Apple's M3 Max MacBook Pro is as fast as expensive M2 Ultra Mac desktops

We suspected the M3 Max inside the new MacBook Pro models was fast — but maybe not quite this fast.

Apple unveiled its new silicon chipset, M3, earlier this week with its new line of MacBook Pros. Every year, the company zeroes in on its new chips' zippier performance compared to previous generations. However, early third-party tests discovered that the company reallyseems to have delivered this time.

The new MacBook Pro announced at the "Scary Fast" event. Credit: Apple

A database entry for Geekbench, a test that inspects CPU performance, clocked that the 16-inch M3 Max MacBook Pro delivers a multi-core score of 21,084.

This test result was first noticed by MacRumors, which pointed out that this figure puts the new M3 Max within the same performance tier as the M2 Ultra, which can be found inside powerful Apple desktops such as the Mac Pro and Mac Studio. The average multi-core score for those models are 21,182 and 21,316 respectively.

The M3 Max MacBook Pro with a 16-core CPU has a starting price of $3,999, so it's certainly not cheap. However, the Mac Pro M2 Ultra starts at $6,999, so the fact that it's delivering similar CPU performance scores is impressive.

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While the Mac Studio M2 Ultra starts at the same price as the MacBook Pro M3 Max (16-core CPU), the Mac Studio comes with a 24-core CPU in comparison, with very little difference in performance.

When compared to the M2 Max, the M3 Max is around 45 percent faster than its predecessor, according to tests. That's right around the 50 percent number that Apple claimed during the "Scary Fast" Mac event.

The M3 Max chip is certainly impressive from what we can see so far. But will the performance hold up to the everyday usage of pro-level consumers that make up its targeted audience? We'll soon find out.

Apple's new M3 line of MacBook Pros launch on Nov. 7.