Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i7-12700HL

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Apple M1 Max vs Intel Core i7-12700HL and see which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, streaming, programming, machine learning. Here you can find useful 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 read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, MATLAB, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, Gears 5, WPrime, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, AIDA64, Handbrake, Blender, VeraCrypt, Prime95, Blender.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-12700HL 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 i7-12700HL

60%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

Core i7-12700HL

57%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that 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 other games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	101.8
Valorant	115.1	115.6
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	64.8
Apex Legends	108.2	108.7
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	86.7
Overwatch	93.2	93.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	79.8
DOOM Eternal	57.6	57.8
Warzone	89.8	90.2
Assassin's Creed	96.7	97.1
Valheim	95.5	96.0

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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 i7-12700HL

138%

To make a final 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 i7-12700HL since it has less power consumption: 18W vs. 45W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 M1 Max	Intel Core i7-12700HL
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	431
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	3190
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	1041
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	7251
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	2444
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	23918

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i7-12700HL
Single-Core	5344	5733
Multi-Core	34572	33488

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i7-12700HL
Single-Core	1793	1868
Multi-Core	13028	13487

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 newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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 in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Core i7-12700HL
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	August 17, 2022
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Embedded
Socket	M1	FCBGA1744
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	12
Turbo Frequency		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	2.3 MHz
Cores	10	14
Threads	10	20
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	45 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 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	24 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1105	Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 Max is 28% better than Core i7-12700HL in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-12700HL has 4 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: 9
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-12700HL is better: 27
The summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M1 Max and Intel Core i7-12700HL before making a choice 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 i7-12700HL - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-12700HL specs and review.