Apple M1 Max vs Intel Xeon Gold 6242R

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Apple M1 Max vs Intel Xeon Gold 6242R tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like Blender, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, SuperPi, Blender, UserBenchmark, PassMark, RealBench, WPrime, 3DMark, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Gears 5, AIDA64, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Xeon Gold 6242R 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%

Xeon Gold 6242R

60%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

Xeon Gold 6242R

66%

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 play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Ghostrunner, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World, NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Battlefield V, Control, Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	117.7
Valorant	115.1	133.8
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	74.9
Apex Legends	108.2	125.8
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	100.4
Overwatch	93.2	108.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	92.3
DOOM Eternal	57.6	66.9
Warzone	89.8	104.4
Assassin's Creed	96.7	112.4
Valheim	95.5	111.1

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have 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. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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%

Xeon Gold 6242R

17%

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 M1 Max is more energy efficient than the Xeon Gold 6242R since it has less power consumption: 18W vs. 205W. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 Xeon Gold 6242R
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	216
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	5946
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	497
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	14382
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1269
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	36754

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Single-Core	5344	2419
Multi-Core	34572	34882

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

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Single-Core	1793	1073
Multi-Core	13028	29161

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, 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 the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Max	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	October 01, 2020
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Server
Socket	M1	FCLGA3647
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Cascade Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	2
Turbo Frequency		4.1 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	10	20
Threads	10	40
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	7510 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	205 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	64 Gb	1 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	48MB	35.75 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	Yes
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 3% better than Xeon Gold 6242R in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Gold 6242R has 10 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: 16
The number of parameters for which Intel Xeon Gold 6242R is better: 22
However, it should be realized that all the figures in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M1 Max and Intel Xeon Gold 6242R before making a choice which CPU 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 Xeon Gold 6242R specs and review.