Apple A8 vs Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A8 CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
Apple A8 Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)

CPU comparison

Apple A8 or Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Apple A8 has 2 cores with 2 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 1.50 GHz. Up to 1 GB of memory is supported in 1 memory channels. The Apple A8 was released in Q3/2014.

The Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) has 10 cores with 10 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. The CPU supports up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) was released in Q3/2021.
Apple A series (22) Family Apple M series (25)
Apple A8/A8X (2) CPU group Apple M1 (9)
8 Generation 1
A8 Architecture M1
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A7 Predecessor --
Apple A9 Successor Apple M2 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A8 is a 2 core processor with a clock frequency of 1.50 GHz. The Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) has 10 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz).

Apple A8 Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
2 Cores 10
2 Threads 10
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
1.50 GHz
2x Typhoon
A-Core 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
8x Firestorm
-- B-Core 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
2x Icestorm

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Apple A8 Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
-- AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS

Internal Graphics

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

Apple A8 GPU Apple M1 Pro (14 Core)
0.53 GHz GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.30 GHz
5 GPU Generation 1
20 nm Technology 5 nm
1 Max. displays 3
16 Compute units 224
128 Shader 1792
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
4 GB Max. GPU Memory 32 GB
-- DirectX Version --

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.

Apple A8 GPU Apple M1 Pro (14 Core)
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Apple A8 supports a maximum of 1 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) can connect up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.

Apple A8 Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
LPDDR3-1600 Memory LPDDR5-6400
1 GB Max. Memory 32 GB
1 (Single Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
12.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 102.4 GB/s
No ECC No
1.00 MB L2 Cache 28.00 MB
4.00 MB L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version 4.0
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Apple A8 has a TDP of 5 W, that of the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) is 45 W.

Apple A8 Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
5 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple A8 has a 5.00 MB cache, while the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) cache has a total of 28.00 MB.

Apple A8 Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
20 nm Technology 5 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
-- Socket --
None Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
No AES-NI Yes
iOS Operating systems macOS
Q3/2014 Release date Q3/2021
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple A8 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.0 stars (2 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (26 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Apple A8 (18%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Apple A8 (5%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
324 (18%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1768 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
607 (5%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12574 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
412 (17%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
2397 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
588 (5%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12407 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Apple A8 Apple A8
Apple A8 @ 0.53 GHz
136 (3%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
Apple M1 Pro (14 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
4580 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
113 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
802 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1534 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12390 (100%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
192 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
1532 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
Apple A8 Apple A8
1.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
12,390 CB R23 MC @ 45 W
275 (100%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).
Apple A8 Apple A8
2C 2T @ 1.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A8 Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
Apple iPhone 6
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Apple iPad Mini 4
Apple TV HD
Apple HomePod
Apple iPod touch (6. Gen)
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)

News and articles for the Apple A8 and the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)


Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Apple M2Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M2 vs Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
2. Apple A12 BionicApple A8 Apple A12 Bionic vs Apple A8
3. Apple A14 BionicApple A8 Apple A14 Bionic vs Apple A8
4. Apple A9Apple A8 Apple A9 vs Apple A8
5. Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)Apple A8 Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) vs Apple A8
6. Apple A8Apple A13 Bionic Apple A8 vs Apple A13 Bionic
7. Apple A8XApple A8 Apple A8X vs Apple A8
8. Apple A10 FusionApple A8 Apple A10 Fusion vs Apple A8
9. Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)Apple M1 Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) vs Apple M1
10. Apple A8Apple A7 Apple A8 vs Apple A7


back to index