Apple M1 vs AMD Athlon II X2 260u

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple M1 or Apple M1 – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Apple M1 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2020 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Apple M series series.
The AMD Athlon II X2 260u features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 2 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2009 and belongs to the 1 generation of the AMD Athlon II series.
To use the AMD Athlon II X2 260u, you'll need a motherboard with a AM3 socket.
Apple M1 Group AMD Athlon II X2 (Propus)
1 Generation 1
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple M1 Name AMD Athlon II X2 260u
Apple M series Family AMD Athlon II
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.2 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The AMD Athlon II X2 260u has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon II X2 260u is 1.8 GHz
8 Threads 2
2.06 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 2x
8 CPU Cores 2
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
4x Firestorm Cores A None
No Hyperthreading No
3.2 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking No
4x Icestorm Cores B None
None None 1.8 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple M1 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M1 uses the Apple M1 (8 Core), which has 1024 texture shaders
and 128 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The AMD Athlon II X2 260u does not have integrated graphics.
1024 Shaders --
Q4/2020 Release date --
5 nm Technology --
-- Direct X --
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
-- Max. displays --
128 Execution units --
1.3 GHz GPU frequency --
1 Generation --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple M1 (8 Core) GPU name
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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

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

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 68.2 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI No
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type DDR3-1333
No ECC No
16.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
2 Memory channels 2
68.2 GB/s Bandwidth --
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 15 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 25 W watts.
10 W TDP down None
20 W TDP up None
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 25 W
-- Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple M1 is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The AMD Athlon II X2 260u is manufactured using a 45 nm process.
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2009
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization AMD-V
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions SSE3, SSE4a, MMX, 3DNow!
5 nm Technology 45 nm
Chiplet Chip design --
-- Release price --
M1 Architecture Propus
0 bytes L3-Cache 0 bytes
macOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
APL 1102 Part Number --
Socket AM3
16.0 MB L2-Cache 2.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
14463
14463
AMD Athlon II X2 260u
2C 2T @ 1.8 GHz
715
715

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
7759
7759
AMD Athlon II X2 260u
2C 2T @ 1.8 GHz
478
478

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
7650
7650
AMD Athlon II X2 260u
2C 2T @ 1.8 GHz
476
476

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
1742
1742
AMD Athlon II X2 260u
2C 2T @ 1.8 GHz
250
250

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
1503
1503
AMD Athlon II X2 260u
2C 2T @ 1.8 GHz
258
258