Apple has finally unveiled the M4 chip! Released in May 2024 along with the new iPad Pro, the M4 is the latest iteration of Apple Silicon, succeeding the M3. The M3 was already impressive, but how much more powerful is the M4? Let's take a closer look at the M4 chip.
The M4 chip is built on TSMC's second-generation 3nm process and integrates a whopping 28 billion transistors. This is a 12% increase compared to the M3 chip. With more transistors, both performance and power efficiency are expected to improve. Additionally, the M4 is the first Apple chip to use the ARMv9 CPU architecture. ARMv9 is a cutting-edge architecture focused on enhancing security and AI performance, making the M4's performance even more anticipated.
The M4 chip also features changes in its CPU core configuration. The base model is equipped with a 10-core CPU consisting of 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores. Notably, the iPad Pro also includes an M4 chip with 3 performance cores. The M4 Pro features up to a 14-core CPU, and the M4 Max features up to a 16-core CPU, providing even more robust performance.
The M4 chip includes a 10-core GPU that supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing, dynamic caching, and mesh shading, similar to the M3. The M4 Pro features up to a 20-core GPU, and the M4 Max features up to a 40-core GPU, further enhancing graphics performance. Apple claims that the M4 GPU's ray tracing engine is twice as fast as the M3.
One of the most significant features of the M4 chip is its enhanced Neural Engine. The M4's 16-core Neural Engine can perform 38 trillion operations per second, which is a 20 TOPS improvement over the M3. The Neural Engine enhances AI and machine learning task performance, supporting smoother operation of Apple Intelligence-related features such as photo editing tools, natural language search, and Siri functionality improvements.
According to PCMag, the M4 chip scored between 800 and 900 in the Cinebench multi-core test, while the M4 Pro chip scored in the 1,700s. This is similar to the performance of the M3 Max released in 2023. Additionally, in 3DMark tests, the M4 chip scored significantly higher than the M3 chip, demonstrating improved graphics performance.
Starting with the iPad Pro released in May 2024, the M4 chip will be featured in new iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro models. The M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are expected to be included in the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, which require higher performance.
The M4 chip is expected to provide even more powerful performance in the age of AI by improving the architecture of the M3 chip and enhancing Neural Engine performance. Additionally, the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips support more CPU and GPU cores, and wider memory bandwidth, enabling smooth handling of professional-level tasks. With various Apple products featuring the M4 chip set to be released, there's much to look forward to!
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