Apple M1
vs
Apple M2

vs

CPU Comparison Result

Below are the results of a comparison of Apple M1 and Apple M2 processors based on key performance characteristics, as well as power consumption and much more.

Advantages

  • Higher Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency: 3.4 GHz (3.204 GHz vs 3.4 GHz)
  • Higher Memory Type: LPDDR5-6400 (Unified LPDDR4X-4266 vs LPDDR5-6400)
  • Newer Launch Date: June 2022 (November 2020 vs June 2022)

Basic

Apple
Label Name
Apple
November 2020
Launch Date
June 2022
Laptop
Platform
Laptop
Apple Firestorm + Apple Icestorm
CPU Architecture
-
Apple M1
CPU Name
-
T8103
Part Number
-
Apple M1
Model Name
?
The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.
M2
-
Code Name
Apple M2
TSMC
Foundry
-

CPU Specifications

4
Performance Cores
-
8
Total Cores
?
Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).
8
8
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
8
-
Performance-cores
4
4
Efficient-cores
4
-
Performance-core Base Frequency
3.5 GHz
-
Efficient-core Base Frequency
2.4 GHz
2.064 GHz
Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency
?
Maximum E-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.
-
NEON
Instruction Set Extensions
-
3.204 GHz
Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency
?
Maximum P-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.
3.4 GHz
ARMv8.4-A, NEON
Extended Instruction Set
-
P-cores: 192 KB instruction + 128 KB data per core; E-cores: 128 KB instruction + 64 KB data per core
L1 Cache
192K per core
P-core cluster: 12 MB; E-core cluster: 4 MB
L2 Cache
16MB shared
-
CPU Socket
?
The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.
Apple M-Socket
5 nm
Technology
?
Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.
5 nm
-
TDP
15 W
ARMv8.4-A
Instruction Set
?
The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.
-
16 billion
Transistor Count
-

Memory Specifications

128-bit
Memory Bus Width
-
Unified LPDDR4X-4266
Memory Type
?
Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.
LPDDR5-6400
16 GB
Max Memory Size
?
Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.
24GB
2
Memory Channels
?
The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.
2
68.25 GB/s
Max Memory Bandwidth
?
Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).
-
No
ECC Memory Supported
?
ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.
-

GPU Specifications

Metal, OpenCL
GPU APIs
-
Apple M1 GPU
GPU Name
-
Media encode and decode engines
Media Engine
-
No
ProRes Encode/Decode Engines
-
H.264, HEVC (H.265); multiple 4K video streams / up to 4K 60 fps depending on codec, bitrate and app
Video Decode
-
1
Video Decode Engines
-
H.264, HEVC (H.265); up to 4K 60 fps depending on profile, level and app
Video Encode
-
1
Video Encode Engines
-
-
Integrated Graphics Model
?
An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.
True
8
Graphics Core Count
-
Up to 2.6 TFLOPS FP32
Graphics Performance
-

AI Specifications

16-core Apple Neural Engine
AI Engine
-
16
Neural Engine Core Count
-
Apple Neural Engine
NPU Name
-
11 TOPS
NPU Performance
-

Interfaces and Ports

Yes, up to 40 Gbps
Thunderbolt Support
-
USB4
USB Version
-
Yes, up to 40 Gbps
USB4 Support
-

Miscellaneous

Yes, Apple silicon secure boot chain of trust
Hardware-Verified Secure Boot
-
Apple image signal processor
Image Signal Processor
-
KIP, FPR, SCIP, PAC, PPL
Runtime Anti-Exploitation
-
Secure Enclave
Security Processor
-

Benchmarks

Cinebench R23 Single Core
Apple M1
1512
Apple M2
1541 +2%
Cinebench R23 Multi Core
Apple M1
7728
Apple M2
8475 +10%
Geekbench 6 Single Core
Apple M1
2347 +15%
Apple M2
2043
Geekbench 6 Multi Core
Apple M1
8341 +10%
Apple M2
7614
Geekbench 5 Single Core
Apple M1
1729
Apple M2
1914 +11%
Geekbench 5 Multi Core
Apple M1
7501
Apple M2
8942 +19%
Passmark CPU Single Core
Apple M1
3674
Apple M2
3903 +6%
Passmark CPU Multi Core
Apple M1
14128
Apple M2
15559 +10%
Cinebench 2024 Single Core
Apple M1
110
Apple M2
118 +7%
Cinebench 2024 Multi Core
Apple M1
444
Apple M2
566 +27%
Cinebench 2024 GPU
Apple M1
510
Apple M2
1739 +241%
Blender
Apple M1
117 +4%
Apple M2
112