Apple has released m4 mac mini Starting at just $599. For such a low price you get the Apple M4 chipset which looks quite promising on paper. So to test all the claims, we have benchmarked the Apple M4 on a number of tests including Geekbench, Cinebench 2024, 3DMark and more. We also recorded the temperature and power consumption. On that note, let’s look at the Apple M4 benchmarks and analyze the findings.
Apple M4 specs
| specification | Apple M4 (Base) |
|---|---|
| manufacturing process | TSMC’s 3nm process (N3E) |
| CPU | 10 cpu cores 4x 4.40GHz performance cores 6x 2.89GHz efficiency cores |
| gpu | Apple’s 10-core GPU HW-Accelerated Ray Tracing |
| power consumption | 4W to 65W |
| neural engine | 16-core neural engine 38 tops |
| Integrated Memory (RAM) | 16gb LPDDR5X @7500MHz |
| Memory Bandwidth | 120 gbps |
| storage | 256 GB |
| connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 |
Apple M4: Geekbench 6 CPU
In our first Geekbench test evaluating the CPU, the Apple M4 scored 3,781 in single-core tasks and 14,858 in multi-core tasks. The CPU has four performance cores and six efficiency cores, and is clocked at up to 4.40GHz. For a 10-core CPU, performance on Geekbench is absolutely impressive a18 pro,
Apple M4: Cinebench 2024
Next, in the Cinebench 2024 test, the Apple M4 CPU got a single-core score of 176 points and a multi-core score of 972 points. The 10-core GPU on the Apple M4 scored 4,005 points in Cinebench 2024. In our testing, the M4 Mac Mini consumed Power below 50W and the maximum temperature reached 43.4 degrees Celsius,
Apple M4: Geekbench 6 GPU
To test the 10-core GPU on the Apple M4, we ran the Geekbench 6 GPU test on Apple’s Metal graphics API. In this test, the Apple M4 scored 58,082 points with only 10 GPU cores. And when we ran the same test on the OpenCL API, the score dropped to 38,006 points.
Apple M4: 3DMark
In the intensive 3DMark Wildlife Extreme test, the 10-core Apple M4 GPU scored 9,807 points with an average frame rate of 58.7 FPS. In the next Steel Nomad Lite test, the Apple M4 GPU had a total score of 4,001 points with an average frame rate of 29.6 FPS.
Apple M4: Geekbench AI
To test the 16-core Neural Engine on the Apple M4, we ran geekbench ai Examination In single-precision, the Apple M4’s Neural Engine achieved 4,730 points; It got 36,664 points in half-precision; In the quantized data type, it scored 51,758 points. Apple says the new Neural Engine can perform up to 38 trillion operations per second (TOPS).
Apple M4: On-device LLM performance
In addition to benchmarks, we also conducted a practical test to see how well the Apple M4 performs in on-device AI inference tests. So we installed LM Studio and loaded a Llama 3.2 3B model (4-bit quantized). It generated very fast responses at a rate of 48 tokens per second. For running local llm On the device, the Apple M4 is well equipped. Note that LM Studio still uses GPUs and CPUs to process AI workloads. It does not use the Apple Neural Engine yet.
Apple M4: Speedometer 3.0
Finally, to test the web browsing experience, we ran the Speedometer 3.0 benchmark on the Apple M4. It got a score of 33.2 points which is remarkable. Even the best desktop PCs can’t cross the 30 mark in this test. As far as responsiveness to web applications is concerned, you’re well settled with your base Apple M4 Mac Mini.
Decision
In conclusion, the Apple M4 comes across as a powerful and efficient chipset. Its CPU performance is particularly impressive. Even the best x86 chipsets with the highest clock speeds can’t match it in terms of per-watt performance. Apple designed the M4 Mac Mini to be so small, yet have thermal controls in place and we never once heard fan noise.
The GPU is also very strong, and with the official release of gaming titles on macOS in the future, it could become a cool gaming machineAt such a low price. So what do you think about the performance of the Apple M4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
