Apple A9 vs Intel Core i7-4770

Last updated:

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A9 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i7-4770
Apple A9 Intel Core i7-4770

CPU comparison

Apple A9 or Intel Core i7-4770 - 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 A9 has 2 cores with 2 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 1.85 GHz. Up to 2 GB of memory is supported in 1 memory channels. The Apple A9 was released in Q3/2015.

The Intel Core i7-4770 has 4 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.90 GHz. The CPU supports up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i7-4770 was released in Q2/2013.
Apple A series (22) Family Intel Core i7 (298)
Apple A9/A9X (2) CPU group Intel Core i 4000 (64)
9 Generation 4
A9 Architecture Haswell S
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple A8 Predecessor Intel Core i7-3770
Apple A10 Fusion Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A9 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple A9 is 1.85 GHz while the Intel Core i7-4770 has 4 CPU cores and 8 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-4770 is at 3.40 GHz (3.90 GHz).

Apple A9 Characteristic Intel Core i7-4770
2 Cores 4
2 Threads 8
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
1.85 GHz Frequency 3.40 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (1 Core) 3.90 GHz
-- Turbo Frequency (All Cores) 3.60 GHz

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 A9 Characteristic Intel Core i7-4770
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The Apple A9 or Intel Core i7-4770 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

Apple A9 GPU Intel HD Graphics 4600
0.65 GHz GPU frequency 0.35 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.20 GHz
6 GPU Generation 7.5
16 nm Technology 22 nm
1 Max. displays 3
24 Compute units 20
192 Shader 160
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
4 GB Max. GPU Memory 2 GB
-- DirectX Version 11.1

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 A9 GPU Intel HD Graphics 4600
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 No
Decode Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode

Memory & PCIe

The Apple A9 can use up to 2 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 25.6 GB/s. The Intel Core i7-4770 supports up to 32 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 25.6 GB/s.

Apple A9 Characteristic Intel Core i7-4770
LPDDR4-3200 Memory DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600, DDR3L-1333, DDR3L-1600
2 GB Max. Memory 32 GB
1 (Single Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
25.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
No ECC No
3.00 MB L2 Cache --
4.00 MB L3 Cache 8.00 MB
-- PCIe version 3.0
-- PCIe lanes 16
-- PCIe Bandwidth 15.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple A9 is 5 W, while the Intel Core i7-4770 has a TDP of 84 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Apple A9 Characteristic Intel Core i7-4770
5 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 84 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple A9 is manufactured in 16 nm and has 7.00 MB cache. The Intel Core i7-4770 is manufactured in 22 nm and has a 8.00 MB cache.

Apple A9 Characteristic Intel Core i7-4770
16 nm Technology 22 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
-- Socket LGA 1150
None Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
No AES-NI Yes
iOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q3/2015 Release date Q2/2013
-- Release price 280 $
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple A9 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.2 stars (5 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-4770 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.5 stars (12 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Apple A9 (59%)
Intel Core i7-4770 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Apple A9 (28%)
Intel Core i7-4770 (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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
558 (61%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.90 GHz
914 (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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
1024 (30%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
3367 (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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
632 (57%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.90 GHz
1102 (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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
921 (25%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
3740 (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 A9 Apple A9
Apple A9 @ 0.65 GHz
250 (65%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
Intel HD Graphics 4600 @ 1.20 GHz
384 (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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
2053 (29%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
7066 (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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.90 GHz
969 (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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
4415 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.90 GHz
355 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
1349 (100%)

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 8 Benchmark measures the performance of a SoC. AnTuTu benchmarks the CPU, GPU, Memory as well as the UX (User Experience) by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu can benchmark any ARM CPU that runs under Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly compareable if the benchmark has been performed under different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 8 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The evaluation consists of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the RAM and the performance of the internal graphics.
Apple A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
172160 (100%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
0 (0%)

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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
64 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Apple A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
473 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Apple A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
391 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Apple A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.40 GHz
2003 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.90 GHz
141 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 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 A9 Apple A9
2C 2T @ 1.85 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4770
4C 8T @ 3.60 GHz
690 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A9 Intel Core i7-4770
Apple iPhone 6s
Apple iPhone SE (1. Gen)
Unknown

Popular comparisons containing this CPUs

1. Intel Core i7-4790Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i7-4790 vs Intel Core i7-4770
2. Intel Core i7-4770Intel Core i7-3770 Intel Core i7-4770 vs Intel Core i7-3770
3. Intel Core i5-6500Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i5-6500 vs Intel Core i7-4770
4. Intel Core i7-4770Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3 Intel Core i7-4770 vs Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
5. Intel Core i5-8400Intel Core i7-4770 Intel Core i5-8400 vs Intel Core i7-4770
6. Intel Core i7-4770Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3 Intel Core i7-4770 vs Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3
7. Intel Core i7-4770Intel Core i5-4460 Intel Core i7-4770 vs Intel Core i5-4460
8. Intel Core i7-4770Intel Core i5-4590 Intel Core i7-4770 vs Intel Core i5-4590
9. Apple A8XApple A9 Apple A8X vs Apple A9
10. Intel Core i7-4770Intel Core i5-4570 Intel Core i7-4770 vs Intel Core i5-4570


back to index