Apple’s M1 Ultra chip promises the performance of a high-end PC in a small space. We took a look at the first benchmarks against high-end computers
Apple’s M1 Ultra is the company’s largest and most powerful chip to date. It is a processor and graphics card in one and, according to Apple, should not only be able to keep up with high-end PCs, but also consume significantly less power. We took a look at some benchmarks to see if this is really the case.
The M1 Ultra is installed in Apple’s new Mac Studio and, again, only in the most expensive version. The Mac Studio has the same length and width as a Mac Mini, but is significantly taller. Nevertheless, it is still a compact Mac. A gaming machine with RTX 3090 and Intel 12900K would need significantly more space.
Apple’s chip is not entirely new either. To put it simply, the M1 Ultra consists of two combined M1 Max chips. So with this chip you also get twice the number of CPU and GPU cores. However, this does not automatically mean twice the performance.
M1 Ultra against RTX 3090, Core i9 12900K and Co.
We took a look at YouTuber Dave2D’s benchmark results from the video below and other measurements to get a picture of performance compared to high-end hardware and summarise the results for you.
In terms of processor performance, Dave2D pitted the M1 Ultra against an Intel 12900K and an AMD 5950X. In the Cinebench R23 multicore test, the Apple chip is just behind the PC competitors. In Geekbench 5, however, the Apple CPU is a lot stronger.
Then he tested the graphics performance of the chip. Here, the M1 Ultra competes against an RTX 3080 and an RTX 3090. In the GFXBench 5.0 benchmark, the Apple chip is only just behind the RTX 3090, but ahead of the 3080. In the game Tomb Raider, on the other hand, it lands unsurprisingly behind the GPUs from Nvidia.
In the video editing programme Premiere Pro, Apple’s chip can flex its muscles. Here it only needs around 9 minutes to render a 10-minute 6K clip. The second fastest is a PC consisting of an Intel 12900K and an RTX 3090, closely followed by an AMD 5950X and an RTX 3090.
Last but not least, Dave2D tested the Apple chip in the benchmark of the 3D modelling software Blender. Here, Apple’s M1 chip clearly falls behind the current top graphics cards from Nvidia in the form of the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090.
Sometimes Apple is ahead, sometimes PC hardware
Dave2D’s measurements, in line with other test results, paint a picture that sometimes sees Apple hardware in front and sometimes PC hardware from Nvidia & Co. These other tests include YouTuber Matthew Moniz from the video above and the tech portal Golem.
But performance is not everything. For example, the M1 Ultra often achieves very good results with clearly less power consumption than the PC hardware, as Golem in particular emphasises. According to Dave2D, the Mac Studio remains remarkably quiet.
With a PC, components can be easily replaced or upgraded later, it is the much more obvious choice for gaming and, despite the current prices, can often be had for less. For example, the Mac Studio with M1 Ultra chip costs 4,599 euros in the cheapest configuration.
Due to the different target groups and areas of use, this is a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison. Nevertheless, we find it exciting to see how the performance of the M1 Ultra compares with typical non-Mac hardware.
What do you think of the M1 Ultra from Apple? Is it an impressive piece of hardware that you can use for business or pleasure, or is it too far away from your needs, especially in view of the fact that Apple doesn’t focus on gaming? Feel free to post it in the comments!
