CPU Comparison

Apple M1 vs Apple M3

A side-by-side comparison of specs, performance and value. The Apple M1 is an 8-core ARM-based system-on-a-chip (SoC) that marked Apple’s transition from Intel to its own Apple Silicon for the Mac, combining four high‑performance and four efficiency cores, an 8‑core integrated GPU, and a 16‑core Neural Engine on a 5 nm process.

Top pick

Apple · Apple M series

Apple M1

8C / 8T

8.8

Full review

Apple · Apple M

Apple M3

8C / 8T

Full review

The Bottom Line

Best overall

Apple M1

8.8

Rating

Best for multi-core

Apple M1

Score

Best for gaming

Apple M1

Score

Overview & Launch

Attribute

Apple M1Apple

Apple M3Apple

Brand

Apple

Market

Consumer / Prosumer Laptops and Desktops

Laptop / All-in-One

Segment

Mobile / Desktop SoC (entry–mid-range Mac)

Thin-and-Light / Mainstream SoC

Generation

1st Gen Apple Silicon (M1 family)

3rd Generation Apple Silicon (M)

Launched

2020

2023

Status

Discontinued in new Macs (replaced by M2/M3; M1 Macs largely off new market by early 2024)

Launched

Codename

Firestorm (performance) + Icestorm (efficiency)

—

Series

Apple M series

Apple M

Family

Apple M1

Predecessor

Intel Macs (U‑series and Y‑series CPUs)

Apple M2

Successor

Apple M2 (announced June 2022)

To be announced

Specifications Compared

Specification

Apple M1Apple

Apple M3Apple

Cores & Clocks

Cores

Threads

Architecture

ARMv8.4-A (Apple Firestorm + Icestorm big.LITTLE-style)

ARMv8.6-A (Apple-designed)

Process Node

5 nm (TSMC N5)

TSMC 3 nm

Memory

Memory Type

LPDDR4X

LPDDR5 (soldered unified memory)

Memory Speed

4267 MT/s

—

Memory Channels

Octa (8)

—

Max Memory

16 GB

24 GB

Platform & I/O

Socket

On-package (BGA-style, not user-replaceable)

Apple Silicon

Integrated GPU

Yes

Unlocked

Performance Compared

Productivity

Apple M188

Apple M3—

Gaming

Apple M172

Apple M3—

Virtualization

Apple M168

Apple M3—

Efficiency

Apple M195

Apple M3—

Specialized Performance

AI / ML

Apple M1Good for on‑device inference

16‑core Neural Engine accelerates Core ML models
CPU and GPU also provide ML accelerators for framework‑level ops
Not designed for large‑scale training or server‑side inference

Apple M3Capable

16-core Neural Engine accelerates on-device ML workloads
Media engine includes AV1 decode for efficient video streaming

Content Creation

Apple M1Good for light-to-medium workloads

Adobe Premiere Pro (1080p–2K timelines)DaVinci Resolve (HD–2K, basic color grading)Xcode and Swift developmentBlender (small scenes, viewport rendering)Logic Pro and audio production

Apple M3Very Good

Photoshop and LightroomFinal Cut ProDaVinci Resolve (light to moderate projects)Logic Pro

Gaming

Apple M1Good for casual and older titles

8‑core GPU comparable to low‑end discrete GPUs of its era in some Metal titles
Rosetta 2 adds overhead for x86 games; some titles have compatibility or performance quirks
16 GB memory limit and 8 GPU cores cap texture resolutions and frame rates in modern AAA games

Apple M3Good

Ray tracing support enables better visuals in supported titles
Dynamic Caching improves GPU utilization for more consistent frame times
Single external display limit constrains multi-monitor gaming setups

Industry Impact

Sector

Apple M1Apple

Apple M3Apple

Gaming

Moderate – pushed Windows OEMs to prioritize efficiency and integrated GPU performance in thin laptops, but M1’s gaming impact is limited by macOS software and GPU power.

—

Workstations

High – demonstrated that ARM SoCs could compete with x86 in content creation and pro workloads at lower power, influencing subsequent Apple Silicon Pro/Max and ARM server efforts.

—

Content Creation

High – made 4K video editing and photo editing accessible in thin, quiet laptops, changing expectations for what “ultrabook‑class” devices could do.

Medium

Virtualization

Moderate – showed efficient VMs on ARM laptops, but x86 server and cloud ecosystems still dominate.

