Apple's M1 chip has already proven to be a force to be reckoned with, but according to newly released benchmark tests, Intel and AMD should be very afraid.

According to the PassMark benchmark, the M1 beats the upcoming Intel Core i7-11700K CPU in single-core performance. This means that the only chip that performs better than the M1 is the Core i9-11900K.

The M1 chip has already proven itself; developing a chip for the Mac in-house was a big step, especially given the dominance of Intel and AMD. But Apple has proven that it has what it takes to make it work, as evidenced by the impressive performance of the M1 chip launched last year.

In our tests, we found that the M1 MacBook Air and M1 MacBook Pro had better battery life than their Intel-powered counterparts. Performance was also much better in our experience, especially with resource-intensive applications like Google Chrome and Photoshop.

Interestingly, Intel has already claimed that its Core i7-1165G7 processor offers faster processing and better battery life than Apple's M1 chip. Critics point out that Intel's numbers come with some caveats.

Additionally, we have heard some rumors about the M1X chip. It is speculated that this chip will appear during Apple's April event, but no official announcement has been made yet.

Of course, it's not just about performance: according to NoteBook Check, the MSRP for the Rocket Lake i9-11900K is $539. The M1 Mac Mini is available for $699, which is $160 more than the cost of the i9-11900K alone and you get the entire M1 machine.

Of course, the M1 MacBook Air starts at $999 and the M1 MacBook Pro at $1299. Apple just happens to beat Intel in the balance of power and affordability.

Of course, the M1 chip still has a ways to go when it comes to gaming, even though it can run some mainstream titles at respectable frame rates. We will have to wait and see how the Apple silicon evolves in this regard.