Apple M2 Pro vs Apple M2 Max. Specifications, performance, tests

Comprehensive background on the processors being compared, detailing their series, generation, and targeted market segment.

• Family
  Apple M series Apple M series
• CPU group
  Apple M2 Apple M2
• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Generation
  2 2
• Predecessor
  Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)

Essential parameters including the number of cores, threads, base and turbo frequencies, and cache size. These metrics provide insight into the processor’s speed—higher values generally indicate better performance.

• CPU Cores / Threads
  12 / 12 12 / 12
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A-Core
  8x Avalanche 8x Avalanche
• B-Core
  4x Blizzard 4x Blizzard
• Hyperthreading / SMT
  No No
• Overclocking
  No No
• A-Core Frequency
  3.50 GHz 3.50 GHz
• B-Core Frequency
  2.80 GHz 2.80 GHz

The integrated graphics (iGPU) do not influence the CPU performance significantly; they serve as a substitute for a dedicated graphics card in the absence of one or are utilized in mobile devices.

• GPU name
  Apple M2 Pro (16 Core) Apple M2 Max (32 Core)
• GPU frequency
  1.40 GHz 1.40 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  256 512
• Shader
  2048 4096
• Max. GPU Memory
  32 GB 32 GB
• Max. displays
  2 2
• Generation
  2 2
• Technology
  5 nm 5 nm
• Release date
  Q4/2022 Q4/2022

This section details the built-in codecs used for encoding and decoding media content, which significantly enhance processing speed and efficiency.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• VP8
  Decode Decode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode
• AV1
  No No
• AVC
  Decode Decode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by Apple M2 Max and Apple M2 Pro. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR5-6400 LPDDR5-6400
• Max. Memory
  32 GB 64 GB
• Memory channels
  2 (Dual Channel) 2 (Dual Channel)
• Bandwidth
  204.8 GB/s 409.6 GB/s
• ECC
  No No
• PCIe
  4.0 4.0
• AES-NI
  Yes Yes

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Apple M2 Pro and Apple M2 Max to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  45 W 45 W
• Tjunction max.
  100 °C 100 °C

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Apple M2 Pro and Apple M2 Max, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Technology
  5 nm 5 nm
• Chip design
  Chiplet Chiplet
• Socket
  N/A N/A
• L2-Cache
  36.00 MB 36.00 MB
• Architecture
  M2 M2
• Operating systems
  macOS, iPadOS macOS, iPadOS
• Virtualization
  Apple Virtualization Framework Apple Virtualization Framework
• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
• ISA extensions
  Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
• Release date
  Q2/2022 Q2/2022