Intel Core i7 vs Apple M1 Chip: In-Depth Comparison Tech

Intel Core i7 vs Apple M1 Chip: In-Depth Comparison

Author's avatar Shaheer Ansari

Time icon August 12, 2023   | Last Updated: May 26, 2024 at 9:47 AM

As per Apple, their new M1 Chip is way better and faster than the previous processor, Intel i7. However, that does not mean the previous processor does not have any benefits. But naturally, it will come down to choosing one from the other. Let us find out which one is better, Apple’s M1 versus Intel’s i7. Here’s everything you need to know:

Intel i7

Intel i7 was used in the older generation MacBook Pros. The previous MacBook Pro is only six months old with a 13.3-inch screen, which means it’s still based on modern technology. Intel i7’s quad-core processor supports heavy processing at a faster pace. With a bright and sharp true tone display, the Intel processor features retina resolution. 

It will also give you room for handling large, professional-quality images and videos with 32 gigabytes of memory and 4 terabytes of storage. You can use it for nearly a full day with its 10-hour battery life before it needs recharging. This is definitely a catch and one of the best-selling processors in its class.

Apple’s M1 Chip

With M1 vs i7, the new MacBook Pro processor definitely beats Intel’s i7 in performance and efficiency. With M1, MacBook Pro is 2.8 times faster along with 5 times better graphics, according to Apple. Not only that, Mac M1’s speed is accomplished only with a fraction of the power used. The battery life is 19 hours long and this makes M1 Chip hit home-run in their first try.

It is true that Apple has been making efficient processors for their iPhone and iPads for a decade, however, not many users realize where the designs have come by doing it all this time. A lot of things do need a bit of tweaking as most remain the same in Apple MacBook Pro. It still uses active cooling i.e. fans and a touch bar. Neither have they changed the screen resolution or the screen brightness. However, the new Mac laptops can run iPad apps. 

But even if the Apple Mac ecosystem is the future, the Intel-powered Macs will not vanish. The company still offers the 13-inch MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 CPU as options. New MacBook Air and Mac Mini will use the M1 processors exclusively. The other Macs are still supported by Intel CPUs like the iMac, Mac Pro, iMac Pro, and 16-inch MacBook Pro. In some cases, it has AMD GPUs.

Apple M1 Vs Intel i7 Based On:

– Specifications

BasisApple M1Intel i7
Turbo 1 CoreNIL5.10 GHz
Turbo 8 CoreNIL3.20 GHz
HyperthreadingNoYes
Core Architecturehybrid (big. LITTLE)Basic / Normal
Apple M1 Chip Vs Intel i7 comparison based on Specifications

– Internal Graphic

BasisApple M1Intel i7
Generation111
Technology5nm14nm
Execution Units12824
Max. GPU Memory8 Gigabytes64 Gigabytes
GPU NameApple M1 (8 Core)Intel UHD Graphics 630
Apple M1 Chip Vs Intel i7 comparison based on Internal Graphic

– Overall

Apple M1Intel i7
M1 Chip with 8-core GPU and 8-core CPU2.3 GHz Quad-core with Turbo Boost
16-core Neural engineIntel Iris Plus Graphics
2TB SSD Storage4TB SSD Storage
16GB Unified Memory32GB 3733MHz, LPDDR4X Memory
Two Thunderbolt/ USB 4 PortsFour Thunderbolts/ USB 3 Ports

Which Is Better For Gaming? Apple M1 or Intel i7?

Well, who doesn’t know that Apple Macs aren’t any good when it comes to gaming. In this specific comparison, Intel i7 wins over Apple M1 chip fair and square.

While gaming support is almost non existent in Macs, Intel boasts a wide range of support to gamers. It even challenged Apple’s M1 by claiming that there are ‘countless games’ which just do not run on the M1. Some of them games are:

  • PUBG
  • Doom Eternal
  • Apex Legends
  • Halo MCC
  • Monster Hunter World
  • Crysis Remastered

Battery Life of Apple M1 Vs Intel i7

Apple’s M1 chip has given a neck-to-neck competition to Intel i7 in this regard. Watching a 1080p video on AppleTV with a brightness of ‘8 clicks from the bottom’ will make the M1 Macbook last for 18 hours.

Meanwhile, Intel tested the battery life of its i7 chip in Acer Swift 5. The battery life lasted for 10 hours and 6 minutes. So Apple M1 Vs Intel i7, who wins at battery life?

Well, at first glance it is evident that Apple took the steal but wait a second.. Intel also tested its rival Apple M1 chip’s battery life and found that the difference between it and Apple was almost nothing! The Apple Macbook Air lasted for 10 hours and 12 months, just six minutes more than Acer Swift 5 with Intel i7. Now, it is up to you to decide!

– Complete Review

Apple M1 Chip Vs Intel i7 comparison by Ben G Kaiser

Intel’s i7 Or Apple’s M1: Which One Should You Buy?

There are few essential questions that you will need to answer before you arrive at a buying decision. These questions can be regarding the intensity and kind of work that you plan to do, your budget, what exactly are you looking for, and of course, the battery life of the device.

When you take all these questions into consideration, Apple’s M1 Chip and Intel’s i7 both would be having a stronger ground in different cases. However, coming from a tech geek, the Apple M1 Chip is revolutionizing the game. It beats Intel Core i7 counterparts in many aspects and is blazing powerful.

The battery life of M1 is twice as long-lasting as their Intel counterparts so it’s a no-brainer here. But we cannot rule out the budget availability that you may have. With Apple products, having a bigger budget comes naturally but it is definitely not the case with the M1 chip devices. The base model costs $1300 Vs the $1800 Macbook Pro 13 Intel Core i5.

Intel i7 devices cannot be ruled out either. If you are a web developer, programmer who would be spending a lot of time on Cisco, Microsoft 365, and Slack, then go for i7 powered laptops since these apps run optimally on them. However, when the bigger picture is taken into consideration, the Apple M1 Chip is a strong competitor to Intel core i7 and wins most of the comparisons.

Also Read: Apple Ready To Cut Ties With Intel

Author’s avatar

Shaheer Ansari

Shaheer is a Journalist and Managing Editor at Clout News. His reporting is a medley of finance, crypto, influencers, and entertainment stories.