M4 vs. M4 Pro vs. M4 Max Chip Buyer's Guide: Which Should You Choose?

Apple this week debuted its M4 Mac models, unveiling the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. So how do the three latest-generation Apple silicon chips compare and which should you choose?

M4 M4 Pro vs M4 Max Feature
The MacBook Pro is the only product line currently available with a choice of all three M4 chips, but you will also have to choose between the M4 and M4 Pro chip when buying a Mac mini. All of the differences between the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips are listed below:

M4 M4 Pro M4 Max
Up to 10 CPU cores
(4 performance + 6 efficiency cores)
Up to 14 CPU cores
(10 performance + 4 efficiency cores)
Up to 16 CPU cores
(12 performance + 4 efficiency cores)
Up to 10 GPU cores Up to 20 GPU cores Up to 40 GPU cores
120GB/s memory bandwidth 273GB/s memory bandwidth 546GB/s memory bandwidth
Up to 32GB memory Up to 64GB memory Up to 128GB memory
Media Engine with one video encode engine and one ProRes accelerator Media Engine with one video encode engine and one ProRes accelerator Media Engine with two video encode engines and two ProRes accelerators
Thunderbolt 4 support (up to 40Gb/s) Thunderbolt 5 support (up to 120Gb/s) Thunderbolt 5 support (up to 120Gb/s)
11- and 13-inch iPad Pro (2024)
14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ (2024)
‌Mac mini‌ (2024)
iMac (2024)
14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ (2024)
16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ (2024)
‌Mac mini‌ (2024)
14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ (2024)
16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ (2024)

Benchmarks for the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are yet to be seen, but performance is likely to scale similarly to the M3 series of chips.

The M4 chip is an ideal choice for everyday users who need dependable performance for typical productivity tasks, web browsing, and media consumption. With up to 10 CPU and GPU cores and support for up to 32GB of memory, it easily handles lightweight workflows without draining battery life excessively. Devices like the ‌iPad Pro‌, 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, ‌Mac mini‌, and ‌iMac‌ offer this chip, providing great value for those prioritizing efficiency over intensive workflows.

For users who frequently handle intensive applications and multitasking but don't have extreme performance demands, the M4 Pro strikes an excellent balance. With its added CPU and GPU cores, faster memory bandwidth, and support for Thunderbolt 5, the M4 Pro is a smart choice for video editing, graphic design, and advanced multitasking. It's available in both the ‌Mac mini‌ and the 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models.

Finally, the M4 Max is engineered for power users with high-performance needs, such as 3D rendering, complex data processing, or heavy-duty video production. With up to 16 CPU cores, 40 GPU cores, and 128GB of unified memory, the M4 Max is equipped to handle the most intensive workflows. It's a good fit for those who require top-tier performance across the CPU and GPU. It is currently exclusively available in Apple's 14- and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Buy Now)
Related Forum: Mac mini

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone. According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...

Top Rated Comments

ridgero Avatar
17 weeks ago
If you don't know whether you need a M4 Pro or a M4 Max, then you actually need the regular M4.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rychiar Avatar
17 weeks ago

What I miss is a use case. I really do not know how GPU and CPU-intensive Photoshop, Lightroom, Camera Raw, etc., is, or when the 20 GPU cores more between the Pro and Max make a difference for Premiere Pro or any other video editing tool. I use an M1 Max in a MacBook Pro for photo and video editing. This could be an M4 Pro with lots of memory, but when would I need a Max?
Because there are different choices now, I have no clue.
this is true. at my office I have an M2 Max Mac Studio and at home I currently just have a base m2 Mac mini and the mini seems just as fast at most of my photoshop tasks and other uses. the biggest difference I notice is the lack of RAM on the mini crippling my raw editing ability at home but then again its just a stop gap machine til we get an m4 studio release... I'm surprised how much I've accomplished with that base m2 mini last few years though.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Javah Avatar
17 weeks ago
What I miss is a use case. I really do not know how GPU and CPU-intensive Photoshop, Lightroom, Camera Raw, etc., is, or when the 20 GPU cores more between the Pro and Max make a difference for Premiere Pro or any other video editing tool. I use an M1 Max in a MacBook Pro for photo and video editing. This could be an M4 Pro with lots of memory, but when would I need a Max?
Because there are different choices now, I have no clue.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcilwraith Avatar
17 weeks ago
im thinking M4 is good enough for 90% of folks. i have a M1 Pro MBP at home and its still silly fast!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G5isAlive Avatar
17 weeks ago

Errors there, you CANNOT get 64GB RAM with Pro chip on MBP.


This a post about new MBPs not about Mini.
No, it's about the chips. The article even brings up the mini..

"The MacBook Pro is the only product line currently available with a choice of all three M4 chips, but you will also have to choose between the M4 and M4 Pro chip when buying a Mac mini."
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jabbr Avatar
17 weeks ago
doesn't look like you can get 64GB memory on the M4 Pro, tops out at 48
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)