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

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1080 points antipaul | 10 comments | 12 Nov 20 00:56 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
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mcintyre1994 ◴[12 Nov 20 07:21 UTC] No.25067338[source]▶
> The M1 chip, which belongs to a MacBook Air with 8GB RAM, features a single-core score of 1687 and a multi-core score of 7433. According to the benchmark, the M1 has a 3.2GHz base frequency.

> The Mac mini with M1 chip that was benchmarked earned a single-core score of 1682 and a multi-core score of 7067.

> Update: There's also a benchmark for the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 chip and 16GB RAM that has a single-core score of 1714 and a multi-core score of 6802. Like the MacBook Air , it has a 3.2GHz base frequency.

So single core we have: Air 1687, Mini 1682, Pro 1714

And multi core we have: Air 7433, Mini 7067, Pro 6802

I’m not sure what to make of these scores, but it seems wrong that the Mini and Pro significantly underperform the Air in multi core. I find it hard to imagine this benchmark is going to be representative of actual usage given the way the products are positioned, which makes it hard to know how seriously to take the comparisons to other products too.

> When compared to existing devices, the M1 chip in the MacBook Air outperforms all iOS devices. For comparison's sake, the iPhone 12 Pro earned a single-core score of 1584 and a multi-core score of 3898, while the highest ranked iOS device on Geekbench's charts, the A14 iPad Air, earned a single-core score of 1585 and a multi-core score of 4647.

This seems a bit odd too - the A14 iPad Air outperforms all iPad Pro devices?

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throwaway4good ◴[12 Nov 20 08:30 UTC] No.25067719[source]▶
The results seem a little weird but if remotely true then these machines are going to sell like cup cakes.

Why would anyone (who is not forced) buy an Intel PC laptop when these are available and priced as competitive as they are?

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vbezhenar ◴[12 Nov 20 09:15 UTC] No.25067976[source]▶
They are not priced competitive. Cheapest macbook air starts from $999. Cheapest Dell Inspiron starts from $319.
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1. coldtea ◴[12 Nov 20 09:32 UTC] No.25068101[source]▶
The cheapest Dell Inspiron doesn't even hold a candle to the MacBook Air. They're not competing in the same class...
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2. pjmlp ◴[12 Nov 20 09:48 UTC] No.25068200[source]▶
It certainly does when the best one can hope to bring home as software engineer is around 1000 euros after taxes.
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3. raverbashing ◴[12 Nov 20 09:52 UTC] No.25068221[source]▶
I fully get that the cheapest option might fit your budget and the MBA doesn't. And that's absolutely fine. Been there, done that. Heck, I wish my 1st laptop had cost $300 but in the end it was more around what the MBA cost today.

But it's not really an Apples to Apples comparison.

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4. pjmlp ◴[12 Nov 20 10:07 UTC] No.25068308{3}[source]▶
I am lucky for having gotten the opportunity to live and work in a country where buying an Apple device is not an issue, and there are plenty of them around the office, but I don't forget my roots nor the monetary possibilities of similar countries that I had the fortune to visit.
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5. vbezhenar ◴[12 Nov 20 10:38 UTC] No.25068486[source]▶
That's true, for sure. But I was answering to "Why would anyone (who is not forced) buy an Intel PC laptop when these are available and priced as competitive as they are?". The answer is simple, everyone, who does not want to spend $999 will buy an Intel/AMD laptop. And $999 is quite a lot for someone who does not need a powerful workhorse. That Insiron is extremely underpowered, yet it'll launch web browser and office apps with some swapping here and there. Apple is not going to kill x86 laptop market with it, just like it won't kill smartphone market with their $400 SE phone when you can buy $100 android phone.

Another thing is that you can buy "gaming" laptop for $999. Something like i7-10750H with GTX 1650. And it's powerful enough to run almost any game on high to medium setting. Apple GPU is awesome compared to Intel GPU, but compared to dedicated Nvidia GPU - not so much. So if you need GPU for gaming, that's another area where Apple does not compete with their new laptops. At least for now.

Ultrabook with focus on portability and long battery life - Apple is awesome here.

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6. coldtea ◴[12 Nov 20 10:40 UTC] No.25068490[source]▶
That's for each buyer to consider, based on their budget and prospects.
7. coldtea ◴[12 Nov 20 10:41 UTC] No.25068497{4}[source]▶
Well, buying an Apple laptop is not a necessity or some fundamental human right. It's a nicety for those who can afford it and appreciate the differences (and understand the tradeoffs).

In raw performance per buck you could always get a customer PC setup for cheaper, especially in desktop form.

In some countries, even a $300 laptop comes down to half a year's salaries...

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8. pjmlp ◴[12 Nov 20 12:47 UTC] No.25069229{5}[source]▶
Indeed, which gets back to the original OP point not standing.

> Why would anyone (who is not forced) buy an Intel PC laptop when these are available and priced as competitive as they are?

Apple devices are definitely not priced competitive outside first world countries.

9. _ph_ ◴[12 Nov 20 14:07 UTC] No.25069959{3}[source]▶
It is an Apples to Dells comparison :)
10. blablabla123 ◴[12 Nov 20 16:46 UTC] No.25071662[source]▶
> Ultrabook with focus on portability and long battery life - Apple is awesome here.

Exactly that, I think that's the ultimate reason to have a laptop and if not, it might make sense to re-think the setup. Why should I buy a 1500$ Intel/AMD mobile workhorse when the battery is empty after 2 hours? It usually makes more sense to have a server at home or VPS for that. Also a lot of native Apps like Steam have first-class support for that nowadays. For the rest Parsec might work.