Intel Core i7-1250U vs Apple M1

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Intel Core i7-1250U or Intel Core i7-1250U – 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 Intel Core i7-1250U features 10 processor cores and has the capability to manage 12 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2022 and belongs to the 12 generation of the Intel Core i7 series.
To use the Intel Core i7-1250U, you'll need a motherboard with a BGA 1744 socket.
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.
Intel Core i 1200P/1200U Group Apple M1
12 Generation 1
Mobile Segment Mobile
Intel Core i7-1250U Name Apple M1
Intel Core i7 Family Apple M series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-1250U has 10 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 1.1 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 Apple M1 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.2 GHz.
12 Threads 8
0.8 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.06 GHz
10 CPU Cores 8
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
2x Golden Cove Cores A 4x Firestorm
Yes Hyperthreading No
1.1 GHz A-Core Frequency 3.2 GHz
4.7 GHz A-Core Frequency Turbo None
No Overclocking No
8x Gracemont Cores B 4x Icestorm
3.5 GHz B-Core Frequency Turbo None
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i7-1250U has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i7-1250U uses the Intel Iris Xe Graphics 96 (Alder Lake), which has 768 texture shaders
and 96 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
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.
768 Shaders 1024
Q1/2022 Release date Q4/2020
10 nm Technology 5 nm
12.1 Direct X --
32.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 8.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
96 Execution units 128
0.25 GHz GPU frequency 1.3 GHz
13 Generation 1
0.9 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
Intel Iris Xe Graphics 96 (Alder Lake) GPU name Apple M1 (8 Core)
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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

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
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
Decode AV1 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode AVC Decode
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 64.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 76.8 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 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 Yes
DDR4-3200, LPDDR4X-4266, DDR5-4800, LPDDR5-5200 Memory type LPDDR4X-4266
No ECC No
64.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
2 Memory channels 2
76.8 GB/s Bandwidth 68.2 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 9 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 15 W watts.
29 W TDP (PL2) None
None TDP down 10 W
None TDP up 20 W
9 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 15 W
100 °C Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-1250U is manufactured using a 10 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 12.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Apple M1 is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
Q1/2022 Release date Q4/2020
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
10 nm Technology 5 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
-- Release price --
Alder Lake U Architecture M1
12.0 MB L3-Cache 0 bytes
Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11 Operating systems macOS
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number APL 1102
BGA 1744 Socket
6.5 MB L2-Cache 16.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
14463
14463
Intel Core i7-1250U
10C 12T @ 1.1 GHz
13302
13302

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
8576
8576
Intel Core i7-1250U
10C 12T @ 1.1 GHz
6296
6296

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
7759
7759
Intel Core i7-1250U
10C 12T @ 1.1 GHz
6788
6788

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
7650
7650
Intel Core i7-1250U
10C 12T @ 1.1 GHz
6874
6874

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
2369
2369
Intel Core i7-1250U
10C 12T @ 1.1 GHz
2115
2115

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i7-1250U
10C 12T @ 1.1 GHz
1745
1745
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
1503
1503

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
1742
1742
Intel Core i7-1250U
10C 12T @ 1.1 GHz
1596
1596