The Apple M1 chip is smoking fast, showing how far Intel’s processing lead has fallen

The first MacBooks with Apple’s own CPUs are now out, and the results from testing have surpassed all expectations. MacRumors did a side-by-side shootout with the 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by the new M1 chip and the current 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Intel 1.4GHz quad-core Core i5 processor, and the results were astonishing.

Literally every test they tried, from opening every app in the Applications folder, to 4K video export, to overloading tabs on Safari had the Intel chip trounced by the new M1, ARM-based powered MacBook Pro.

What’s more, the fan on the M1 MacBook Pro never turned on, even while exporting 4K video, a CPU-intensive task. Yes, that makes it a silent laptop, and anyone who’s used an Intel-based MacBook Pro knows that those are anything but quiet.

You can watch the barrage of tests above, or we’ll give you the rundown if you don’t have time to watch through. Geekbench benchmark scores gave the M1 chip a clear edge, with 1722 single-core and 7535 multi-core. The i5-equipped MBP only got 871 single-core and 3786 multi-core, so the M1 is roughly double the performance in this one test.

The new M1 MBP has a faster SSD as well, with reads of 2,800MB/s, and write speeds of 2,300MB/s. The Intel MBP only got to 1,600MB/s read and 1,100MB/s write. That corresponded with a file transfer win for the M1, finishing the 40GB+ file in four minutes and fifty-three seconds, vs six minutes and forty-seven seconds for the Intel MBP. Oh, and the Intel’s fans were screaming along, while the M1 fan didn’t even turn on once.

A dozen YouTube tabs didn’t even faze the M1, but the Intel chip lagged noticeably. Same story for opening all 50 apps in the Applications folder, a true test of any limits to the chip when multitasking.

It’s clear from testing that the M1 chip is fantastic, and will only get better as more apps get native support. I can’t wait for mine to arrive so I can do some testing of my own.

What do you think? Surprised by the results from the M1 chip? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• The M1 chip found in new MacBooks is extremely impressive according to new benchmark tests
• You might want to hold off on upgrading macOS to Big Sur if you have an older MacBook Pro
• Your next MacBook still has a shitty 720p webcam
• The new MacBook Air features a fanless design, 18 hours of battery life, and 13″ Retina display

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere. His hobbies include photography, animation, and hoarding Reddit gold.