Apple M2 Pro and M2 Max analysis - GPU is more efficient, the CPU not always

[Redaktion]

Apple have introduced their new SoCs, the M2 Pro and M2 Max. Following the slight lack of efficiency in the M2 compared to the M1, now we will shine the spotlight onto both of the new chips in the MacBook Pro models: the M2 Pro and the M2 Max.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-M2-Pro-and-M2-Max-analysis-GPU-is-more-efficient-the-CPU-not-always.699140.0.html

[Teskatlipoka]

When it comes to the integrated graphics card, neither Intel nor AMD can keep up with Apple in the slightest - instead, Apple even manage to take on dedicated graphics cards like the RTX 3050 Ti or in the case of the M2 Max (38 cores), even the new GeForce RTX 4070 laptop. Alongside improved performance, Apple also managed to further improve the efficiency of their integrated graphics card.

Based on what do the author(s) claim M2 Max (38 cores) can take on even the new GeForce RTX 4070 laptop?

M2 Max is clearly way behind RTX 4070 115W in Witcher 3 even at lower details, It performs like RTX 4050 at 65W.

We know that RTX 4070 laptop has 0.68 points per Watt and manages 124 FPS at Ultra settings, so It should have ~182W power consumption.
On the other hand M2 Max (38 Cores) managed only 83 FPS at high settings, but consumes only 80.7W on average.
So RTX 4070 is actually ~50% faster at more demanding settings than M2 Max.

Even that great GPU efficiency for M2 Max is questionable, because RTX 4070 manages 75-94FPS in Witcher 3 Ultra at only 35-50W.
How much does M2 Max IGP consume during Witcher 3? It needs ~48W during 3dmark and 64W during Novabench.

[extraorangekid]

Based on what do the author(s) claim M2 Max (38 cores) can take on even the new GeForce RTX 4070 laptop?

M2 Max is clearly way behind RTX 4070 115W in Witcher 3 even at lower details, It performs like RTX 4050 at 65W.

The Witcher 3 performance should be taken with a grain of salt. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison because The Witcher 3 isn't an Apple Silicon native game. Therefore, it must run through emulation. This causes it to lose significant amounts of performance in the process.

Think about it like this: you have a rollerskater (4070) and an ice skater (M2 Max) competing on the same asphalt track. While both rollerskating and iceskating are both similar in nature and use similar muscle memory, you obviously can't iceskate on asphalt... so, the iceskater must graft wheels to their blades to be able to skate the track. This puts them at a disadvantage against the native rollerskater, as the grafting presents new balance challenges and muscle memory for the iceskater to overcome. Thus, if the two are equal, the rollerskater will always beat the iceskater on such a playing field.

For a closer, real comparison, refer to the 3DMark Wildlife tests. That's where you'll see a more level playing field, but it's still not enough. What we need are comparisons of games that are native to both platforms, like Resident Evil VIII, World of Warcraft, or No Man's Sky once that's finally brought over. Still, the fact that there are so few native games makes the M2 Max's power somewhat moot.

[Teskatlipoka]

Based on what do the author(s) claim M2 Max (38 cores) can take on even the new GeForce RTX 4070 laptop?

M2 Max is clearly way behind RTX 4070 115W in Witcher 3 even at lower details, It performs like RTX 4050 at 65W.

The Witcher 3 performance should be taken with a grain of salt. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison because The Witcher 3 isn't an Apple Silicon native game. Therefore, it must run through emulation. This causes it to lose significant amounts of performance in the process.

Think about it like this: you have a rollerskater (4070) and an ice skater (M2 Max) competing on the same asphalt track. While both rollerskating and iceskating are both similar in nature and use similar muscle memory, you obviously can't iceskate on asphalt... so, the iceskater must graft wheels to their blades to be able to skate the track. This puts them at a disadvantage against the native rollerskater, as the grafting presents new balance challenges and muscle memory for the iceskater to overcome. Thus, if the two are equal, the rollerskater will always beat the iceskater on such a playing field.

For a closer, real comparison, refer to the 3DMark Wildlife tests. That's where you'll see a more level playing field, but it's still not enough. What we need are comparisons of games that are native to both platforms, like Resident Evil VIII, World of Warcraft, or No Man's Sky once that's finally brought over. Still, the fact that there are so few native games makes the M2 Max's power somewhat moot.

Resident Evil Village is a native game and M2 Max performs according to M2 Max review.

Resident Evil Village is certainly the best example for a native Apple silicon title right now, which runs completely smooth in 1080p and maximum details (100-140 fps) and the performance is roughly comparable to a GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile.

RTX 3060 140W(115+25) manages 129 FPS at 1080p Ultra settings.
RTX 4070 score 189.7 FPS in the same game based on notebookcheck database.
So still at least 36% faster(190FPS/140FPS=1.357).
3DMark Wildlife clearly doesn't show you the actual gaming performance.