Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i7-11700K

Processor comparisons 12-02-2023

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i7-11700K and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, rendering, machine learning, streaming, video editing. Here you can find all information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like Gears 5, PassMark, WPrime, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, AIDA64, SuperPi, PCMark 10, 3DMark, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, 7zip, UserBenchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-11700K 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 i7-11700K

58%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Ultra is 14% better than Core i7-11700K. 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 i7-11700K

56%

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 this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you 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 other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Monster Hunter World, Hitman 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	100.2
Valorant	128.6	113.8
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	63.7
Apex Legends	120.8	107.0
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	85.4
Overwatch	104.1	92.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	78.5
DOOM Eternal	64.3	56.9
Warzone	100.3	88.8
Assassin's Creed	108.0	95.6
Valheim	106.7	94.5

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Ultra

272%

Core i7-11700K

47%

To make a finishing choice 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 Ultra is more energy efficient than the Core i7-11700K since it has less power consumption: 20W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the 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 find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 Ultra	Intel Core i7-11700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555	262
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	2507
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	612
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	5618
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	1596
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	14869

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i7-11700K
Single-Core	9611	3562
Multi-Core	62194	27126

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i7-11700K
Single-Core	1637	1793
Multi-Core	24642	11929

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 later the processor is released, 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. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i7-11700K
Announcement date	April 09, 2022	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA1200
Core name	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm	Rocket Lake-S
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	11
Turbo Frequency		5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	20	8
Threads	20	16
Bus rate		12 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	8200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s	64 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	48MB	4 MB
L3 cache	96MB	16 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 Core i7-11700K is 11% better than M1 Ultra in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 12 more core than Core i7-11700K. 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: 30
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-11700K is better: 7
However, it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Ultra and Intel Core i7-11700K before making a decision which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

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 i7-11700K specs and review.