Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i5-12490F

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i5-12490F tests and see which is better for games or normal use for video editing, machine learning, rendering, programming, streaming. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like AIDA64, PCMark 10, RealBench, VeraCrypt, Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, 3DMark, Handbrake, MATLAB, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, Prime95, Gears 5, WPrime, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Blender, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12490F or Apple M1 Max.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Max

60%

Core i5-12490F

58%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Max is 3% better than Core i5-12490F. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

Core i5-12490F

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	97.4
Valorant	115.1	110.7
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	62.0
Apex Legends	108.2	104.1
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	83.1
Overwatch	93.2	89.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	76.4
DOOM Eternal	57.6	55.4
Warzone	89.8	86.4
Assassin's Creed	96.7	93.0
Valheim	95.5	91.9

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 comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So 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

M1 Max

332%

Core i5-12490F

99%

To make a finishing 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 M1 Max is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12490F since it has less power consumption: 18W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i5-12490F
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	351
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	2602
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	849
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	5918
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1993
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	19522

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i5-12490F
Single-Core	5344	4680
Multi-Core	34572	27334

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i5-12490F
Single-Core	1793	1938
Multi-Core	13028	9261

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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 still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i5-12490F
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA1700
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	12
Turbo Frequency		4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	10	6
Threads	10	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	7.5 ÐœÐ‘
L3 cache	48MB	20 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1105

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 Max is 6% better than Core i5-12490F in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Max has 4 more core than Core i5-12490F. 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 M1 Max is better: 23
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12490F is better: 14
Although it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M1 Max and Intel Core i5-12490F before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Apple M1 Max - all data

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

• Apple M1 Max specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12490F - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12490F specs and review.