Reference estimate guide
Apple Silicon Volume Shader BM Guide
How to compare Volume Shader BM results on Apple M-series Macs across Safari, Chrome, power state, thermals, and reference ranges.
These notes describe reference ranges and testing conditions. They are not official vendor rankings and should not be mixed with live leaderboard submissions without matching the same preset, browser, and power mode.
Devices tracked
2
Reference devices in this class.
Source label
Device pages clearly label conservative estimates separately from community samples.
Compare fairly
Keep browser, preset, power profile, render size, and thermal state fixed before comparing.
Apple Silicon results can vary by browser because Safari and Chromium-based browsers may use different graphics layers and scheduling behavior.
MacBook results should be labelled as plugged in or battery, and repeated runs should note whether the device was already warm. Fanless and actively cooled models can diverge during sustained workloads.
Use Apple Silicon reference ranges as orientation only. They are not official Apple, Safari, or Chrome scores.
Comparison guidance
- Compare Safari-to-Safari or Chrome-to-Chrome where possible.
- Record whether the machine is plugged in and whether Low Power Mode is active.
- Use sustained Cloud Layer runs when you want to compare cooling behavior across MacBook models.
Common bottlenecks
Browser graphics path
Different browser engines can report different frame cadence for the same shader.
Cooling design
Fanless devices can settle lower than actively cooled chips during long runs.
Display scale
High-DPI screens increase effective pixel workload unless render scale is controlled.
Recommended presets
Reference devices in this class
| Device | FPS | 1% low | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple M3 Max Apple Silicon / 2023 | 85-125 | 62-90 | Reference estimate |
| Apple M2 Apple Silicon / 2022 | 38-62 | 26-44 | Reference estimate |
Device class FAQ
Should I use Safari or Chrome on Apple Silicon?
Use the same browser for comparisons. If you test both, label them as separate browser results.
Why does Retina scaling affect the result?
Higher pixel density can increase the number of fragments the shader must shade unless the app caps render scale.