MacBook Pro M3 Max + 30-Core GPU Performance Overview
The MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023), powered by the Apple M3 Max chip with 14 CPU cores and 30 GPU cores, delivers excellent AI performance across various workloads. With 36 GB of Unified Memory, this system excels in tasks such as Style Transfer, Pose Estimation, and Image Super-Resolution. The system leverages Apple’s Core ML framework to efficiently handle AI tasks using both GPU and CPU resources, with notable strength in half precision and quantized performance.
Hardware Specs
- CPU: Apple M3 Max, 14 cores (4.05 GHz)
- RAM: 36 GB Unified Memory
- GPU: Integrated Apple M3 Max GPU with 30 cores
Estimated Total Price (2024): $2,999
Price-to-Performance: 447.5 per $100
The MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023) achieves a price-to-performance ratio of 447.5 per $100, based on its overall single precision GPU benchmark score of 13,411.
Price-to-Performance Calculation:
The price-to-performance ratio is calculated by dividing the single precision GPU benchmark score by the system price, then multiplying by 100.
Calculation: (13411 / 2999) × 100 ≈ 447.5 per $100
Core ML GPU Benchmarks
This benchmark highlights the performance of the Apple M3 Max GPU (30 cores), showing excellent results in AI tasks like Style Transfer, Pose Estimation, and Depth Estimation. The GPU handles both single and half precision tasks efficiently, making it a powerful tool for AI-intensive workloads.
View the full benchmark test here.
Benchmark Scores
- Single Precision: 13,411
- Half Precision: 13,358
- Quantized: 12,570
Top AI Tasks (Single Precision)
| AI Task | Score | IPS | AI Task | Score | IPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Style Transfer | 140,656 | 180.8 | 4. Depth Estimation | 31,413 | 242.0 |
| 2. Pose Estimation | 65,985 | 77.0 | 5. Face Detection | 23,073 | 274.2 |
| 3. Image Segmentation | 12,924 | 209.5 | 6. Object Detection | 6,723 | 533.3 |
Core ML CPU Benchmarks
This test measures the performance of the Apple M3 Max CPU (14 cores) in AI tasks. While not as fast as the GPU, the CPU demonstrates solid performance in Style Transfer and Object Detection tasks, especially in half and quantized precision workloads.
View the full benchmark test here.
Benchmark Scores
- Single Precision: 3,841
- Half Precision: 5,356
- Quantized: 4,472
Top AI Tasks (Single Precision)
| AI Task | Score | IPS | AI Task | Score | IPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Style Transfer | 19,506 | 25.1 | 4. Depth Estimation | 6,775 | 52.2 |
| 2. Pose Estimation | 8,569 | 10.0 | 5. Face Detection | 3,491 | 41.5 |
| 3. Object Detection | 1,845 | 146.3 | 6. Image Super-Resolution | 5,030 | 185.7 |
Core ML Neural Engine Benchmarks
The Neural Engine in the Apple M3 Max performs exceptionally well in quantized tasks, particularly in Style Transfer and Pose Estimation. This makes the Neural Engine a key component in handling AI workloads that require fast, low-precision computations.
View the full benchmark test here.
Benchmark Scores
- Single Precision: 2,457
- Half Precision: 13,410
- Quantized: 13,896
Top AI Tasks (Single Precision)
| AI Task | Score | IPS | AI Task | Score | IPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Style Transfer | 15,856 | 20.4 | 4. Depth Estimation | 4,144 | 31.9 |
| 2. Pose Estimation | 15,499 | 18.1 | 5. Face Detection | 2,228 | 26.5 |
| 3. Object Detection | 1,256 | 99.7 | 6. Image Super-Resolution | 3,140 | 115.9 |
Final Summary
The MacBook Pro (16-inch, Nov 2023) with Apple M3 Max delivers excellent performance across AI tasks, especially in image-related workloads like Style Transfer, Pose Estimation, and Depth Estimation. The 30-core GPU and Neural Engine significantly accelerate AI computations, while the 14-core CPU performs well for less GPU-intensive tasks. This system is an outstanding choice for users who require a powerful, efficient AI workstation.