Apple M1 Benchmark, Test and specs

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The Apple M1 has 8 CPU cores and can process 8 threads at the same time. The processor was presented in Q4/2020 and is based on the 1. Generation of the Apple M series series. In the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Apple M1 achieved a result of 1,742 points (single-core) or 7,650 points (multi-core).
Apple M1

CPU lineage

In this classification you can see to which group of processors the Apple M1 belongs. We also show the direct predecessor and successor of Apple M1.

Name: Apple M1
Family: Apple M series (23)
CPU group: Apple M1 (9)
Architecture: M1
Segment: Mobile
Generation: 1
Predecessor: --
Successor: Apple M2

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 has 8 cores. The clock frequency of the Apple M1 is 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). An initial performance assessment can be made using the number of CPU cores.

CPU Cores / Threads: 8 / 8
Core architecture: hybrid (big.LITTLE)
A-Core: 4x Firestorm
B-Core: 4x Icestorm
Hyperthreading / SMT: No
Overclocking: No
A-Core Frequency: 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
B-Core Frequency: 0.60 GHz (2.06 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.

AI hardware: Apple Neural Engine
AI specifications: 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS

Internal Graphics

The Apple M1 has an integrated graphics that the system can use to efficiently play back videos. The Apple M1 has the Apple M1 (8 Core) installed, which has 128 streaming multiprocessors (1024 shaders).

GPU name: Apple M1 (8 Core)
GPU frequency: 0.39 GHz
GPU (Turbo): 1.30 GHz
Compute units: 128
Shader: 1024
Hardware Raytracing: No
Release date: Q4/2020
Max. displays: 2
Generation: 1
Direct X: --
Technology: 5 nm
Max. GPU Memory: 8 GB
Frame Generation: No

Hardware codec support

Processors with integrated graphics can process video codecs faster. Support for modern codecs can significantly increase system efficiency during video playback.

h265 / HEVC (8 bit): Decode / Encode
h265 / HEVC (10 bit): Decode / Encode
h264: Decode / Encode
VP8: Decode
VP9: Decode / Encode
AV1: No
AVC: Decode
VC-1: Decode
JPEG: Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Apple M1 supports a maximum of 16 GB memory. Depending on the mainboard, the processor can use a maximum of 2 (Dual Channel) memory channels. This results in a maximum bandwidth of the main memory of 68.2 GB/s.

Memory type: Memory bandwidth:
LPDDR4X-4266
68.2 GB/s
Max. Memory: 16 GB
Memory channels: 2 (Dual Channel)
ECC: No
PCIe: 4.0
PCIe Bandwidth: --

Thermal Management

The Apple M1 has a TDP of 18 W. Based on the TDP, the system manufacturer can and must adapt the cooling solution to the processor.

TDP (PL1 / PBP): 18 W
TDP (PL2): --
TDP up: 20 W
TDP down: 10 W
Tjunction max.: --

Technical details

Modern production reduces the waste heat of a processor and increases its efficiency. The Apple M1 is made in 5 nm and has 16.00 MB cache.

Technology: 5 nm
Chip design: Chiplet
Socket: --
L2-Cache: 16.00 MB
L3-Cache: --
AES-NI: Yes
Operating systems: macOS
Virtualization: Apple Virtualization Framework
Instruction set (ISA): Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
ISA extensions: Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
Release date: Q4/2020
Release price: --
Part Number: APL 1102
Documents: --

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Benchmark results


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 M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
113
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
113
Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
113
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
112
Intel Core i7-13850HX Intel Core i7-13850HX
20C 28T @ 5.30 GHz
112
Intel Core i5-13500 Intel Core i5-13500
14C 20T @ 4.80 GHz
112
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
112

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.
Intel Core i7-9700K Intel Core i7-9700K
8C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
532
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
525
AMD Ryzen 3 8300G AMD Ryzen 3 8300G
4C 8T @ 4.90 GHz
510
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
509
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
509
Intel Core i7-5960X Intel Core i7-5960X
8C 16T @ 3.50 GHz
498
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7730U
8C 16T @ 4.50 GHz
496

