Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i9-10900K

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the full tests Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i9-10900K and decide which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, rendering, programming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like Furmark, PassMark, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Blender, 7zip, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Gears 5, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, 3DMark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10900K or Apple M1 Pro.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Pro

59%

Core i9-10900K

57%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Pro is 3% better than Core i9-10900K. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Pro

57%

Core i9-10900K

58%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run 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, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	102.7
Valorant	114.8	116.7
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	65.3
Apex Legends	107.9	109.7
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	87.5
Overwatch	93.0	94.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	80.5
DOOM Eternal	57.4	58.3
Warzone	89.5	91.0
Assassin's Creed	96.4	98.0
Valheim	95.3	96.8

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 Pro

358%

Core i9-10900K

43%

To make a finishing decision 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 Pro is more energy efficient than the Core i9-10900K since it has less power consumption: 16W 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 calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is 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, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 Pro	Intel Core i9-10900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	234
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	2677
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	539
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	6399
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	1418
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	17325

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	5046	3141
Multi-Core	32596	24010

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	1723	1617
Multi-Core	12737	14374

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-10900K
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	April 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA1200
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Comet Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	10
Turbo Frequency		5.3 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	10	10
Threads	10	20
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	34000 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	16 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	24MB	20 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1103

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-10900K is 13% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. 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 Pro is better: 14
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10900K is better: 22
Although it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M1 Pro and Intel Core i9-10900K before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Apple M1 Pro - all data

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

• Apple M1 Pro specs and review.

• Intel Core i9-10900K specs and review.