Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i5-11600KF

Processor comparisons   12-02-2023
   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i5-11600KF and see which is better for games or simple use for video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like Handbrake, AIDA64, Prime95, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, SuperPi, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, Blender, WPrime, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, Furmark, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

Halo Infinite
Last Man Standing
Borderlands 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Red Dead Redemption 2
DOOM: Eternal
Death Stranding
Overwatch
Grand Theft Auto V
Rainbow Six Siege
Watch Dogs Legion
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Fallout 76
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Fortnite
Valorant
Valheim
Apex Legends

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-11600KF or Apple M1 Ultra.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

M1 Ultra

68%

Core i5-11600KF

56%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Ultra is 17% better than Core i5-11600KF. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Ultra

64%

Core i5-11600KF

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	95.1
Valorant	128.6	108.0
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	60.5
Apex Legends	120.8	101.6
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	81.0
Overwatch	104.1	87.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	74.6
DOOM Eternal	64.3	54.0
Warzone	100.3	84.3
Assassin's Creed	108.0	90.8
Valheim	106.7	89.7

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Ultra

272%

Core i5-11600KF

42%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 Ultra is more energy efficient than the Core i5-11600KF as it consumes less power: 20W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i5-11600KF
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555	197
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	1886
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	460
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	4227
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	1201
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	11189

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i5-11600KF
Single-Core	9611	2680
Multi-Core	62194	20410

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i5-11600KF
Single-Core	1637	1605
Multi-Core	24642	6942

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i5-11600KF
Announcement date	April 09, 2022	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA1200
Core name	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm	Rocket Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	11
Turbo Frequency		4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	20	6
Threads	20	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	5400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	48MB	3 MB
L3 cache	96MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1W06

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-11600KF is 17% better than M1 Ultra in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 14 more core than Core i5-11600KF. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 Ultra is better: 32
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-11600KF is better: 5
Although it should be realized that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Ultra and Intel Core i5-11600KF before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Apple M1 Ultra - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Apple M1 Ultra specs and review.

Intel Core i5-11600KF - all data

• Overwatch gaming benchmark
• Fortnite gaming benchmark
• GTA 5 gaming benchmark
• Apex Legends gaming benchmark
• Assassin's Creed gaming benchmark
• Roblox gaming benchmark
• Cyberpunk 2077 gaming benchmark
• Call of Duty: Warzone gaming benchmark
• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i5-11600KF specs and review.