Mac M4 Chip Performance Unveiled in First Benchmarks

Monday October 7, 2024 3:32 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple is planning to launch the first M4 Macs in early November, and new benchmarks for one of the upcoming models surfaced on Geekbench, giving us some insight into how the M4 Mac will perform compared to the M4 iPad Pro and prior-generation M3 Macs.

M4 Real Feature Red
The "Mac16,1" that was benchmarked features a 10-core CPU and it earned a single-core score of 3864 and a multi-core score of 15288.

Comparatively, the base M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ with 9-core CPU has an aggregate single-core score of 3647, and a multi-core score of 13135. The ‌iPad Pro‌ models have either a 9-core CPU or a 10-core CPU depending on storage capacity, and 10-core models have higher multi-core scores of around 14500 on Geekbench.

When pitting the M4 against the M3 chip with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU that was used in last year's Macs, single-core performance is up 26.7 percent, and multi-core performance is up 30.6 percent. The M3 iMac, for example, has a single-core score of 3048, and a multi-core score of 11708.

In the ‌iPad Pro‌, Apple said the M4 was up to 25 percent faster than the M3, and M4 performance in Macs will be the same or better. Note that this is just one benchmark, so there will be some variability in scores when the machines are actually released.

Metal scores for one of the new M4 Macs also surfaced today, and GPU performance is roughly on par with the M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ chip. Mac16,1, which has 16GB RAM, earned a Metal score of 57603. The M4 ‌iPad Pro‌ has a Metal score of 53374. The M4 Macs will likely perform a little bit better due to thermal differences, but again, there is variance in scores.

The M4 chip showing up on Geekbench is the standard M4, and it will be used in the Mac mini and 14-inch MacBook Pro models. We are also expecting to see M4 Pro and M4 Max chips for the higher-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ and ‌Mac mini‌ models, and benchmark results for those machines have not yet surfaced. The M3 chip had a Metal score of 47414, suggesting GPU performance will improve around 20 percent year-over-year.

Apple will likely hold a small event to announce the new M4 Macs toward the end of October, with a launch to follow on November 1.

Tag: M4

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday May 2, 2026 8:43 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and there are already many rumored features and changes for iPhones. The first developer beta of iOS 27 will likely be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. Following beta testing, the software update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in...

• 94 comments

Why You Might Want to Wait to Buy a MacBook Pro

Friday May 1, 2026 3:43 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple refreshed the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max models in March 2026, but depending on your needs and interests, you might want to skip this generation because there's something better in the works. The M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models have faster chips, but the same design that Apple has used since 2021. An updated design with new display technology and faster ...

• 175 comments

Apple Just Released a New Accessory

Monday May 4, 2026 8:13 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. There...