Home Arrow Icon Knowledge base Arrow Icon Global Arrow Icon How does the memory bandwidth of the MacBook Pro M4 compare to other laptops in the same price range


How does the memory bandwidth of the MacBook Pro M4 compare to other laptops in the same price range


The MacBook Pro models with the M4 chip family offer varying levels of memory bandwidth depending on the specific configuration. The base M4 chip provides 120GB/s of memory bandwidth, while the M4 Pro chip offers 273GB/s, and the M4 Max chip comes in two configurations: one with 410GB/s and another with 546GB/s of memory bandwidth[1][5][10].

In comparison, laptops in the same price range often use Intel Core or AMD Ryzen processors paired with dedicated graphics cards, which can offer different memory bandwidths depending on the specific components used. For example, high-end laptops with Intel Core i9 processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs might have memory bandwidths ranging from around 80GB/s to over 600GB/s, depending on the specific GPU model and system configuration.

However, when comparing directly to Apple's M4 Max with its highest memory bandwidth of 546GB/s, few laptops in the same price range can match this level of bandwidth. The closest competitors might be high-end gaming laptops with top-tier GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, which can offer memory bandwidths exceeding 600GB/s but often at a higher price point and with more power consumption.

The M4 Pro and M4 Max chips are designed to provide a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them well-suited for tasks like video editing, 3D modeling, and AI workloads, where high memory bandwidth is beneficial. In contrast, many Windows laptops in the same price range might focus more on raw processing power or gaming performance, which can lead to different design priorities and component choices.

Overall, the MacBook Pro with M4 chips offers competitive memory bandwidth compared to other laptops in its price range, particularly when considering the balance between performance and power efficiency that Apple's designs emphasize. However, specific comparisons can vary widely based on the exact configuration and intended use case of the laptop.

Citations:
[1] https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/
[2] https://www.macprices.net/14-macbook-pro/
[3] https://support.apple.com/en-us/121552
[4] https://www.yahoo.com/tech/apple-m4-vs-m3-biggest-100000061.html
[5] https://support.apple.com/en-us/121553
[6] https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/14-inch-m4
[7] https://support.apple.com/en-us/121554
[8] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/10/new-macbook-pro-features-m4-family-of-chips-and-apple-intelligence/
[9] https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-m4-pro-14-core-cpu-20-core-gpu-16-2024-specs.html
[10] https://www.justjosh.tech/articles/m4-announcement-our-thoughts
[11] https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-m4-pro-14-core-cpu-20-core-gpu-14-2024-specs.html