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Apple M4 processor: features of the novelty
In May 2024, the American technology giant Apple unveiled a new generation of processors, the M4. TSMC, a Thai company, manufactures the chips using the 3nm process. Apple designed the processor for its iPad Pro tablets.
A new product has aroused great interest among experts and users. Many consider it to be the best processor currently available. The chip has excellent performance indicators. Experts compared the performance of the M4 and Intel’s Core i9-14900KS. To do this, both processors were tested on the Geekbench platform. The results of the comparison were as follows:
- Apple’s chip scored 3800 points in the single-core performance test;
- the M4 is 16% ahead of the i9-14900KS.
Note that testing single-thread performance is more effective than testing multicore performance. In the latter, assessing the processor’s capabilities is difficult because all the cores work simultaneously.
The high performance of Apple’s latest innovation is due to several features:
- the chip uses ten processing cores;
- the graphics processor is in combination with a neural processor, which has 16 cores;
- the company claims the neural engine performs at the level of 38 TOPS;
- the chip provides dynamic caching;
- supports ray tracing and AV1 acceleration.
After testing the processor on Geekbench, some experts suggest using the ARMv9 architecture. The latter implies support for SVE or SME functionalities, which, according to the analysts, contribute to performance increases. At the same time, Apple does not provide official information about implementing the proposed architecture.
M4 vs. M2 comparison
Analysts compared the new chip with its competitors’ analogues and its predecessor. The M4 is twice as fast as the M2. Both processors are for use in tablets. The iPad Pro with an OLED screen will feature the new chip.
The M4 processor also performed excellently when displaying images. Its rendering speed was four times faster than the M2’s.
When developing the new chip, the company paid particular attention to its compatibility with AI. Apple representatives noted its fast response to operations. A 38 TOPS neural chip is responsible for this functionality.
The processor is intended for use in tablets. However, Apple claims its performance will be sufficient for full-fledged PC work. At the same time, the chip uses much less power than standard computer processors. According to the manufacturer’s representatives, M4 can easily compete with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite chip.
New tablets with M4 are already on sale. Users can see the advantages of the processor for themselves.