetics and model-making, her true love is in tech and she has built numerous desktop computers over the last 10 years for gaming and content creation. Jess is now a journalist at The Verge.
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