—

Best CPU by Use Case

Use Case

Apple M1Apple

Apple M3Apple

Web, Office and Study

Excellent

—

Coding and Development

Very Good

—

1080p–2K Video Editing

Good

—

Light 3D and Creative Apps

Good

—

Multi‑VM / Heavy Server Workloads

Limited

—

Photo editing

—

Very Good

Light video editing

—

Very Good

Coding and development

—

Very Good

Office and browsing

—

Excellent

Casual gaming

—

Good

Target Audience

Audience

Apple M1Apple

Apple M3Apple

Gamers

Targeted

—

Content Creators

Targeted

Developers

Targeted

Workstation Users

—

Streamers

Targeted

—

Office / Productivity

Targeted

Students

Targeted

Strengths & Weaknesses

Apple M1

Pros

Excellent single‑thread performance and responsiveness
Outstanding performance per watt and battery life
Integrated GPU much faster than old Intel UHD/Iris in Macs
Unified memory simplifies development and improves efficiency
Silent, fanless operation in MacBook Air and Mac mini under light loads
Strong on‑device ML inference via Neural Engine

Cons

Only 8 CPU threads; heavy multi‑thread workloads can hit a ceiling
Max 16 GB unified memory; not user‑upgradeable
No eGPU support and limited PCIe expansion
Rosetta 2 translation layer for some x86 apps; not all software is native
Newer M2/M3 chips and modern x86 CPUs offer more cores, higher clocks, and better GPU performance

Apple M3

Pros

3 nm process for improved efficiency
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading
Dynamic Caching optimizes GPU memory usage
Strong single-core performance
Excellent battery life in supported systems

Cons

Single external display limit in most configurations
Memory not user-upgradable
Does not support Thunderbolt 4 on some models
No Wi-Fi 7 support on current implementations

Competitors & Alternatives

Apple M1

Intel Core i7-1165G7
Thin‑and‑Light Laptop
Rival
AMD Ryzen 7 5800U
Thin‑and‑Light Laptop
Rival
Intel Core i5-1135G7
Thin‑and‑Light Laptop
Rival
AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
Performance Laptop
Rival
Intel Core i7-11800H
High‑Performance Laptop
Rival
Apple M2
Alt
Same platform with ~18% faster CPU, 35% faster GPU, and support for up to 24 GB unified memory.
Compare head-to-head
Apple M1 Pro
Alt
More CPU/GPU cores and higher memory bandwidth for heavier creative workloads.
Compare head-to-head
AMD Ryzen 7 6800U
Alt
Modern x86 laptop CPU with higher multi‑thread performance and DDR5 memory.
Intel Core i7-1360P
Alt
Higher core count and better sustained multi‑thread performance in thin laptops.
Apple M3
Alt
Newer architecture with better GPU and CPU performance per watt and improved media engines.
Compare head-to-head

Apple M3

Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
Thin-and-Light
Rival
AMD Ryzen 7 8840U
Thin-and-Light
Rival
Apple M2
Previous-gen SoC
Rival
Compare head-to-head
Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite
Windows on ARM SoC
Rival
Apple M3 Pro
Alt
More CPU/GPU cores and increased memory bandwidth for heavier workloads.
Compare head-to-head
Apple M3 Max
Alt
Maximum core counts and memory support for professional creator workflows.
Compare head-to-head

Our Verdict on Each

Apple M1Recommended

A landmark chip that delivered class‑leading efficiency and single‑thread speed for thin laptops, still very capable for most users but increasingly outdated compared to M2/M3 and modern x86 rivals in multi‑thread and GPU workloads.

Best for: Used or refurbished M1 MacBook Air / Mac mini for general use, study, or light creative work at a low price

Read the full review

Apple M3Recommended

A balanced step forward that brings 3 nm efficiency, meaningful GPU features, and strong single-threaded performance to thin-and-light Macs.

Best for: Portable Mac for everyday productivity, light content creation, and student use

Read the full review

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Apple M1 or Apple M3?

Based on our editorial ratings, the Apple M1 comes out ahead with a score of 8.8/10. That said, the best choice depends on your workload — check the spec and performance breakdown above for gaming, productivity and efficiency differences.

Which is faster for gaming, Apple M1 or Apple M3?

For gaming, the Apple M1 leads with a gaming performance score of 72/100 among Apple M1 and Apple M3.

Do Apple M1 and Apple M3 use the same socket?

No. They use different sockets (Apple M1: On-package (BGA-style, not user-replaceable), Apple M3: Apple Silicon), so each needs a compatible motherboard.

Which is faster in multi-core benchmarks?

The Apple M1 posts the highest multi-core benchmark score. Multi-core results: Apple M1 (7,404). Benchmark figures are approximate and workload-dependent.