Apple M4 Max 16 Core — Benchmarks & Specs
Bottom line: how fast is the Apple M4 Max 16 Core?
At 1080p Medium, the Apple M4 Max 16 Core averages 109 fps in Cyberpunk 2077, per Notebookcheck. For local LLM inference it generates 12.5 tokens/sec running llama3.1:70b at q4_K_M under llama.cpp, per Markaicode. In PassMark CPU Mark it scores 43,966 points, per PassMark.
Every figure above is a row in the tables below, and each row links out to the review or public benchmark database the number was taken from. SpecPicks aggregates published measurements; it does not report first-party benchmark runs.
The Apple M4 Max 16 Core is a processor from Apple. Data on this page draws on 20 synthetic benchmark results (top 10 shown), 14 community AI inference reports (top 12 shown), 5 game frame-rate results, compiled from Notebookcheck, LLMCheck, llama.cpp GitHub Discussion #4167, AppleInsider, Kunal Ganglani LLM Benchmarks, Markaicode, PassMark, 9to5Mac, cpu-monkey.com, MacGamingDB, Tom's Hardware, yage.ai; each table row links to its source. Read this page when shopping the Apple M4 Max 16 Core, comparing it against other processors in your build, or sizing it for a specific workload (gaming at 1080p/1440p/4K, synthetic benchmark scores, or local LLM inference).
Gaming Performance (reported FPS)
Average and 1% low frame rates by game, resolution, and quality preset. Bars are scaled against the fastest result on this page.
| Game | Resolution | Settings | Relative | Avg FPS | 1% low | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1080p | Low | 136 fps | — | Notebookcheck 2025-11-20 | |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1080p | Medium | 109 fps | — | Notebookcheck 2025-11-20 | |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1080p | High | 96 fps | — | Notebookcheck 2025-11-20 | |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1080p | Ultra | 84 fps | — | Notebookcheck 2025-11-20 | |
| Baldur's Gate 3 | 1080p | High | 80 fps | — | MacGamingDB 2026-08-04 |
AI Inference Performance
Tokens per second under each model + quantization. Higher = faster generation. Bars compare runs across the same model.
| Model | Quantization | Relative | Tokens/sec | VRAM used | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen3.5:35b-a3b | — mlx | 130.0 tok/s | — | yage.ai 2026-03-31 | |
| phi4-mini:3.8b | q4_K_M mlx | 125.0 tok/s | — | LLMCheck 2026-02-01 | |
| llama2:7b | q4_0 llama.cpp | 83.1 tok/s | — | Markaicode 2026-07-09 | |
| llama:7b | q4_0 llama.cpp | 83.1 tok/s | — | llama.cpp GitHub Discussion #4167 2024-11-01 | |
| qwen4.1:32b | q4_K_M ollama | 64.0 tok/s | — | LLMCheck 2026-07-01 | |
| qwen4:32b | q4_K_M ollama | 62.0 tok/s | — | LLMCheck 2026-06-01 | |
| llama3.1:8b | q4_K_M mlx | 58.0 tok/s | — | Kunal Ganglani LLM Benchmarks 2026-01-01 | |
| llama:7b | q8_0 llama.cpp | 54.0 tok/s | — | llama.cpp GitHub Discussion #4167 2024-11-01 | |
| llama3.1:8b | q4_K_M llama.cpp | 51.2 tok/s | — | Markaicode 2026-05-25 | |
| qwen3:30b-a3b | q4_K_M ollama | 42.0 tok/s | — | LLMCheck 2026-02-01 | |
| llama:7b | FP16 llama.cpp | 31.6 tok/s | — | llama.cpp GitHub Discussion #4167 2024-11-01 | |
| qwen2.5:32b | q4_K_M ollama | 22.0 tok/s | — | Kunal Ganglani LLM Benchmarks 2026-01-01 |
Synthetic Benchmarks
Higher is better. Bars are scaled within each benchmark family (multi-thread, single-thread, etc.) so you can compare like-with-like at a glance.
| Benchmark | Relative | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PassMark CPU Mark | 43,966 points | PassMark Software 2026-06-02 | |
| PassMark CPU Mark | 43,901 points | PassMark 2026-08-03 | |
| Cinebench R23 multi | 29,064 points | cpu-monkey.com 2024-11-01 | |
| Cinebench R23 multi | 27,595 points | Notebookcheck 2024-11-08 | |
| Cinebench R23 multi | 27,108 points | AppleInsider 2024-11-22 | |
| Geekbench 6 multi | 26,675 points | 9to5Mac (Geekbench Browser) 2024-11-02 | |
| Geekbench 6 multi | 26,675 points | Tom's Hardware 2024-11-02 | |
| Geekbench 6 multi | 26,629 points | AppleInsider 2024-11-22 | |
| Geekbench 6 multi | 25,760 points | Notebookcheck 2024-11-08 | |
| PassMark Single Thread | 4,592 points | PassMark Software 2026-06-02 |
Apple M4 Max 16 Core — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Apple M4 Max 16 Core best used for?
When was the Apple M4 Max 16 Core released, and what was its launch MSRP?
Where do the Apple M4 Max 16 Core benchmark numbers come from?
How many cores does the Apple M4 Max 16 Core have, and how does it benchmark?
Where can I buy the Apple M4 Max 16 Core?
Buying guides that rank the Apple M4 Max 16 Core's class
This page is the raw performance data. The guides below turn it into a ranked pick for a specific build.
Editorial guides covering the Apple M4 Max 16 Core
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