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Apple Silicon M1 chip in MacBook Air outperforms high-end 16-inch MacBook Pro

(www.macrumors.com)
1080 points antipaul | 2 comments | 12 Nov 20 00:56 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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nichch ◴[12 Nov 20 02:15 UTC] No.25065659[source]▶
How am I supposed to interpret this? A MacBook Air surpasses my i7-8700k in single and (almost) multi core performance?
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minxomat ◴[12 Nov 20 02:17 UTC] No.25065673[source]▶
Yes, in fact, the A14 (iPhone 12) already surpassed most Intel chips: https://images.anandtech.com/doci/16226/perf-trajectory_575p...

Intel is now #3

replies(1): >>25065717 #
FartyMcFarter ◴[12 Nov 20 02:24 UTC] No.25065717[source]▶
A modern mobile CPU with a TDP of 6 watts is beating a modern desktop CPU with a TDP of 125 watts? Is it just me or this seems too good to be true?
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1. kristofferR ◴[12 Nov 20 02:30 UTC] No.25065766[source]▶
5nm vs 14nm is the easiest explainable reason.
replies(1): >>25065847 #
2. kllrnohj ◴[12 Nov 20 02:46 UTC] No.25065847[source]▶
It's also the most wrong explanation. The actual performance efficiency between those processes isn't that drastic. The power efficiency of the M1 would come from better IPC such that it just doesn't have to clock as high to be competitive.

That's why A14 only runs at 1.8ghz base, 3ghz boost. That's how it has low power consumption. And similarly Intel pushing 5ghz is why it has high power consumption.

TSMC's 5nm will have a raw transistor performance/watt advantage, but it's not huge