Apple’s M3 Pro CPU Surpasses Intel’s Core i9-14900K in PassMark Single-Thread Benchmark
In recent benchmark tests, Apple’s M3 Pro CPU has emerged as the fastest single-core processor, dethroning Intel’s Core i9-14900K in PassMark’s single-thread benchmark. The M3 Pro 11-core variant led the way with a score of 4910 points, edging out the Core i9-14900K by 1%. The M3 Pro 12-core and M3 8-core also posted competitive scores of 4,841 and 4784 points, respectively. This development marks a significant advancement for Apple in the CPU performance space.
Apple’s focus on single-threaded performance during the M3 chip’s official announcement has proven to be well-founded, with its M3 Pro CPU demonstrating substantial potential in this arena. However, while Apple’s M3 chips excel in single-threaded performance, Intel’s Core i9-14900K maintains a substantial lead in multi-threaded performance. The Core i9-14900K outperforms the 16-core M3 Max by 34% and boasts a 56% lead over the 12-core M3 Pro. The M3 and M2 12/11 core chips show almost identical performance in multi-core processing, while the 8-core M3 sees a 24% boost in performance due to higher clock speeds.
Despite Apple’s benchmark success, earlier tests revealed minimal IPC gains from M2 to M3 chips, emphasizing the significance of additional core counts in driving performance gains for the M3 Max and forthcoming Ultra chips. It is also worth noting that x86 CPUs, such as those from Intel and AMD, maintain a substantial performance edge over Apple’s M3 chips. Furthermore, the prospect of NVIDIA and AMD entering the Arm space in the coming years poses a potential threat to both Intel and Apple if these companies can succeed with their plans.
This benchmark result underscores the intense competition in the CPU market and the continued advancements in processor technology. As Apple, Intel, AMD, and possibly NVIDIA are all set to launch new chips in the near future, the landscape of the CPU industry is poised for further evolution and innovation.