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.
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650G AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650G
6C 12T @ 4.40 GHz
1504
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE
6C 12T @ 4.40 GHz
1504
Intel Core i7-1165G7 Intel Core i7-1165G7
4C 8T @ 4.70 GHz
1504
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1503
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1503
AMD Ryzen 7 6800H AMD Ryzen 7 6800H
8C 16T @ 4.70 GHz
1499
AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H
8C 16T @ 4.70 GHz
1498

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.
Intel Core i7-8700 Intel Core i7-8700
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
7969
Intel Core i5-1235U Intel Core i5-1235U
10C 12T @ 2.50 GHz
7852
AMD Ryzen 5 5625U AMD Ryzen 5 5625U
6C 12T @ 3.40 GHz
7833
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7759
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7759
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 AMD Ryzen 5 2600
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
7555
Intel Core i7-1255U Intel Core i7-1255U
10C 12T @ 2.70 GHz
7545

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 A15 Bionic (4-GPU) Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz
1745
Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU)
6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz
1745
Intel Core i5-13500HX Intel Core i5-13500HX
14C 20T @ 4.70 GHz
1743
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1742
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1742
Intel Core i3-12300 Intel Core i3-12300
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
1739
Intel Xeon W-1370 Intel Xeon W-1370
8C 16T @ 5.10 GHz
1736

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.
Intel Xeon Silver 4215R Intel Xeon Silver 4215R
8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz
7658
AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS
8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz
7656
Intel Core i7-6900K Intel Core i7-6900K
8C 16T @ 3.20 GHz
7651
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7650
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
7650
AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546
6C 12T @ 3.00 GHz
7647
AMD Ryzen 7 5700U AMD Ryzen 7 5700U
8C 16T @ 3.30 GHz
7640

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.
Intel Core i5-13400 Intel Core i5-13400
10C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
2375
Intel Core i5-13500 Intel Core i5-13500
14C 20T @ 4.80 GHz
2375
Intel Xeon w9-3495X Intel Xeon w9-3495X
56C 112T @ 4.80 GHz
2370
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
2369
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
2369
Intel Xeon E-2386G Intel Xeon E-2386G
6C 12T @ 5.10 GHz
2369
Intel Xeon w9-3475X Intel Xeon w9-3475X
36C 72T @ 4.80 GHz
2368

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.
Intel Core i7-10700K Intel Core i7-10700K
8C 16T @ 4.90 GHz
8629
Intel Xeon W-11855M Intel Xeon W-11855M
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
8624
Intel Core Ultra 5 134U Intel Core Ultra 5 134U
12C 14T @ 0.70 GHz
8614
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
8576
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
8576
Intel Xeon W-1350P Intel Xeon W-1350P
6C 12T @ 4.70 GHz
8566
Intel Xeon W-2145 Intel Xeon W-2145
8C 16T @ 4.20 GHz
8564

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.
AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS
AMD Radeon 760M @ 2.60 GHz
2663
AMD Ryzen 5 7640U AMD Ryzen 5 7640U
AMD Radeon 760M @ 2.60 GHz
2663
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7640HS AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7640HS
AMD Radeon 760M @ 2.60 GHz
2663
Apple M1 Apple M1
Apple M1 (8 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
2610
Intel Core i7-8706G Intel Core i7-8706G
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL @ 1.01 GHz
2588
Intel Core i5-8305G Intel Core i5-8305G
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL @ 1.01 GHz
2588
Intel Core i7-8705G Intel Core i7-8705G
AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL @ 1.01 GHz
2588

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.
Intel Core i7-10850H Intel Core i7-10850H
6C 12T @ 3.40 GHz
119
Intel Core i7-8700 Intel Core i7-8700
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
118
Intel Core i7-8700B Intel Core i7-8700B
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
118
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
117
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
117
Intel Core i5-10500 Intel Core i5-10500
6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz
116
Intel Core i7-10750H Intel Core i7-10750H
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
114

