Both the M1 Pro and the M1 Max are lightning fast, thanks to all kinds of optimizations and improved features. These chips in the new MacBook Pro 2021 ensure that you benefit from all kinds of improvements in performance, both in the area of the CPU and the GPU. The first results of the benchmark of the GPU of the M1 Max in the MacBook Pro 2021 are in and very promising. The score is much higher than the M1 MacBook Pro and also the high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro of the previous generation with Intel chip.
GPU benchmarks M1 Max in MacBook Pro 2021
The GPU, which is responsible for the graphics of the MacBook Pro, received a score of 68870 in the Metal test in the Geekbench 5 test. The test was done on a high-end version (presumably the 24-core GPU) of the M1 Max chip with 64GB of RAM. So that is the most comprehensive model. Compared to last year's 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, the graphics of this M1 Max chip are more than three times faster. The M1 chip scores about 20581 on GPU.
And when we compare the new M1 Max chip with the Intel chip in the previous-generation 16-inch MacBook Pro, we also see impressive results. The entry-level model of the 16-inch MacBook Pro 2019 scored a GPU benchmark of 24461. That means that the score of the M1 Max is no less than 181% higher. The 16-inch Intel version with Radeon Pro 5600M achieves a score of 42510 in the same test. The new M1 Max scores 63% better in terms of graphics.
Earlier, benchmarks of the CPU in the M1 Max chip also surfaced. From that test, the M1 Max scored 1749 in the single-score test and 11542 in the multi-score test. This is the M1 Max with 10-core CPU and 32-core GPU. The multi-score performance is twice that of the M1 chip in the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 Max is faster than almost all other Mac chips with this score. Only the expensive Mac Pro and high-end 27-inch iMac with Intel chips score slightly better. But it is only a matter of time until those models are overtaken. A side note is that Intel is already working on newer generations of its chips that may be faster. But the problem often was that it took years for Intel chips to work on the Mac. Because Apple now uses its own chips, they can renew and improve chips faster and are less dependent on Intel.
Apple is still in the middle of the transition from Intel to Apple Silicon. All tests show that the performance is a lot better than the Intel chips that Apple used before. A new Mac Pro and large iMac are planned for the coming year. It is not yet clear whether those models will also receive the M1 Pro and M1 Max chip. Apple could also opt for an even newer variant.