Apple M1 vs Apple A12X Bionic
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CPU comparison with benchmarks
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| Apple M1 | Apple A12X Bionic | |
CPU comparisonIn this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple M1 and the Apple A12X Bionic and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.
We compare the Apple M1 8 core processor released in Q4/2020 with the Apple A12X Bionic which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2018. |
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| Apple M series (23) | Family | Apple A series (22) |
| Apple M1 (9) | CPU group | Apple A12/A12X/A12Z (3) |
| 1 | Generation | 12 |
| M1 | Architecture | A12 |
| Mobile | Segment | Mobile |
| -- | Predecessor | Apple A10X Fusion |
| Apple M2 | Successor | -- |
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CPU Cores and Base FrequencyThe Apple M1 is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The Apple A12X Bionic clocks with 2.49 GHz, has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel. |
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| Apple M1 | Characteristic | Apple A12X Bionic |
| 8 | Cores | 8 |
| 8 | Threads | 8 |
| hybrid (big.LITTLE) | Core architecture | hybrid (big.LITTLE) |
| No | Hyperthreading | No |
| No | Overclocking ? | No |
| 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz) 4x Firestorm |
A-Core | 2.49 GHz 4x Vortex |
| 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz) 4x Icestorm |
B-Core | 1.59 GHz 4x Tempest |
Artificial Intelligence and Machine LearningProcessors 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. |
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| Apple M1 | Characteristic | Apple A12X Bionic |
| Apple Neural Engine | AI hardware | Apple Neural Engine |
| 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS | AI specifications | 8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS |
Internal GraphicsGraphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback. |
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| Apple M1 (8 Core) | GPU | Apple A12X |
| 0.39 GHz | GPU frequency | 1.13 GHz |
| 1.30 GHz | GPU (Turbo) | -- |
| 1 | GPU Generation | 9 |
| 5 nm | Technology | 7 nm |
| 2 | Max. displays | 1 |
| 128 | Compute units | 28 |
| 1024 | Shader | 448 |
| No | Hardware Raytracing | No |
| No | Frame Generation | No |
| 8 GB | Max. GPU Memory | 6 GB |
| -- | DirectX Version | -- |
Hardware codec supportA 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. |
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| Apple M1 (8 Core) | GPU | Apple A12X |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec h264 | Decode / Encode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec VP9 | Decode / Encode |
| Decode | Codec VP8 | Decode / Encode |
| No | Codec AV1 | No |
| Decode | Codec AVC | Decode |
| Decode | Codec VC-1 | Decode |
| Decode / Encode | Codec JPEG | Decode / Encode |
Memory & PCIeUp to 16 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Apple M1, while the Apple A12X Bionic supports a maximum of 6 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 68.2 GB/s enabled. |
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| Apple M1 | Characteristic | Apple A12X Bionic |
| LPDDR4X-4266 | Memory | LPDDR4X-4266 |
| 16 GB | Max. Memory | 6 GB |
| 2 (Dual Channel) | Memory channels | 2 (Dual Channel) |
| 68.2 GB/s | Max. Bandwidth | 68.2 GB/s |
| No | ECC | No |
| 16.00 MB | L2 Cache | 8.00 MB |
| -- | L3 Cache | -- |
| 4.0 | PCIe version | -- |
| -- | PCIe lanes | -- |
| -- | PCIe Bandwidth | -- |
Thermal ManagementThe Apple M1 has a TDP of 18 W. The TDP of the Apple A12X Bionic is 15 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution. |
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| Apple M1 | Characteristic | Apple A12X Bionic |
| 18 W | TDP (PL1 / PBP) | 15 W |
| -- | TDP (PL2) | -- |
| 20 W | TDP up | -- |
| 10 W | TDP down | -- |
| -- | Tjunction max. | -- |
Technical detailsThe Apple M1 has 16.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 5 nm. The cache of Apple A12X Bionic is at 8.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 7 nm. |
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| Apple M1 | Characteristic | Apple A12X Bionic |
| 5 nm | Technology | 7 nm |
| Chiplet | Chip design | Chiplet |
| Armv8.5-A (64 bit) | Instruction set (ISA) | Armv8-A (64 bit) |
| Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation | ISA extensions | -- |
| -- | Socket | -- |
| Apple Virtualization Framework | Virtualization | None |
| Yes | AES-NI | No |
| macOS | Operating systems | iOS |
| Q4/2020 | Release date | Q3/2018 |
| -- | Release price | -- |
| show more data | show more data | |
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz buy now on Amazon and save!
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Rate these processors
Average performance in benchmarks
⌀ Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
Apple M1 (8 Core) @ 1.30 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
Apple A12X @ 1.13 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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).
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz |
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Apple A12X Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz |
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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.
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Apple M1
7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W |
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Apple A12X Bionic
2.49 GHz |
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Devices using this processor |
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| Apple M1 | Apple A12X Bionic |
| Apple iMac 24 (2021) Apple MacBook Pro 13 (L2020) Apple MacBook Air (2020) Apple Mac mini (2020) Apple iPad Pro 11 (2021) Apple iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) Apple iPad Air (2022) |
Apple iPad Pro 2018 |
News and articles for the Apple M1 and the Apple A12X Bionic
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-28
After Apple surprisingly presented the normal Apple M2 processor as the first successor to the Apple M1 already in June 2022, the Apple M2 Pro and the Apple M2 Max may follow in autumn. The difference in performance compared to the basic version could be even greater this time and range from 25 to 40 percent.
In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-09
During WWDC 2022 on June 6th, 2022 Apple surprisingly presented its new Apple M2 processor. This will initially be installed in a completely revised Apple MacBook Air with 13.6 inches, a even thinner form factor and new colors. Apple also updated the already known (old) Apple MacBook Pro 13.3 with touch bar.
Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.
Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.
Comparison of the two processors
With the Apple M1 (8 GPU cores), which was released in the fourth quarter of 2020, Apple introduced a new generation of its processors. For the first time, the company's own processors are not only used in the iPhone and iPad, but also in MacBooks, Mac mini and even the iMac (see also: Devices based on the Apple M1.The Apple A12X Bionic was installed for the first time in the third quarter of 2018 and was only used in the Apple iPad Pro (11 inch Gen 1 / 12.9 inch Gen 3 - see also: devices based on the Apple A12x Bionic) are used.
The Apple M1 has 8 cores and does not support Hyperthreading. The 4 performance cores (Firestorm) of the Apple M1 clock at 3.20 gigahertz and the 4 efficiency cores at 2.06 gigahertz. The Apple A12X Bionic also consists of 8 cores and does not support hyperthreading either. The 4 performance cores (Vortex) clock at up to 2.49 gigahertz and the 4 efficiency cores (Tempest) at 1.59 gigahertz.
The cross-system benchmark Geekbench 5 certifies that the Apple M1 performs 30-40% better than the Apple A12X Bionic.
All Apple processors have an integrated graphics unit. The graphics unit of the Apple M1 is manufactured using the 5-nanometer process and has 128 execution units with a total of 1024 shaders. With this equipment and the clock frequency of 1.30 gigahertz, this graphics unit achieves an FP32 computing power (single precision) of 2610 GigaFLOPS. The graphics unit of the Apple A12X Bionic has 56 execution units with 448 shaders and clocks at 1.34 gigahertz. With this equipment, the iGPU, which is manufactured using the 7-nanometer process, achieves an FP32 computing power (single precision) of a significantly lower 1200 GigaFLOPS.
Both processors have an integrated LPDDR4X-4266 memory. Depending on the device, the processors are equipped with up to 16 gigabytes of RAM.
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