Specifically, the M1 Ultra outperformed a recent Alienware Aurora R13 desktop we tested (w/ Intel Core i7-12700KF, GeForce RTX 3080, 32GB RAM), an Origin Millennium (2022) we just reviewed (Core i9-12900K CPU, RTX 3080 Ti GPU, 32GB RAM), and an even more 3090-equipped HP Omen 45L we tested recently (Core i9-12900K, GeForce RTX 3090, 64GB RAM) in the Geekbench 5.4 multi-core CPU benchmark.

We ran the M1 Ultra through the Geekbench 5.4 CPU benchmarking test multiple times and after averaging the results, we found that the M1 Ultra does indeed outperform top-of-the-line Windows gaming PCs when it comes to multi-core CPU performance. The M1 Ultra does indeed outperform top-of-the-line Windows gaming PCs when it comes to multi-core CPU performance. Since our M1 Ultra is the best you can buy (at a rough price of $6,199) it sports a 20-core CPU and a 64-core GPU, as well as 128GB of unified memory (RAM) and a 2TB SSD. Notably, we ran the Ultra through the Geekbench 5.4 CPU benchmarks to get a sense of how effectively it handles single-core and multi-core workflows.

That latter claim may be true, but in terms of real-world performance it's clear the M1 Ultra can't match the best GPUs from Nvidia and AMD. This slide from Apple's March press event promises the M1 Ultra can deliver GPU performance comparable to Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3090 while drawing less power.

Handbrake for mac m1