Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i9-11900KF

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   For example you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i9-11900KF and decide which is better for games or normal use for programming, rendering, video editing, streaming, machine learning. Here you can find all information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as Handbrake, RealBench, PassMark, SuperPi, 7zip, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, 3DMark, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, Prime95.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-11900KF 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 i9-11900KF

58%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Max is 3% better than Core i9-11900KF. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

Core i9-11900KF

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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 small 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: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Control, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	96.8
Valorant	115.1	110.0
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	61.6
Apex Legends	108.2	103.4
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	82.5
Overwatch	93.2	89.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	75.9
DOOM Eternal	57.6	55.0
Warzone	89.8	85.8
Assassin's Creed	96.7	92.4
Valheim	95.5	91.3

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

332%

Core i9-11900KF

45%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i9-11900KF as it consumes less power: 18W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. It is necessary to count 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 machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, 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 performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 i9-11900KF
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	281
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	2549
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	630
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	5668
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1636
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	16310

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i9-11900KF
Single-Core	5344	3763
Multi-Core	34572	27884

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i9-11900KF
Single-Core	1793	1722
Multi-Core	13028	8613

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 you. 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 still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i9-11900KF
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	February 21, 2021
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA1200
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Rocket Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	11
Turbo Frequency		5.3 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.5 MHz
Cores	10	8
Threads	10	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	4 MB
L3 cache	48MB	16 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 Core i9-11900KF is 8% better than M1 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Max has 2 more core than Core i9-11900KF. 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: 25
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-11900KF is better: 13
However, it should be realized that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Max and Intel Core i9-11900KF before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i9-11900KF specs and review.