Intel Core m5-6Y54 Apple A18
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Intel Core m5-6Y54 vs Apple A18

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The Intel Core m5-6Y54, based on the Skylake Y architecture and manufactured by Intel using the 14-nm process, was designed for energy-efficient, fanless devices such as slim notebooks.

It targets users who value portability and low power consumption for basic productivity tasks. The Apple A18, with the architectural codename Donan and manufactured by Apple using the cutting-edge 3-nm process, is a SoC (System-on-a-Chip) developed for Apple's own devices.

It aims for maximum performance and energy efficiency and is optimized for demanding applications and intensive use. Both processors integrate multiple computing cores. The performance of the Intel Core m5-6Y54 is sufficient for everyday tasks. In comparison, the Apple A18 demonstrates significantly higher performance in both single-core and multi-core applications.

The more advanced architecture and smaller manufacturing process of the Apple A18 contribute significantly to this superior computing power. In the gaming sector, the Apple A18, with its integrated Apple A18 (5 GPU Cores) graphics cores, offers significantly better performance than the Intel HD Graphics 515 of the Intel Core m5-6Y54.

The higher memory throughput rate of 60 GB/s compared to 30 GB/s further supports the graphics unit. The 3-nm manufacturing process gives the Apple A18 a clear advantage in energy efficiency. A direct price-performance evaluation is difficult because the Intel Core m5-6Y54 was a standalone processor for notebooks, while the Apple A18, as an integrated component of Apple devices, is not available separately.

In summary, the Intel Core m5-6Y54 is a choice for devices where maximum energy efficiency and passive cooling are paramount, suitable for light office work and web browsing. The Apple A18, on the other hand, is the clear recommendation for users who need high computing and graphics performance for demanding applications, multimedia, and gaming, coupled with outstanding energy efficiency.

Intel Core m5-6Y54

  • Energy-efficient for fanless designs
  • Suitable for basic productivity tasks
  • Intel HD Graphics 515 for simple graphics applications
  • Based on older 14-nm manufacturing

Apple A18

  • Outstanding computing and graphics performance
  • Very high energy efficiency thanks to 3-nm manufacturing
  • Powerful integrated Apple A18 (5 GPU Cores) graphics
  • Optimized for demanding applications and gaming

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 2 - 26 %
Intel Core m5-6Y54
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18
Multi-core performance
Rank 2 - 20 %
Intel Core m5-6Y54
Rank 1 - 100 %
Apple A18
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Intel Core m5-6Y54
2C / 4T · 2.70 GHz
875
Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
3,384
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Intel Core m5-6Y54
2C / 4T · 2.10 GHz
1,648
Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
6C / 6T · 4.04 GHz
8,430
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Intel Core m5-6Y54
Intel HD Graphics 515
346
Apple A18
Apple A18 100 %
Apple A18 (5 GPU Cores)
2,150

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Intel Core m5-6Y54Apple A18
FamilyIntel Core M (16)Apple A series (27)
CPU groupIntel Core M 6 (4)Apple A18 (2)
ArchitectureSkylake YDonan
Technology14 nm3 nm
SegmentNotebookSmartphone / Tablet
SocketBGA 1515
PredecessorApple A16 Bionic
SuccessorApple A19

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Intel Core m5-6Y54Apple A18
CPU Cores / Threads2 / 46 / 6
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturenormalhybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 2x
1.10 - 2.70 GHz
2x Donan P-Core
0.70 - 4.04 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 4x Donan E-Core
0.74 - 2.30 GHz
L2-Cache20.00 MB
L3-Cache4.00 MB24.00 MB
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Intel Core m5-6Y54Apple A18
GPU nameIntel HD Graphics 515Apple A18 (5 GPU Cores)
GPU frequency0.30 - 0.90 GHz0.39 - 1.68 GHz
CUs / Shader24 / 19220 / 640
Raytracing
Max. displays31
Max. GPU Memory16 GB8 GB
Technology14 nm3 nm
Release dateQ3/2015Q3/2024

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Intel Core m5-6Y54Apple A18
AI hardwareApple Neural Engine
AI specifications16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS
NPU + CPU + iGPU

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Intel Core m5-6Y54Apple A18
MemoryLPDDR3-1866 (29.8 GB/s)
LPDDR5X-7500 (60.0 GB/s)
Max. Memory16 GB8 GB
Memory channels21
ECCNoNo
PCIe3.0 x 10
PCIe Bandwidth9.9 GB/s

Thermal Management

Wischen
Intel Core m5-6Y54Apple A18
TDP4.5 W12 W
TDP (PL2)
TDP up
TDP down
T. junction max.

Technical details

Wischen
Intel Core m5-6Y54Apple A18
Chip designMonolithicChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsiOS
Instruction setx86-64 (64 bit)Armv9-A (64 bit)
ISA extensionsSSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
Release dateQ3/2015Q3/2024
Release price
DocumentsTechnical data sheet

Your rating

Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Intel Core m5-6Y54 is 3.6 stars (5 ratings), while Apple A18 has received 4.1 stars (221 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Intel Core m5-6Y54
Intel Core m5-6Y54
2C / 4T · 1.10 - 2.70 GHz
Apple A18
Apple A18
6C / 6T · 0.70 - 4.04 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Intel Core m5-6Y54
Intel Core m5-6Y54
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