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.
Intel Core i7-8086K Intel Core i7-8086K
6C 12T @ 4.30 GHz
14480
Intel Core i7-6900K Intel Core i7-6900K
8C 16T @ 3.20 GHz
14474
Intel Xeon W-1250P Intel Xeon W-1250P
6C 12T @ 4.60 GHz
14467
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
14463
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
14463
AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
14462
Intel Core i5-10600KF Intel Core i5-10600KF
6C 12T @ 4.50 GHz
14460

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.
AMD A10-6800K AMD A10-6800K
4C 4T @ 4.40 GHz
309.5
AMD Ryzen 5 1600 AMD Ryzen 5 1600
6C 12T @ 3.40 GHz
313
Intel Core i7-5930K Intel Core i7-5930K
6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz
313.2
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
314
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
314
Intel Core i5-9600KF Intel Core i5-9600KF
6C 6T @ 4.30 GHz
315.5
Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3 Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3
6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz
318.4

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.
AMD Ryzen 7 8840U AMD Ryzen 7 8840U
13,450 CB R23 MC @ 30 W
448
AMD Ryzen 5 7640U AMD Ryzen 5 7640U
10,675 CB R23 MC @ 24 W
445
AMD Ryzen 5 8640U AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
10,675 CB R23 MC @ 24 W
445
Apple M1 Apple M1
7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W
431
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W
431
Apple M2 (8-GPU) Apple M2 (8-GPU)
8,558 CB R23 MC @ 20 W
428
Apple M2 Apple M2
8,558 CB R23 MC @ 20 W
428

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).
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
12
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+
8C 8T @ 2.50 GHz
12
Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G
8C 8T @ 2.40 GHz
12
Apple M1 Apple M1
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz
11
Apple M1 (7-GPU) Apple M1 (7-GPU)
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz
11
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 14-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
11
Apple M1 Max (24-GPU) Apple M1 Max (24-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
11

Benchmarks


News and articles for the Apple M1


Description of the processor

The Apple M1 is Apples first ARM chip for Macs. It is based on and is similar to Apples mobile A processors, but has four times more level 2 cache than the Apple A14 Bionic (16 MB to 4 MB in the Apple A14 Bionic). It combines 4 fast and large Firestorm cores with 4 efficient and smaller Icestorm cores. The core structure is built in the big.LITTLE design, which makes the chips very strong but also energy-saving at the same time.

Like the Apple A14 Bionic, the Apple M1 is also manufactured in 5 nm at TSMC, making it the first series chip for mobile and desktop devices to be manufactured in 5 nm. The finer the manufacturing structure, the more energy-efficient the processors can be. The processor is operated at 3.2 GHz and can be used passively (without active ventilation) or actively with a fan. The TDP is 10 to 15 watts.

The Apple M1 comes with a very fast iGPU with 7 or 8 GPU cores. The 8-core variant of the iGPU achieves an FP32 raw performance of 2.6 TFLOPGS (2600 GFLOPS). In addition, the SoC is equipped with 16 AI / ML cores for machine calculations such as video or image processing. There is also an ISP for optimizing images and recordings via the notebooks webcam. The chip supports hardware-accelerated AES and can thus encrypt the data on the SSD built into the system quickly and efficiently.

Up to 16 GB LPDDR4X / LPDDR5 main memory is supported, which in the Apple M1 is integrated in a dense DRAM package directly in the SoC, which greatly increases the bandwidth and the associated data throughput. The iGPU, which also uses the main memory as graphics memory, benefits to a large extent from this. That is enough for the processor to currently secure first place in the Geekbench 5 - single core benchmark. But even in multi-core benchmarks, the 15 watt processor achieves scores that were previously only reserved for 45+ watt processors.



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