Apple’s new M4 chip hit the market a few months back. The original M1 Pro is now almost 2 and a half years old.
How much improvement has been made in that time frame? Here, we have compared both 10-core chip variants in-depth with benchmarks and performance to determine which gives you better value for money.
Main Differences
- M4 has a 4.41 CPU Clock speed, while M1 Pro has a 3.2 GHz CPU Clock speed.
- M1 Pro is 2 years and 7 months older
- M4 has an 1800 MHz GPU clock speed, while M1 Pro has a 1296 MHz GPU clock speed.
- M1 Pro is built on a 5nm fabrication process, while M4 is built on a 3nm fabrication process.
- M4 has 10 GPU Cores compared to M1 Pro, which has 16 GPU Cores.
Specs Comparison
Before we take a look at benchmarks, let’s compare some specifications for both CPUs.
| Apple M4 | Apple M1 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 10 | 10 |
| Performance Cores | 4 | 8 |
| Efficiency Cores | 6 | 2 |
| Threads | 10 | 10 |
| Performance Threads | 4 | 8 |
| Efficiency Threads | 6 | 2 |
| Base Clock Speed (Performance Core) | 4.41 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Base Clock Speed (Efficiency Core) | 2.59 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Instruction Set | ARMv9 | ARMv8 |
| Socket | Apple M-Socket | Apple M-Socket |
| L1 Cache | 192K/core | 192K/core |
| L2 Cache | 16MB(shared) | 24MB(shared) |
| Multiplier | 44x | – |
| Fabrication Process | 3nm | 5nm |
| Transistors | 28 billion | 33.7 billion |
| TDP | 22 W | 30 W |
| Max Temperature | 100°C | 100°C |
| Integrated Graphics | Apple M4 GPU | Apple M1 Pro GPU |
| GPU Core | 10 | 16 |
| GPU Base Clock Speed | 500 MHz | 450MHz |
| GPU Boost Clock Speed | 1800 MHz | 1296 MHz |
| Memory | LPDDR5X-7500 | LPDDR5-6400 |
| Memory Size | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| Memory Channels | 4 | 4 |
| ECC Support | No | No |
| Release date | 07, May 2024 | 18, October 2021 |
Benchmarks
Now that we have compared basic specs, let’s compare some popular benchmark standards between these two CPUs to find out which one comes out on top in performance.
Passmark Single Core (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 4601(+19%)
- M1 Pro – 3796
PassMark Multi-Core (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 24386(+10%)
- M1 Pro – 21869
Geekbench 6 Single Core (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 3869(+47%)
- M1 Pro – 2384
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 13460(8%)
- M1 Pro – 12335
Cinebench 2024 Single Core (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 174(+44%)
- M1 Pro – 111
Cinebench 2024 Multi-Core (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 976(+19%)
- M1 Pro – 800
Productivity benchmark tests
If you are wondering how these chips compare to each other for productivity and content creation like 3D design and video editing. Here, we are also sharing some productivity benchmarks with you.
Adobe After Effects (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 943(+5%)
- M1 Pro – 890
Adobe Photoshop (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 10975(+35%)
- M1 Pro – 7657
Adobe Premiere Pro (Higher is Better)
- M4 – 4843(10%)
- M1 Pro – 4374
Price
The brand new Apple MacBook Pro(2024) with M4(10-Core) costs $1600, and the lowest price for an Apple MacBook Pro(2021) with M1 Pro(10-Core) is available at resale for $1400. So, the New Apple MacBook Pro 2024 is about 13% more expensive right now.
Note: Prices are at the time of creation of this comparison. It may not have been updated to the latest price when you are looking at this comparison.
Conclusion – Which one should you buy?
Now, it’s time to look at all the data and figure out which one is the best option for you. First up, the Apple MacBook Pro(2021) with M1 Pro(10-Core) is 13% cheaper.
When it comes to the traditional benchmarks, there is a huge difference between the two chips. Same thing when you look at multicore benchmarks. The M4(10-Core) is far better than the M1 Pro(10-Core)
Now speaking about productivity and content creation benchmarks, the difference isn’t that huge except for Photoshop, where the M4(10-Core) performs whopping 35% better than the M1 Pro(10-Core).
Apple chips aren’t particularly great at gaming, so we have skipped that comparison. If you are looking for a Gaming CPU, you are better off with Intel or AMD. They provide far better value compared to Apple.
In conclusion, Apple M4(10-Core) is the clear winner. The Price for M1 Pro(10-Core) hasn’t dropped significantly to justify the performance difference between the two.
So, if you’re picking up a new MacBook, then the M4 will be a better choice compared to the M1 Pro. With that being said, the M1 Pro’s Performance is still very impressive. For most tasks, it’s more than enough.
So, if you are holding the Old Apple MacBook Pro(2021) with M1 Pro, there is no need for an upgrade.
