Apple M1 vs Intel Core i9-10850K

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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 Intel Core i9-10850K features 10 processor cores and has the capability to manage 20 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2020 and belongs to the 10 generation of the Intel Core i9 series.
To use the Intel Core i9-10850K, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1200 socket.
Apple M1 Group Intel Core i 10000
1 Generation 10
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple M1 Name Intel Core i9-10850K
Apple M series Family Intel Core i9
 
 

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 Intel Core i9-10850K has 10 CPU cores and can calculate 20 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i9-10850K is 3.6 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 5.2 GHz.
8 Threads 20
2.06 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 10x
8 CPU Cores 10
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
4x Firestorm Cores A None
No Hyperthreading Yes
3.2 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking Yes
4x Icestorm Cores B None
None None 5.2 GHz
None None 3.6 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 Intel Core i9-10850K has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i9-10850K uses the Intel UHD Graphics 630, which has 192 texture shaders
and 24 execution units.
1024 Shaders 192
Q4/2020 Release date Q4/2017
5 nm Technology 14 nm
-- Direct X 12
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 64.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
128 Execution units 24
1.3 GHz GPU frequency 0.35 GHz
1 Generation 9.5
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.2 GHz
Apple M1 (8 Core) GPU name Intel UHD Graphics 630
 
 

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

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.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 128.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 45.8 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 Yes
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type DDR4-2933
No ECC No
16.0 GB Max. Memory 128.0 GB
2 Memory channels 2
68.2 GB/s Bandwidth 45.8 GB/s
 
 

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 125 W watts.
10 W TDP down 95 W
20 W TDP up None
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 125 W
-- Tjunction max 100 °C
 
 

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 Intel Core i9-10850K is manufactured using a 14 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 20.0 MB cache.
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2020
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
5 nm Technology 14 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
-- Release price 446 $
M1 Architecture Comet Lake S
0 bytes L3-Cache 20.0 MB
macOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
APL 1102 Part Number --
Socket LGA 1200
16.0 MB L2-Cache 2.5 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
22755
22755
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
14463
14463

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
16820
16820
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
7759
7759

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
11250
11250
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
7650
7650

V-Ray CPU-Render Benchmark

Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
11140
11140
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
4935
4935

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
9867
9867
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
8576
8576

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
2369
2369
Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
1729
1729

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
1742
1742
Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
1411
1411

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
1503
1503
Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
1367
1367

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
314
314
Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
129
129

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

Intel Core i9-10850K
10C 20T @ 3.6 GHz
239
239
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
117
117