Intel Core i5-8259U vs Apple M1

The Intel Core i5-8259U was released in 2018 as part of the Coffee Lake U architecture and is aimed at users of compact desktop solutions.

Manufactured using the 14 nm process, this processor features four cores and eight threads. It offers 6 MB of L3 cache, while it lacks a dedicated L2 cache. The integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 handles basic graphical tasks but reaches its limits with demanding games. In benchmarks, the computing performance in single-core and multi-core scenarios lags significantly behind that of the comparison model.

Power consumption is functional for this architecture but leads to higher thermal stress under load. Since the processor belongs to an older generation, it is mostly found in inexpensive devices, resulting in a practical price-performance ratio for simple office work. The Apple M1 was introduced in 2020 for desktops and notebooks.

Thanks to the 5 nm manufacturing, the Apple M1 works very efficiently. The architecture includes eight cores and uses 16 MB of L2 cache, but does not have an L3 cache. The integrated Apple M1 (8 Core) graphics unit provides significantly higher graphical performance, displaying casual games more smoothly than the Intel competition.

This is due to the more advanced graphics architecture and the higher memory bandwidth of 68 GB/s. In all performance tests, the Apple M1 achieves significantly higher results, especially when using multiple cores simultaneously. Due to the low power consumption, the hardware remains cool and usually silent.

For creative tasks and demanding applications, the Apple M1 offers the better overall package for long-term use.