It's not about helping Apple. The M1 beats every x86 CPU in absolute single threaded performance, as well as multicore performance per watt. Hopefully AMD will close the gap (I don't have much hope for Intel), but for now it's an extremely attractive target for Linux.
The M1 beats every old x86 CPU in single threaded performance.
The M1 is slower in single threaded performance than any AMD Zen 3 CPU at 4.8 GHz or higher clock frequency and also slower than any Intel Tiger Lake or Rocket Lake CPU at 5.0 GHz or higher clock frequency.
For example the maximum recorded single-thread Geekbench 5 score for M1 is 1753, while Ryzen 9 59xx score above 1800 and up to 1876. The first Rocket Lake record at 5.3 GHz is 1896, but it is expected that it will score better than that, above 1900.
In benchmarks that unlike GB5 focus more on computational performance in optimized programs, Intel/AMD have an even greater advantage in ST performance than above. (For example, in gmpbench even the old Ryzen 7 3700X beats Apple M1, even when using on Apple a libgmp that was tuned specifically for M1.)
What is true is that Apple M1 is much faster (on average) in ST than any non-overclocked CPU launched before mid 2020.
I just want to say, I think we should also stop treating "performance/watt" as a mere "mobility" issue. It's also about the future of this planet and human survival. It's never okay to blow away energy, when we got alternatives.
I hope the M1 will bring a change to computation in general..
