Apple’s recent unveiling of its M4 chipset lineup, including the high-performing M4 Max, is creating waves in the tech industry. Notably, the M4 Max has already become the fastest CPU on Geekbench 6’s single-core tests, surpassing even Intel’s formidable 24-core Ultra 9 285K and AMD’s Ryze 9 9950X in the multi-core segment.
But Apple isn’t stopping there; the tech powerhouse is gearing up to release the M4 Ultra in an updated Mac Pro next year. This move signals Apple’s increasing confidence in taking on the gaming market. The forthcoming M4 Ultra is rumored to feature up to an impressive 80 GPU cores, positioning it to handle AAA titles with ease.
Unified RAM is a standard feature across all M4 Mac models, with at least 16GB offered, ensuring game developers have a sufficient framebuffer. This allows developers to optimize newer games’ visuals and performance effectively. For instance, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition is slated to land on Mac in 2025 with enhanced features like path tracing and Frame Generation.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, in his latest newsletter, highlighted the advancements in Apple’s in-house chipsets and teased the anticipation for the M4 Ultra announcement next year. He alludes to the M4 Ultra potentially having up to 32 CPU cores and 80 GPU cores, aiming to make the Mac Pro a powerhouse in the mainstream market.
Accessibility remains a key strategy for Apple, with competitive pricing for its base models. The M4 Mac mini starts at $599, and the M4 MacBook Pro at $1,599, maintaining previous prices while doubling unified RAM in entry-level models.
For Apple to truly penetrate the gaming market, convincing game developers to bring their titles to Mac is crucial. While companies like Capcom and Ubisoft have already partnered, a broader range of games is necessary for consumers to embrace Apple devices for gaming.
