Latest MacBook Pro and iMac: M3 Max chip review compared to M2 Max

Recently, Apple hit the market with its latest update on the MacBook Pro and iMac. Previously, we have seen the presence of M2 Pro and M2 Max chips on these laptops. However, not long after, Apple introduced the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max along with these chip-based computers. Delivery of these latest laptops will start on November 7, and today the test reports have been released. We will discuss more deeply about the performance of the M3 Max chip on the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the M3 processor on the latest 24-inch iMac.

M3 Max: Faster, Greater

Let’s start by understanding what makes the M3 Max special. This chip is equipped with 16 CPU cores (12 high power cores and 4 energy-saving cores) and a 40-core GPU. One of the significant improvements is the versatile storage support of up to 128GB, which is a huge improvement over the M2 Max which only supports 96GB. Apple claims the performance of the M3 Max GPU increased by 80% compared to the M1 Max.

speed and performance

However, speaking of true performance, the M3 Max did not disappoint. In the Geekbench 6 trial, this chip reached 2,332 points in a single-core trial and 23,163 points in a multi-core trial. These results show an increase in performance by 17% in single-core trials and even 53% in multi-core trials compared to M2 Max. The success of the M3 Max is also seen in the handbrake trial, where this chip completes the video conversion task from 4K to 1080P in 2 minutes and 34 seconds – almost a and a half minutes faster than the M2 Max (3:59) and more than two minutes faster than the M1 Max (4:48).

Awesome gaming experience

The M3 Max’s achievements are not only seen in benchmark trials, but also in gaming experience. In the test game Resident Evil Village, which was adapted for Metal 3 Fire on a Mac computer, the game went smoothly at a resolution of 3456 × 2160 pixels with 60 frames per second stable in all scenes. Likewise in other games such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Borderlands 3, the M3 Max delivers impressive performance.

M3 performance on a 24-inch iMac

Moving to a 24-inch iMac, the M3 processor here is no less awesome. With eight CPU cores consisting of four performance cores and four energy-saving cores, the iMac promises 35% faster CPU performance than the M1. The M3 GPU which has 10 cores is also claimed to be 65% faster in graphics than the M1. The Geekbench 6 trial showed that the M3 scored 3024 points in a single-core trial and 11.810 points in a multi-core trial. This outperformed M2 results and was even 17% faster in single-core trials and 22% in multi-core trials.

Conclusion of the latest MacBook Pro and iMac

Looking at the impressive feats of the M3 Max and M3 on the 24-inch iMac, the question is: Is this update necessary? Of course, for MacBook Pro owners with M2 chips, there is no urgency to switch to this latest generation. However, for those who still use the M1 Pro or M1 Max-based MacBook Pro, or a laptop with an Intel chip, updating to these latest models can be a smart move.

Questions related to the latest MacBook Pro and iMac

1. Is the MacBook Pro with M3 Max suitable for daily use?

Yes, MacBook Pro with M3 Max is perfect for daily use and even heavy tasks such as video editing and playing games.

2. Is there a significant difference in performance between the M3 MAX and M2 MAX?

Yes, the M3 Max offers significant performance improvements, especially in tasks that require high computing power such as rendering and video transcoding.

3. Is the 24-inch iMac with M3 chip suitable for graphic design and photo editing?

Yes, the 24-inch iMac with M3 chip is perfect for graphic design and photo editing thanks to its outstanding graphics performance.

4. What about the battery life of the MacBook Pro with the M3 Max?

Although there is a slight decrease in battery life, the MacBook Pro with the M3 Max still has almost twice the battery life of the Dell XPS 15 laptop with a 13th generation Intel Core processor.

5. What is the price of the latest MacBook Pro and iMac with M3 chips?

The price for the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Max starts at $7,199, while the MacBook Pro with the M3 Pro starts at $2,499. The 24-inch iMac with M3 chip is also available at a competitive price.