Apple’s M1 chip has already proven it’s a force to be reckoned with, but a newly-revealed benchmark test shows that Intel and AMD should be very scared.
A PassMark benchmark shows that the M1 has defeated the upcoming Intel Core i7-11700K CPU in single-core performance. That means the only chip running better than the M1 is the Core i9-11900K.
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The M1 chip has already proven to be a force to be reckoned with. Developing Mac chips in house was a big step to make, especially given the dominance of Intel and AMD. But Apple proved it has what it takes to make it work, as seen by the stellar performance of the M1 chip when it launched last year.
Our testing found that the M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro have superior battery life compared to their Intel-powered counterparts. Performance was much better in our experience as well, especially with resource-heavy applications like Google Chrome and Photoshop.
Interestingly, Intel has already claimed its Core i7-1165G7 processor offered faster processing and better battery life than the Apple M1 chip. Critics have pointed out there are several caveats to Intel’s numbers, meaning Apple didn’t have too much to worry about.
Plus, we’ve been hearing several rumors about the M1X chip, which promises to be significantly more powerful than the M1. It’s been speculated that the chip could arrive during the Apple April event, though there hasn’t been any official word.
Of course. it’s about more than just performance. Apple’s M1 chip is pretty affordable for that sort of power, and NoteBook Check points out that the Rocket Lake i9-11900K has an MSRP of $539. The M1 Mac Mini can be purchased for $699, so you could get an entire M1 machine for $160 more than the cost of the i9-11900K on its own.
Of course, the M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro start at $999 and $1,299, respectively, so it’s not like Apple can really be considered a budget brand. It just happens to have Intel beat right now where the power/affordability balance is concerned.
Of course, the M1 chip still has a ways to go when it comes to gaming, even though you can run some mainstream titles at respectable frame rates. We'll have to see how Apple Silicon evolves on this front.
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