In 2006, Apple began using Intel processors on its devices. Then, on November 17, 2020, Apple announced that it would include its new M1 chip in the MacBook Air, the 13-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac Mini.
The M1 chip is based on the Arm architecture rather than the x86 architecture used by both Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) with Intel. Apple has been using Arm architecture chips for several years on its iPhones, modifying and improving them to increase performance.
Under the hood of the M1
The M1 is an 8-core processor, with four performance cores and four efficiency cores that are only used during maximum performance.
Several things make the M1 unique. It is manufactured using the advanced 5 nm (nanometer) process of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to create transistors, which is superior to both AMD’s 7 nm manufacturing process and Intel’s 10 nm manufacturing process. . A nanometer is one-thousandth of a meter, and the smaller the transistor, the more it can be packaged into a single chip.
The M1 has unified random access memory (RAM) that allows for incredibly fast data transfer and comes with an 8-core graphics processing unit (GPU) that in many cases offers superior graphics to the Intel Xe Graphics processor. , which is used in 11-generation Intel processors. The M1 also includes a 16-core neural engine for machine learning and tasks related to artificial intelligence.
Where the M1 really shines is its high performance per watt. This low electricity consumption has two main advantages:
- Less heat generation: This allows Apple to remove fans, resulting in a thinner device design
- Longer battery life: The M1 offers a 50% to 80% gain in battery life over Apple’s Intel processors.
Reviewer Joel Hruska said of the Apple M1 chip: “It represents the most powerful threat to the x86 domain I’ve seen in my entire career.”
AMD Ryzen chips include up to 64 massive cores, which increases their multi-tasking capability. On November 5, 2020, AMD announced the launch of its Ryzen 5000 series of mobile processors.
How the M1 adapts to Intel and AMD chips
In parallel testing, PC World tested an Apple MacBook Pro M1, which includes an M1-based SoC / CPU, a custom 512GB SSD, 16GB of LPDDR4X / 4267 memory, and a 13.3×6000 2560×1600 display. inches. Instead, they looked at several laptops of similar size, including:
- MSI Prestige 14 Evo, which includes a quad-core Core i7-1185G7 and 11th generation with Iris Xe graphics, 16GB of LPDDR4X / 4267 memory, a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD and a 14-inch FHD display
- MSI Prestige 14 that includes a six-core Core i7-10710U, GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q graphics, 16GB of LPDDR3 / 2133 memory, a 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD and a 14-inch 4K display
- Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 that includes an eight-core Ryzen 4800U with Radeon graphics, 16GB of LPDDR4X / 4267 memory, a 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD, a 14-inch FHD
- Acer Predator Triton 500 with a 10th generation six-core Core i7-10750H CPU, GeForce RTX 2080 Super graphics, 32GB of DDR4 / 3200 memory, a 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD and a 15.6-inch FHD display at 300Hz .
PC World reported that 3D rendering tests caused the M1 to be a “cold killer,” with no fan noise, while x86 laptop fans ran. The highlight is that the 8-core Mac M1 outperformed Ryzen chip laptops and most Intel chip laptops, with only the MSI Prestige 14 pulling very slightly.
PC World also reported that testing by Puget Systems in Photoshop, which is a single-thread process, showed that the M1 outperformed the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7, with its Ryzen 7 4800U chip. However, Intel’s 11th-generation Tiger Lake chip outperformed the MacBook Pro M1 by a small amount. What made the biggest difference in Photoshop testing was the amount of memory available.
As of November 18, 2020, Adobe Photoshop runs natively on Apple’s Mac M1 tablets and Microsoft Surface Pro X tablets, which also include Arm-based processors. Microsoft’s Surface Pro X tablet is unique in that it uses Qualcomm’s custom SQ1 arm-based chip, created exclusively for Microsoft.
Intel shoots at Apple’s bow
Perhaps feeling the pressure of the M1, Intel began firing at Apple, citing benchmark evidence. On January 5, 2021, Tom’s Hardware website posted slides of a recent Intel presentation that put the M1 against Intel chips in an assortment of tasks such as photo enhancement, album organization, selection of online stock options and tasks.
However, Tom’s Hardware noted that the Intel chip used in the comparison is the Core i7-1185G7, while the Intel chip used in most laptops is the Core i7-1165G7. The i7-1185G7 is only used in one production laptop: the MSI Prestige 14 Evo.
Even more peculiar was that Intel switched between different Apple devices during some of the tests. It switched to a MacBook Pro with only 8GB of RAM instead of the 16GB model, and in a battery life test, Intel switched to an Intel Core i7-1165G7 laptop, the Acer Swift 5, instead of staying with the Core i7-1185G7.
Intel included in its statistics M1 performance in games that do not currently run on macOS and the M1 CPU, including Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, games on Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Crysis Remastered, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
In its presentation, Intel promoted the broader form factors offered by Windows machines, such as 2-in-1 desktops, small-format desktops, touch-screen computers, and even easels. Currently, Apple is left on the touch screen and 2-in-1 convertible zones. Recently, Intel launched a campaign on Twitter with the aim of showing impossible tasks on M1 machines, which may indicate a certain level of despair on the part of of Intel.
Only one PC offers tablet mode, touch screen, and stylus functions on a single device. #GoPC
– Intel (@intel) February 2, 2021
It is said that Microsoft, Google and Amazon are interested in the low-power features offered by the M1, which would be especially beneficial for use on servers. As recently reported, Intel’s revenue from cloud service providers fell 15% from the previous year, showing a possible weakness in its data center business. Microsoft, Google and Amazon may be trying to develop their own chips, as Microsoft and AMD have already reported that they are working on their own ARM-based chips.
Need to buy an M1 device?
The bottom line is that early adopters of M1 devices may have to suffer for a while before developers catch up. A key area where the M1 seems to be lagging behind is gaming, but that will change as developers migrate their apps to the Arm architecture. Apple is well known for optimizing its software and hardware to create what its fans consider unmatched performance.