Apple M1X Chip benchmark leak hints at a powerful 12-core CPU and 16-core GPU

A new leak on CPU Monkey, a CPU comparison and benchmarking site, suggests that Apple is getting ready to launch the M1X chip as the successor to the impressive M1. It’s rumoured that the M1X chip will be available in new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models and in an iMac.

Apple’s Silicon M1 chip can be found in the recent line of MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros, superseding the Intel chips in previous models with awesome power and performance. The M1 has an 8-core CPU with four high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores. If the new rumours are true, the M1X CPU will boast 12 cores, with eight high-performance cores.

• Read more: Apple M1 MacBook Pro Review

CPU Monkey’s benchmark results show that the M1X will also feature a 16-core GPU with 256 execution units – double the units found in the M1.

The Cinebench R23 multi-core benchmark tests put the power into perspective, with a score of 14,450 points. By contrast, the Apple M1 scored 7,760 points. To compensate for the extra power the processor will need, the wattage will increase, with a maximum of 45 watts.

Apple’s M1 MacBooks and Mac Mini carry a maximum of 16GB RAM. The benchmarks appear to indicate this will stay the same in the new M1X models. Though this may not seem ample for the heavy-duty music and audio tasks that producers undertake, the architecture of the chip brings more power and efficiency than most computers equipped with 16GB RAM.

At Apple’s WWDC 2020 event, Tim Cook announced that Apple would embark on a two-year transition period in which Apple Silicon would replace the Intel chips in all its Macintosh computers. The M1X is rumoured to be part of a range of new chips, including a 32-core CPU for Mac Pros and 32-core GPUs for high-end MacBook Pros. The M1X might just be the next chip we see before a next-gen M2 chip.

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