Apple M1 vs Intel Core i7-10700

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Apple M1 vs Intel Core i7-10700 tests and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, video editing, machine learning, streaming. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, Prime95, WPrime, PCMark 10, PassMark, 7zip, VeraCrypt, SuperPi, Blender, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, Blender, MATLAB, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-10700 or Apple M1.

Summary benchmark results

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

56%

Core i7-10700

55%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 is 1% better than Core i7-10700. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

54%

Core i7-10700

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.8	97.3
Valorant	108.9	110.6
Cyberpunk 2077	61.0	61.9
Apex Legends	102.4	104.0
Call of Duty Warzone	81.7	83.0
Overwatch	88.2	89.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.1	76.3
DOOM Eternal	54.5	55.3
Warzone	84.9	86.3
Assassin's Creed	91.5	92.9
Valheim	90.4	91.8

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 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: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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

388%

Core i7-10700

67%

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 is more energy efficient than the Core i7-10700 as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn 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 can use only one core to work, 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	Intel Core i7-10700
Cinbench 15 Single-core	209	221
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1163	2356
Cinbench 20 Single-core	402	513
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1987	4971
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1512	1290
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7782	12595

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

	Apple M1	Intel Core i7-10700
Single-Core	3413	3055
Multi-Core	22028	17916

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

	Apple M1	Intel Core i7-10700
Single-Core	1746	1325
Multi-Core	7683	9163

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 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, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1	Intel Core i7-10700
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	April 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA1200
Core name	4x Firestorm;4x Icestorm	Comet Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	10
Turbo Frequency		4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	2.9 MHz
Cores	8	8
Threads	16	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	16000 millions	6800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR4 - Up to 4266MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	4266
Memory bandwidth		45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	16MB
L3 cache		16 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1102

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 is 9% better than Core i7-10700 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 is better: 12
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-10700 is better: 24
Although it should be understood that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 and Intel Core i7-10700 before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Apple M1 specs and review.

• Intel Core i7-10700 specs and review.