Apple A16 Bionic vs Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple A16 Bionic or Apple A16 Bionic – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Apple A16 Bionic features 6 processor cores and has the capability to manage 6 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2022 and belongs to the 16 generation of the Apple A series series.
The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) features 10 processor cores and has the capability to manage 10 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2021 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Apple M series series.
Apple A16 Group Apple M1
16 Generation 1
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A16 Bionic Name Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
Apple A series Family Apple M series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A16 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.46 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has 10 CPU cores and can calculate 10 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.2 GHz.
6 Threads 10
2.02 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.06 GHz
6 CPU Cores 10
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
2x Everest Cores A 8x Firestorm
No Hyperthreading No
3.46 GHz A-Core Frequency 3.2 GHz
No Overclocking No
4x Sawtooth Cores B 2x Icestorm
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple A16 Bionic has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple A16 Bionic uses the Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores), which has 1280 texture shaders
and 160 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) uses the Apple M1 Max (32 Core), which has 4096 texture shaders
and 512 execution units.
1280 Shaders 4096
Q3/2022 Release date Q3/2021
4 nm Technology 5 nm
-- Direct X --
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 32.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
160 Execution units 512
0.7 GHz GPU frequency 1.3 GHz
13 Generation 1
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple A16 (5 GPU Cores) GPU name Apple M1 Max (32 Core)
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 17 TOPS AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode / Encode VP8 Decode
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
No AV1 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode AVC Decode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 6.0 GB distributed across 1 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 64.0 GB distributed across 4 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 409.6 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI Yes
LPDDR5-6400 Memory type LPDDR5-6400
No ECC No
6.0 GB Max. Memory 64.0 GB
1 Memory channels 4
51.2 GB/s Bandwidth 409.6 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 8.5 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 30 W watts.
None TDP up 60 W
8.5 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 30 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple A16 Bionic is manufactured using a 4 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 24.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
Q3/2022 Release date Q3/2021
None Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
4 nm Technology 5 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
A16 Architecture M1
24.0 MB L3-Cache 0 bytes
iOS Operating systems macOS
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number APL 1104
Socket
20.0 MB L2-Cache 28.0 MB