Apple M1 surpasses Intel Core i7-11700K in single-thread on PassMark

The new PassMark CPU rankings are out and a surprising entry has risen to second place. Based on PassMark CPU benchmark results, the Apple M1 is able to outperform AMD's Ryzen 5 series processors and the newly launched Intel 11th Gen Core series with just one exception – the Core i9-11900K. 

The Apple M1 outperforms the Intel Core i7-11700K and all Ryzen 5000 processors in the single-thread PassMark test, putting it in second place on the CPU rankings. Scoring 3,550 points in the PassMark's single-thread test, the Apple chip is about 0.2% faster than the Intel Core i7-11700K and 1.3% faster than the highest-ranked Ryzen 5000 processor (Ryzen 7 5800X).

One important thing to note is the low number of samples for the Core i7-11700K. As more i7-11700K results are submitted, the difference in results between this processor and the Apple M1 might reduce. Moreover, once Intel releases BIOS updates for Rocket Lake-compatible motherboards, the Core i7-11700K score should also increase.

Despite its incredible performance in single-thread tests, the Apple M1 falls short in multi-thread workloads. With a 14,951 score in the multi-threaded benchmark, the Apple M1 offers about the same performance as the Ryzen 7 2700 PRO. As for the Intel Core i7-11700K, the Intel CPU is 73% faster than Apple's processor.

Based on TSMC's 5nm process node, the Apple M1 comes clocked 3.2GHz and with a 15W TDP. The M1 chip features a hybrid architecture with four high-performance “Firestorm” cores and four high-efficiency “Icestorm” cores with no hyperthreading technology.

KitGuru says: The multi-thread performance may not impress everyone, but standing toe-toe with the top mainstream desktop processors in single-threaded workloads is quite impressive for a 15W chip. Maybe Apple can take the first place from Intel once it releases the rumoured Apple M1X chip. 

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