Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i5-10400

Processor comparisons 12-02-2023

   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i5-10400 tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, programming, video editing, rendering, machine learning. Here you can find all information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as Furmark, SuperPi, VeraCrypt, WPrime, Prime95, 3DMark, PCMark 10, RealBench, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, Blender, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-10400 or Apple M1 Ultra.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Ultra

68%

Core i5-10400

53%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Ultra is 22% better than Core i5-10400. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Ultra

64%

Core i5-10400

53%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	94.8
Valorant	128.6	107.7
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	60.3
Apex Legends	120.8	101.2
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	80.8
Overwatch	104.1	87.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	74.3
DOOM Eternal	64.3	53.9
Warzone	100.3	84.0
Assassin's Creed	108.0	90.5
Valheim	106.7	89.4

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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 Ultra

272%

Core i5-10400

63%

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 Ultra is more energy efficient than the Core i5-10400 as it consumes less power: 20W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn 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. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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 Ultra	Intel Core i5-10400
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555	190
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	1341
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	450
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	3197
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	1110
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	7610

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i5-10400
Single-Core	9611	2626
Multi-Core	62194	12503

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i5-10400
Single-Core	1637	1245
Multi-Core	24642	6654

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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 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 Ultra	Intel Core i5-10400
Announcement date	April 09, 2022	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA1200
Core name	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm	Comet Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	10
Turbo Frequency		4.3 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	2.9 MHz
Cores	20	6
Threads	20	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	4800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s	41.6 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	48MB
L3 cache	96MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1W06

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 Ultra is 9% better than Core i5-10400 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 14 more core than Core i5-10400. 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 Ultra is better: 33
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-10400 is better: 4
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M1 Ultra and Intel Core i5-10400 before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M1 Ultra - all data

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

• Apple M1 Ultra specs and review.

• Intel Core i5-10400 specs and review.