Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i7-6700K

Processor comparisons   12-02-2023
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i7-6700K and understand which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, video editing, streaming, programming, rendering. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as Prime95, AIDA64, PCMark 10, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, Blender, RealBench, 7zip, WPrime, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, PassMark, Furmark, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-6700K 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 i7-6700K

52%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Ultra is 23% better than Core i7-6700K. 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 i7-6700K

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	93.6
Valorant	128.6	106.4
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	59.6
Apex Legends	120.8	100.0
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	79.8
Overwatch	104.1	86.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	73.4
DOOM Eternal	64.3	53.2
Warzone	100.3	83.0
Assassin's Creed	108.0	89.4
Valheim	106.7	88.3

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 comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Ultra

272%

Core i7-6700K

45%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 Ultra is more energy efficient than the Core i7-6700K as it consumes less power: 20W vs. 95W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is 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 programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i7-6700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555	180
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	888
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	421
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	2059
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	1124
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	5640

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i7-6700K
Single-Core	9611	2556
Multi-Core	62194	8984

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i7-6700K
Single-Core	1637	1308
Multi-Core	24642	5516

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. 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 even in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i7-6700K
Announcement date	April 09, 2022	April 01, 2015
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	LGA1151
Core name	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm	Skylake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	6
Turbo Frequency		4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	20	4
Threads	20	8
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	1750 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	95 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-1866/2133, DDR3L-1333/1600 @ 1.35V
Max. Memory	128 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s	34.1 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	48MB
L3 cache	96MB	8 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 i7-6700K is 19% better than M1 Ultra in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 16 more core than Core i7-6700K. 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: 33
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-6700K is better: 5
Although it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M1 Ultra and Intel Core i7-6700K before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i7-6700K specs and review.