Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i9-10980XE

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   For example there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i9-10980XE and decide which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, programming, rendering, streaming, video editing. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 3DMark, PCMark 10, PassMark, MATLAB, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Furmark, UserBenchmark, RealBench, VeraCrypt, WPrime, Prime95, Blender, Handbrake, Blender.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10980XE or Apple M1 Max.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Max

60%

Core i9-10980XE

60%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

Core i9-10980XE

61%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, 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. And if it seems to you 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 less popular games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	108.7
Valorant	115.1	123.5
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	69.2
Apex Legends	108.2	116.1
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	92.6
Overwatch	93.2	100.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	85.2
DOOM Eternal	57.6	61.8
Warzone	89.8	96.3
Assassin's Creed	96.7	103.7
Valheim	95.5	102.5

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 Max

332%

Core i9-10980XE

28%

To make a final choice 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 Max is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10980XE as it consumes less power: 18W vs. 165W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because 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 Max	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	211
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	3800
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	480
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	8848
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1191
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	24309

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Single-Core	5344	2626
Multi-Core	34572	34005

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Single-Core	1793	1417
Multi-Core	13028	20280

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i9-10980XE
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	October 01, 2019
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA2066
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Cascade Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	10
Turbo Frequency		4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	10	18
Threads	10	36
Bus rate		8 GT/s DMI3
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	165 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	64 Gb	256 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s	94 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	48MB	24.75 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1105

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 Max is 6% better than Core i9-10980XE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10980XE has 8 more core than M1 Max. 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 Max is better: 15
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10980XE is better: 23
Although it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M1 Max and Intel Core i9-10980XE before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Apple M1 Max - all data

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

• Apple M1 Max specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-10980XE specs and review.