Apple M2 vs Intel Core i5-12500

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Apple M2 vs Intel Core i5-12500 tests and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, machine learning, video editing, rendering, programming. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like AIDA64, 3DMark, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Prime95, WPrime, PassMark, 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, Furmark, PCMark 10, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, VeraCrypt, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

DOOM: Eternal
Rainbow Six Siege
Watch Dogs Legion
Grand Theft Auto V
Apex Legends
Last Man Standing
Valorant
Fallout 76
Red Dead Redemption 2
Halo Infinite
Death Stranding
Borderlands 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Cyberpunk 2077
Fortnite
Valheim
Overwatch
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Assassin's Creed Valhalla

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12500 or Apple M2.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

59%

Core i5-12500

56%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 5% better than Core i5-12500. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i5-12500

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, NBA 2K20, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, Monster Hunter World, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, DOTA 2A, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	97.2
Valorant	110.7	110.5
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	61.9
Apex Legends	104.1	103.8
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	82.8
Overwatch	89.7	89.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	76.2
DOOM Eternal	55.4	55.2
Warzone	86.4	86.2
Assassin's Creed	93.0	92.8
Valheim	91.9	91.7

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

535%

Core i5-12500

86%

To make a final resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M2 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12500 since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	298
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	2182
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	715
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	4955
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1672
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	16334

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12500
Single-Core	4095	3919
Multi-Core	29665	22868

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12500
Single-Core	1929	1685
Multi-Core	9243	9016

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12500
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	8	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400
Memory bandwidth		76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB
L3 cache	16MB	18 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 is 5% better than Core i5-12500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 has 2 more core than Core i5-12500. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Apple M2 is better: 25
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12500 is better: 11
However, it should be understood that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i5-12500 before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Apple M2 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Apple M2 specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12500 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i5-12500 specs and review.