Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i9-10940X

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the full tests Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i9-10940X and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing, rendering. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like WPrime, PassMark, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, UserBenchmark, RealBench, PCMark 10, Handbrake, Prime95, 7zip, Furmark, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, 3DMark, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Gears 5.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10940X 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 i9-10940X

58%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Pro is 1% better than Core i9-10940X. 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 i9-10940X

59%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	104.3
Valorant	114.8	118.5
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	66.4
Apex Legends	107.9	111.4
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	88.9
Overwatch	93.0	96.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	81.8
DOOM Eternal	57.4	59.2
Warzone	89.5	92.4
Assassin's Creed	96.4	99.5
Valheim	95.3	98.3

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. 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 i9-10940X

24%

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 i9-10940X since it has less power consumption: 16W vs. 165W. 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that 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 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 Pro	Intel Core i9-10940X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	201
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	3117
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	442
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	7609
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	1263
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	21309

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-10940X
Single-Core	5046	2704
Multi-Core	32596	29374

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-10940X
Single-Core	1723	1226
Multi-Core	12737	15950

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 newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-10940X
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	October 01, 2019
Type	Laptop	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	3.3 MHz
Cores	10	14
Threads	10	28
Bus rate		8 GT/s DMI3
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	34000 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	16 W	165 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	32 Gb	256 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	94 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	24MB	19.25 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 i9-10940X is 3% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10940X has 4 more core than M1 Pro. 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 i9-10940X is better: 24
However, it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M1 Pro and Intel Core i9-10940X before making a choice which of the CPUs 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 i9-10940X specs and review.