Apple's M1 processor often surpasses the graphics performance of desktop GPUs, including the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and AMD Radeon RX 560, according to a new benchmark submission spotted by Tom's Hardware.
According to Apple, the M1's octa-core GPU can simultaneously handle close to 25,000 threads and deliver up to 2.6 TFLOPS of throughput. This is the same TFLOPS achieved by the Radeon RX 560, and just below the GeForce GTX 1650's 2.9 TFLOPS.
The GFXBench 5.0 benchmarks were tested under Apple's Metal API, and show that the M1 often performs better than the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and AMD Radeon RX 560 by a fair margin. There is not yet a Metal benchmark for the GeForce GTX 1650 for the sake of comparison.
In the Aztec Ruins Normal Tier test, the Radeon RX 560 achieves 146.2 FPS, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti achieves 159 FPS, and the M1 achieves 203.6 FPS. Similar results are seen across the board, with the M1 almost consistently surpassing the performance of the two desktop GPUs.
It is worth noting that GFXBench 5.0 benchmarks are primarily used to test mobile devices, and the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon RX 560 are older GPUs. Nonetheless, the M1 contains integrated graphics and the fact that it can surpass 75W desktop graphics cards is impressive. More detailed GPU comparisons will likely be coming soon as the first Macs equipped with the M1 arrive to customers this week.
Saturday February 8, 2025 3:51 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The end of an 18-year era is on the horizon for the iPhone.
Apple reportedly plans to announce a new iPhone SE as soon as next week, and the device is expected to feature a full-screen design with Face ID, instead of a Touch ID home button. That means Apple will no longer sell any new iPhone models with a home button, for the first time since the original iPhone launched.
The home button...
Monday February 10, 2025 3:05 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Oppo has confirmed a February 20 global launch for its Find N5, which the company claims is the world's thinnest device in the foldable phone category. The phone is expected to be re-branded as the OnePlus Open 2 in the US.
The Chinese vendor has been teasing the device in the last few weeks, touting its waterproofing and nearly invisible display crease, and highlighting its thinness by compa...
Monday February 10, 2025 10:56 am PST by Juli Clover
There continue to be signs of a new MacBook Air with an M4 chip, indicating that we could see the machine launch in the not too distant future. A private account on X today shared the identifiers that the MacBook Air will use, and those identifiers correspond to the M4 chip.
According to the source, both the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 15-inch MacBook Air will be equipped with Apple's...
Thursday February 6, 2025 11:21 am PST by Joe Rossignol
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost.
iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already come with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and now there is another one...
Monday February 10, 2025 10:11 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.3.1, a minor update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that came out last September. macOS 15.3.1 comes a few weeks after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3.
Mac users can download the macOS Sequoia update through the Software Update section of System Settings. Apple has also released macOS 13.7.4 and macOS 14.7.4 for those who are...
Saturday February 8, 2025 10:55 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has yet to release any new devices in 2025, but at least two new products are expected to be announced next week, according to rumors.
Below, we outline the new Apple products that are likely to be unveiled next week.
iPhone SE 4
Apple plans to announce the long-rumored iPhone SE 4 as soon as next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The new iPhone SE is rumored to...
Sunday February 9, 2025 3:53 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today increased its estimated trade-in values for select Mac models in the United States, with the full changes outlined below.
Apple says the extra trade-in credit for select Macs is available with the purchase of an eligible new Apple device through April 2.
The trade-in values increased by between $10 and $50.
Model
New Value
Old Value
MacBook Pro
Up to $925
...
Monday February 10, 2025 7:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's long-awaited Powerbeats Pro 2 are finally expected to be announced this Tuesday. Ahead of time, one lucky Walmart customer was able to get their hands on the earbuds early, according to a since-deleted Reddit post over the weekend.
A leaked image of the Powerbeats Pro 2 in Electric Orange
"My local Walmart had them in the cage," the Reddit user explained. "I asked if I can buy them...
That means you dont know the diff between an gpu that is build on the chip vs that nvdidia dedicated gpu.... Tell us what integrated gpu build into the chip can come close to M1
I'm reminded of this classic quote, when Apple was building the iPhone “We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.” -- Palm CEO Ed Colligan
I get the feeling Nvidia aren't expecting Apple to 'just walk in' and make competitive graphics processors, and I get the feeling they might be surprised.
The M1 is beating the snot out of the Intel CPUs and now some GPUs. Now don't get me wrong. I recognize that these values may not be sustained and only win in the short term. I don't care because, before now, the Intel equivalents (and I mean equivalent in terms of low power chips) were simply pitiful and didn't even pretend to compete.
This is just the beginning. The M1 is the low end chip. Remember that!
Alright, so the graphics is now plenty fast on an ordinary MacBook Air. The only thing left to see is sustained performance of M1 with passive cooling and whether there's thermal throttling involved and when it kicks in specifically and I might be able to switch from a Pro to an Air in due time.
For integrated GPU's on low power high efficiency platforms (MacBook etc.), this is great to see. Nice. That said a nVidia 1050 is 2 generations old and then a lowish mid range GPU - just for reference. For integrated GPU's that's still great.
The real test will be the GPU's on the higher end iMac Apple Silicon when it comes out. How far up the GPU performance chain will they go is the question (or will they offer a discreet GPU for that platform)?