Apple Silicon vs. Intel Macs: What's the Difference?

Curious about the differences between Apple Silicon vs Intel Macs? Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and newer) use Apple's custom-built ARM-based chips, which are a different architecture from older Intel Macs. This guide covers the biggest changes in Apple Silicon vs. Intel Macs, how to know which chip you have, and the best way to run Windows on your Apple Silicon Mac.

Curious about the differences between Apple Silicon vs Intel Macs? Apple Silicon Macs, which started with the M1, use Apple's custom-built ARM-based chips, while older Intel Macs use x86 processors.

The difference shows up in a few key ways, including speed and general performance. The change is also important when it comes to running Windows on your Mac; Intel Macs could install Windows through Boot Camp, while modern Apple Silicon Macs run Windows 11 on Arm inside a virtual machine (VM).

This guide covers the biggest changes in Apple Silicon vs. Intel Macs, tells you how to figure out which chip you have, and breaks down the best way to run Windows on your Mac inside a VM, using Parallels Desktop.

Apple Silicon Macs use Apple's own ARM-based M-series chips; Intel Macs use x86 processors. Apple Silicon is faster and far more power-efficient, but it runs the ARM version of Windows in a virtual machine instead of Boot Camp.

Apple Silicon vs Intel: Side-by-side

The Apple Silicon vs Intel Macs difference starts with processor architecture, but its effects reach performance, battery life, software compatibility, and how Windows runs on a Mac.

Here's how those differences stack up:

How to tell if your Mac is Apple Silicon or Intel

Have you ever wondered, “Do I have Apple Silicon or Intel?”

To check whether your Mac has Apple Silicon or an Intel processor, open the Apple menu and select About This Mac. Look for a line labeled “Chip” or “Processor”: an Apple M-series name means you have Apple Silicon, while an Intel processor name means you have an Intel Mac.

1. Click the Apple menu in the upper-left corner of your screen.
2. Select About This Mac.
3. Find the hardware information shown near the top of the window.
4. Check whether it says Chip or Processor:
   1. Chip: Apple M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, or another M-series model means your Mac uses Apple Silicon.
   2. Processor: Intel Core i5, Core i7, Core i9, Core M, or Xeon means your Mac uses an Intel processor.

Knowing which chip you have is important before installing Windows or moving an existing virtual machine. Because of architectural differences, the Windows version you need depends on your Mac's chip.

What it means for running Windows

If you're a Mac user who wants to run Windows, the differences between Apple Silicon vs Intel are critical to understand. Your Mac's processor determines how Windows can run: Intel Macs support a dual-boot setup, while Apple Silicon Macs use virtualization to run Windows alongside macOS.

Let's break down what that means:

• On Intel Macs, Apple's Boot Camp Assistant lets users install an x86 version of Windows on a separate disk partition. Switching between macOS and Windows requires restarting the Mac. Boot Camp is not available on Apple Silicon.
• On M-series Macs, Apple uses the ARM architecture and runs Windows 11 on ARM inside a virtual machine. Windows and macOS can run side by side, with no reboot required. Windows 11 on Arm can also run many x86 and x64 Windows applications through Microsoft's Prism translation layer.

For Apple Silicon, Parallels Desktop provides the only Microsoft-authorized way to run Windows 11.

Should you upgrade from Intel to Apple Silicon?

For most Mac users, upgrading from an Intel Mac to Apple Silicon is worth it for better performance, longer battery life, and quieter everyday use. The main reason to delay is a critical dependency on older Intel-only software, specialized drivers, or a Boot Camp workflow you cannot replace.

It's likely time to upgrade from an Intel Mac to Apple Silicon if:

• Your Intel Mac is more than four or five years old and feels noticeably slower than it used to.
• You want longer battery life for working on the go.
• You run demanding creative or development workloads and want faster render, build, or export times.
• Your Intel Mac no longer supports the macOS and applications you need.

Apple Silicon is also the better fit for users who regularly multitask, run creative software, compile code, or keep a Windows virtual machine open alongside macOS apps.

You might wait if:

• Your current Mac still handles your daily workload comfortably.
• You depend on a niche Intel-only app or driver that hasn't been tested on Apple Silicon yet.

Before upgrading, check the compatibility of any essential software and hardware. Most current Mac applications support Apple Silicon, and Windows 11 on ARM can run many x86 and x64 Windows apps through Microsoft's Prism translation layer.

However, older apps that depend on unsupported kernel extensions or certain drivers may require testing or an alternative workflow. Parallels Desktop runs more than 200,000 Windows applications on Apple Silicon.

How Parallels Desktop helps you move to Apple Silicon

Apple Silicon Macs outperform their Intel predecessors on speed, battery life, and thermals. And if you're worried about losing Windows access, you don't need to: Windows runs on Apple Silicon, but through a virtual machine instead of Boot Camp.

With Parallels Desktop, running Windows on Apple Silicon takes just a few clicks. Run Windows 11 alongside macOS seamlessly with Coherence Mode, no reboot or partitioning required.

Moving to Apple Silicon?

Try running Windows with Parallels Desktop through a free 14-day trial.