Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i9-11900KF

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i9-11900KF tests and see which is better for games or normal use for video editing, rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming. 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 summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like DaVinci Resolve Studio, PCMark 10, Prime95, RealBench, Blender, 3DMark, WPrime, Furmark, AIDA64, PassMark, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark, 7zip, Gears 5, Blender, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-11900KF 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 i9-11900KF

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 i9-11900KF. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Pro

57%

Core i9-11900KF

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	96.8
Valorant	114.8	110.0
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	61.6
Apex Legends	107.9	103.4
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	82.5
Overwatch	93.0	89.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	75.9
DOOM Eternal	57.4	55.0
Warzone	89.5	85.8
Assassin's Creed	96.4	92.4
Valheim	95.3	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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 i9-11900KF

45%

To make a final resolution 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 i9-11900KF since it has less power consumption: 16W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will learn 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 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 Pro	Intel Core i9-11900KF
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	281
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	2549
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	630
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	5668
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	1636
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	16310

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-11900KF
Single-Core	5046	3763
Multi-Core	32596	27884

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-11900KF
Single-Core	1723	1722
Multi-Core	12737	8613

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-11900KF
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	February 21, 2021
Type	Laptop	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	34000 millions	9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	16 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	50 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	4 MB
L3 cache	24MB	16 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 i9-11900KF is 8% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Pro 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 Pro is better: 25
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-11900KF is better: 13
Although it should be understood that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Pro and Intel Core i9-11900KF before deciding which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i9-11900KF specs and review.