The Exciting World of Apple Silicon: A Deep Dive into Performance and Benchmarking
As we all know, Apple has been making significant strides in transitioning from Intel processors to its own custom silicon for the Mac lineup. The latest development in this journey is the release of the A12Z Bionic processor in the Apple Dev Kit, which has sparked curiosity among tech enthusiasts and performance enthusiasts alike. In today's article, we'll delve into the world of Apple silicon, exploring how it compares to Intel processors, the recent benchmarks that have been leaked, and what these results mean for the future of Mac performance.
The A10 Fusion Processor: A Quad-Core Powerhouse
To begin our journey, let's take a closer look at the A10 Fusion processor, which was introduced with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. This quad-core processor boasts a clock speed of 2.3 GHz and scores an impressive 740 in Geekbench's single-core test and 1322 in the multi-core test. For comparison, the early 2016 12-inch MacBook features a Core M7 1.3 GHz dual-core processor that scores 652 and 1405, respectively. The A10 Fusion is indeed a powerful chip, but its performance can be compared to that of the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i5 processor, which scores 850 and 1972 in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.
The A11 Bionic Processor: A Six-Core Powerhouse
Next up is the A11 Bionic processor, a six-core chip that powers the iPhone X. With a clock speed of 2.4 GHz, this processor delivers impressive performance, scoring 864 in Geekbench's single-core test and 3,046 in the multi-core test. The A11 Bionic can be compared to the 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor found in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which benchmarks around 1024 in single-core tests and 53.85 in multi-core tests. These results demonstrate the significant performance gains offered by Apple's custom silicon.
The Apple Dev Kit: A Leap Forward in Performance
Now, let's shift our focus to the Apple Dev Kit, where we've seen the A12Z Bionic processor in action. Initially, benchmarks revealed that the chip scored 845 and 2960 in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively, when running in emulation mode. However, when the Dev Kit was run natively on Mac OS, performance soared to 1005 and 45-55, respectively. This represents a significant leap forward in performance, showcasing the capabilities of Apple's custom silicon.
What Does This Mean for the Future of Mac Performance?
The recent benchmarks have sent shockwaves through the tech community, leaving many wondering about the potential for future Mac models. With Apple seemingly ready to launch its first Apple Silicon-based 13-inch MacBook Pro and new MacBook Air, it's clear that they're making significant strides in performance. As we've discussed earlier, these raw benchmarks may not be a direct one-to-one comparison with real-world usage, but they do demonstrate the impressive capabilities of Apple's custom silicon.
The Future of Apple Silicon: A MacPro-Sized Opportunity
As we look ahead to the future, it's evident that Apple is poised to take its custom silicon game to new heights. The prospect of a Mac Pro running on Apple Silicon is an exciting one, as this would not only demonstrate the capabilities of their technology but also provide a significant advantage over competitors' processors. With Intel struggling with delays and reliability issues, Apple has developed these chips at an unprecedented pace, iterating year after year while its competitors struggle to keep up.
In conclusion, the world of Apple silicon is an exciting one, full of promise and potential. As we continue to see improvements in performance and benchmarking results, it's clear that Apple is well on its way to creating a new era of Mac performance. With the upcoming launch of its first Apple Silicon-based 13-inch MacBook Pro and new MacBook Air, we can't wait to see what the future holds for this cutting-edge technology.
