Apple M1 vs AMD A4-1200. Specifications, performance, tests

Comprehensive background on the processors being compared, detailing their series, generation, and targeted market segment.

• Segment
  Mobile Mobile
• Family
  Apple M series AMD A
• Generation
  1 7
• CPU group
  Apple M1 AMD A4-1000

Essential parameters including the number of cores, threads, base and turbo frequencies, and cache size. These metrics provide insight into the processor’s speed—higher values generally indicate better performance.

• Frequency
  3.20 GHz 1.00 GHz
• CPU Cores
  8 2
• Turbo (1 Core)
  No turbo No turbo
• CPU Threads
  8 2
• Hyperthreading
  No No
• Overclocking
  No Yes
• Core architecture
  hybrid (big.LITTLE) normal
• A core
  4x Firestorm --
• B core
  4x Icestorm --

The integrated graphics (iGPU) do not influence the CPU performance significantly; they serve as a substitute for a dedicated graphics card in the absence of one or are utilized in mobile devices.

• GPU name
  Apple M1 (8 Core) AMD Radeon HD 8180
• GPU frequency
  3.20 GHz 0.23 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo No turbo
• Execution units
  128 2
• Shader
  0 128
• Max. GPU Memory
  8 GB 2 GB
• Max. displays
  2 2
• Generation
  1 5
• DirectX Version
  11.1
• Technology
  5 nm 28 nm
• Release date
  Q4/2020 Q2/2013

This section details the built-in codecs used for encoding and decoding media content, which significantly enhance processing speed and efficiency.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  Decode / Encode No
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  Decode / Encode No
• h264
  Decode / Encode Decode
• VP9
  Decode / Encode No
• VP8
  Decode No
• AV1
  Decode No
• AVC
  Decode Decode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

Overview of the types and quantities of RAM supported by AMD A4-1200 and Apple M1. The supported memory frequencies may vary depending on the motherboard configuration.

• Memory type
  LPDDR4X-4266 DDR3L-1066 SO-DIMM
• Max. Memory
  16 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  2 2
• PCIe version
  4.0

• AES-NI
  Yes Yes

Analyze the TDP (Thermal Design Power) requirements of Apple M1 and AMD A4-1200 to make an informed decision on the appropriate cooling system. Remember that TDP refers to thermal watts, not electrical watts.

• TDP (PL1)
  15 W 3.9 W
• TDP up
  20 W --
• TDP down
  10 W --

Information on architecture, interfaces, and additional instructions supported by Apple M1 and AMD A4-1200, including virtual machine technologies and fabrication processes.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None AMD-V
• ISA extensions
  Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, FMA3, FMA4
• L2-Cache
  16.00 MB --
• L3-Cache
  -- 1.00 MB
• Architecture
  M1 Temash (Jaguar)
• Technology
  5 nm 28 nm
• Socket
  N/A FT3
• Release date
  Q4/2020 Q2/2013