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Apple M1 (GPU, various configurations) vs Apple M3 (GPU, 8 cores): specs and benchmark comparison

AApple · Apple Silicon

Apple M1 (GPU, various configurations)

    2020

    BApple · Apple Silicon

    Apple M3 (GPU, 8 cores)

    • 8 GPU cores

    2023

    Short verdict

    Not enough data for a performance conclusion: the database has no comparable benchmarks for this pair. Below are the key differences in official specifications.

    Compare with AI

    Advantages

    Only measured and rated values: a noticeable benchmark gap and specs where more is better.

    Where Apple M1 (GPU, various configurations) is better0

    No advantages found in our data.

    Where Apple M3 (GPU, 8 cores) is better0

    No advantages found in our data.

    Benchmarks

    Results are compared within one benchmark, one version and the same conditions.

    • Blender Benchmark 4.5.0

      GPU, sum of scenes monster + junkshop + classroom (OptiX / HIP / oneAPI / Metal) · samples/min, higher is better

      No advantage conclusion: no comparable result for the first model.

      About the measurement and source
      A · Apple M1 (GPU, various configurations)
      no comparable result
      B · Apple M3 (GPU, 8 cores)

      884.9 samples/min · community measurement, sample 4 · November 14, 2026

      Blender Open Data (Blender Foundation)

      Median of 4 submissions (0 outliers excluded), interquartile range 878.51–891.2; submissions 2025-07-31 to 2026-01-04; METAL backend. Snapshot 2026-11-14.

      difference = |A − B| ÷ the smaller value × 100%. The 5% noticeable threshold is a UX heuristic, not statistical significance.

      Cycles render in Blender Benchmark. Median of the sum of samples per minute over three scenes after removing outliers.

    Reference results (7)
    BenchmarkABDifference
    Blender Benchmark 3.1.0GPU, sum of scenes monster + junkshop + classroom (OptiX / HIP / oneAPI / Metal)192.8—no pair
    Blender Benchmark 3.1.2GPU, sum of scenes monster + junkshop + classroom (OptiX / HIP / oneAPI / Metal)184.7—no pair
    Blender Benchmark 3.2.0GPU, sum of scenes monster + junkshop + classroom (OptiX / HIP / oneAPI / Metal)197.2—no pair
    Blender Benchmark 3.2.1GPU, sum of scenes monster + junkshop + classroom (OptiX / HIP / oneAPI / Metal)185.8—no pair
    Blender Benchmark 4.3.0GPU, sum of scenes monster + junkshop + classroom (OptiX / HIP / oneAPI / Metal)—883.8no pair
    Blender Benchmark 4.4.0GPU, sum of scenes monster + junkshop + classroom (OptiX / HIP / oneAPI / Metal)—904.9no pair
    Blender Benchmark 5.0.0GPU, sum of scenes monster + junkshop + classroom (OptiX / HIP / oneAPI / Metal)—892.3no pair

    Each benchmark version has its own scale: numbers are compared only within a row.

    Specifications

    Chip

    • GPU chip

      AApple M1

      BApple M3

      differs

    • Architecture

      AApple Silicon

      BApple Silicon

      equal

    • Compute units

      Ano data

      B8 GPU cores

      no data for A

      SM (NVIDIA), CU (AMD) and Xe-core (Intel) are different units and are not compared numerically across vendors.

    Memory

    • Memory type

      AUnified memory

      BUnified memory

      equal

    “More” does not always mean “better”: higher power draw or size is a system requirement, not an advantage (such bars are dimmed).

    Compare with AI

    An AI model reviews the specs and benchmarks of this pair and gives a plain-language verdict on who each model suits.

    AI verdict
    Data sources (2)
    • Apple — specifications of Apple M1 (GPU, various configurations), specifications of Apple M3 (GPU, 8 cores)checked November 14, 2026
    • Blender Open Data (Blender Foundation) — benchmark Blender Benchmark 3.1.0, benchmark Blender Benchmark 3.1.2, benchmark Blender Benchmark 3.2.0, benchmark Blender Benchmark 3.2.1, benchmark Blender Benchmark 4.5.0, benchmark Blender Benchmark 4.3.0, benchmark Blender Benchmark 4.4.0, benchmark Blender Benchmark 5.0.0checked November 14, 2026

    How we compare: methodology. Where the data comes from: sources.

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