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"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's up everyone it is andrew here from apple insider and i am excited today i am excited because as you already know apple's making the transition from intel processors to its own silicon in the mac lineup and so far we've seen the apple dev kit released with the a12z bionic processor and some early benchmarks leaked down and the thing with those early benchmarks is that those benchmarks were actually running in emulation in rosetta too so they weren't natively running on mac os taking advantage of all the power those processors have to offer and now we've got some new benchmarks to share we have now some new benchmarks that were kind of leaked reveal released that show geekbench 5 running natively on apple silicon in mac os so that's what we're going to talk about today that huge jump in performance from running an emulation versus running natively in how much power apple is actually packing in those chips but before we do that we kind of want to take a step back and look at apple's processors in general and look at how those a12 or the a-series processors compare to intel chips and the mac line so how the iphones kind of compare to the mac line and then what this new dev kit benchmarks are and how those kind of compare and what it's all going to mean so let's go ahead and just dive into this whole thing starting off with the a10 fusion processor so the a10 fusion is a quad-core processor that debuted with the iphone 7 and iphone 7 plus it ran at 2.3 gigahertz and scored a 740 and 1322 in the geekbench single and multi-core scores it compares best to the early 2016 12-inch macbook which had a core m7 1.3 gigahertz dual core processor and that mac got a 652 and a 1405 then apple released the a10x fusion which was a six core design and debuted with the sixth generation 10.2 inch ipad 10.5 inch ipad pro and second gen 12.9 inch ipad pro it earned a 831 and a 2265 when it was running on those ipad pros and that most compares similarly to the 2017 13 inch macbook pro with a mid-range intel core i5 and that mac scored an 850 versus a 1972 so very similar in that single core and slightly underperforming in that multi-core it's crazy because it's actually more expensive but it performs slower in that multi-core test specifically then apple released the a11 bionic processor which tv with the iphone 8 the 8 plus and the iphone 10. it again was a six core processor and it was the first chip that apple released to include the neural engine on the iphone 10 it scored a 917 and a 2350 on that single core and multi-core test which was closest to the 2020 macbook air with an intel core i3 1.1 gigahertz dual core processor that macbook air averaged at 1076 and 28.42 following that was the a12 bionic processor which first appeared with the 10s 10s max and 10r in 2018. it was a 6 core 2.5 gigahertz chip and it scored an 11 12 and a 28 69 on that ipad air which was running that same chip that's similar to the 2017 21.5 inch imac with a three gigahertz intel core i5 that imac got a 1005 and a 3208 that brings us to apple's a13 bionic processor which is running in apple's latest phones such as the iphone 11 the iphone 11 pro and iphone 11 pro max it's a 2.66 gigahertz 6 core chip it averages a 13 25 and a 33 82 on the single and multi-core test which is most comparable to the 13-inch pro with 8th gen intel quad-core core i5 8257u chip which is a 1.4 gigahertz chip and it scored a 1012 in 3676 which finally brings us to the a12x and a12z bionic processors these are eight core chips that are released in the ipad pros and even though there are two different processors they're essentially the same one with just different bins so the a12z bionic processors had a little bit better graphics capability but they pretty much score the same on the benchmarks and the a12z bionic processor is the same one that is included in apple's dev kit so how did it do on the ipad in terms of benchmarks blitz scored at around an 11 15 and a 46 26 on the single and multi-core test which is most comparable to a mid-range 16-inch macbook pro with 10th gen intel core i7 processor that macbook pro benchmarks around a 1024 in the single core and already 53.85 in the multi-core but i think what we're going to find most interesting is how the a12z bionic processor runs on mac os and how that mac os performed running on that apple silicon so our initial benchmarks that we saw with that apple dev kit that were running in emulation and not natively that was getting an 845 and a 2960 in a single and multi-core test but natively in the dev kit it was getting a 1005 and a 45-55 those scores are almost on par with what it was receiving on those ipad pros which is pretty incredible so there was a huge jump in performance on that dev kit running on apple silicone in mac os going from emulation software to actually running natively and that's with apple not even trying it as apple just taking a processor it already had lying around staking it into a mac making a few tweaks and seeing what it could get out of it so imagine what's going to happen when apple actually tries on the mac and is developing a mac first processor instead of just you know taking it one of the silicon is using from an ipad and putting it into a mac so really focusing on the mac and trying for better performance is going to yield some great results of course these raw benchmarks are not always indicative of real life performance it matters just on what you were doing and how that lines up with what the benchmarks are actually doing so it's not 100 just going to be a kind of you know one for one comparison but it is a good example of how these chips perform in a standardized test across platforms and even comparing the a12z to the 16-inch macbook pro shows that intel still has an advantage but it shows that apple is really catching up apple has done a great job with these chips and we cannot wait to see what apple is going to do in the future it sounds like apple is going to be starting off with maybe a 13-inch macbook pro and a new macbook air as its first apple silicon based max but it is easy to see down the line something like the mac pro running on apple silicon and clearly beating out uh competitors processors apple has developed these things fast they are able to iterate year over year every year while intel continues to get plagued by delays for all of its latest chips so this is a good example of what apple's done so far and we cannot wait to see what is coming down the pipeline what do you guys think of apple's new silicon-based max let us know down below in comments or over on twitter at andrew underscore osu and if you want to grab a mac for yourself right now even though the silicon ones are coming down the line into ones are still here and we have some great deals lined up for you guys check out the links down below in the description hey everyone did you guys like that video be sure to click on that like button so we can create content that we know that you guys want to see and follow apple insider on all social media channels if you want the best prices on any apple gear check out the apple insider price guide that is updated daily and until next time we'll see you later\n"
