The first leaked CPU benchmark score for the M2 Max processor is out, and it seems… fine. This is quite reasonable. If you were to look at the performance jump from the M1 to the M2, and apply that same relative to the M1 Max, you’d be in the ballpark.
First published by Follow @VNchocoTaco, the alleged Geekbench 5 scores for a “Mac14,6” product (such naming is common with unreleased hardware) are 1,853 for single-core and 13,855 for multi-core. These scores compare to scores of around 1,746 for single-core and 12,154 respectively for a MacBook Pro running the M1 Max. Geekbench 5 database.
Geekbench
The M2 Max appears to be around 7 percent faster for single-core CPU performance and 14 percent faster for multi-core CPU performance. The gap between the M1 and M2 is just a tad wider…generally around 8-9 percent for single-core and 16-18 percent for multi-core, depending on which particular M1-based product you’re looking at.
These early scores are not always up to the performance of the final product. Apple continues to improve firmware, drivers and cooling in order to provide the best performance.
The benchmark results showed 96GB RAM, which is 50 percent more than the 64GB RAM maximum in the M1 Max. It is not an unreasonable number considering Apple wants to expand its memory bandwidth and move to a wider bus (the M1 Max has LPDDR5).
If there’s a surprise here, it’s the claimed 12-processor cores. The M1 and the M2 share the same 8 processor cores (4 high-performance, 4 high-efficiency). The M1 Max features 10 cores (8 high-performance, 2 high-efficiency), so we expect the M2 Max will have the same arrangement. Apple increased the core count of the M1 Max, but not on the graphics side. The CPU has eight cores, four high performance and four high efficiency. Two additional CPU cores would be a significant change.
A move to 12 would mean two additional high performance cores or, most likely, the loss of four high efficiency cores. The multi-core score of under 14,000 is a little bit disappointing if there are two additional cores, but then again, it’s not uncommon for early leaked benchmarks to come in lower than final, fully optimized products.
More to come
Even if this is accurate, it doesn’t tell us all that much about the M2 Max. After all, the processor gains were not the most interesting aspect of the M2. The M2’s performance improvements in GPU performance, bandwidth and video processing were the most significant. We don’t know what Apple intends to do in those areas with the M2 Pro, Max, and Ultra, or if it has any surprises in store like a big boost to the Neural Engine.
And of course, this Geekbench score says nothing about power efficiency and battery life, which are critical areas for Apple’s future Macbook Pro laptops. Actually, the score is actually quite positive. Rumors this weekThese are two key areas to improve, suggests the author.
So while we think this leaked benchmark is possibly true, and a reasonable guess if not, we’d remind you that it’s a very incomplete picture of what to expect from the M2 Max and the products in which it will be found.
