Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i5-12500H

Processor comparisons   21-10-2022
   For example you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i5-12500H tests and see which is better for games or simple use for streaming, machine learning, rendering, programming, video editing. Here you can find all information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like RealBench, Handbrake, PassMark, PCMark 10, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, Blender, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Prime95, WPrime, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, 7zip, AIDA64.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12500H 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 i5-12500H

57%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Max is 5% better than Core i5-12500H. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

Core i5-12500H

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	98.6
Valorant	115.1	112.0
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	62.7
Apex Legends	108.2	105.3
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	84.0
Overwatch	93.2	90.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	77.3
DOOM Eternal	57.6	56.0
Warzone	89.8	87.4
Assassin's Creed	96.7	94.1
Valheim	95.5	93.0

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Max

332%

Core i5-12500H

143%

To make a finishing decision 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 i5-12500H as it consumes less power: 18W vs. 40W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out 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 use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 i5-12500H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	312
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	2282
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	748
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	5183
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1749
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	17085

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i5-12500H
Single-Core	5344	4099
Multi-Core	34572	23919

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i5-12500H
Single-Core	1793	1721
Multi-Core	13028	10346

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i5-12500H
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Laptop
Socket	M1	FCBGA1744
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	12
Turbo Frequency		4.5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	10	12
Threads	10	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	40 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s
Max. Memory	64 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	48MB	18 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 Core i5-12500H is 3% better than M1 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-12500H has 2 more core than M1 Max. 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: 24
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12500H is better: 12
However, it should be realized that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M1 Max and Intel Core i5-12500H before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i5-12500H - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12500H specs and review.