Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i9-12900H

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   If there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i9-12900H and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing 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 joint testing in special testing software such as Prime95, 3DMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, WPrime, PCMark 10, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, Gears 5, RealBench, SuperPi, MATLAB, PassMark, VeraCrypt, 7zip, AIDA64, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, Dolphin Emulator.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900H or Apple M1 Pro.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Pro

59%

Core i9-12900H

66%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900H is 10% better than M1 Pro. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Pro

57%

Core i9-12900H

57%

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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, just 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: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Metro Exodus, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	100.8
Valorant	114.8	114.5
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	64.1
Apex Legends	107.9	107.7
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	85.9
Overwatch	93.0	92.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	79.0
DOOM Eternal	57.4	57.3
Warzone	89.5	89.3
Assassin's Creed	96.4	96.2
Valheim	95.3	95.1

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 participating in the comparing 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. To be sure exactly how much performance 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 Pro

358%

Core i9-12900H

143%

To make a finishing resolution on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 Pro is more energy efficient than the Core i9-12900H as it consumes less power: 16W vs. 45W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software 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 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 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	484
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	5097
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	808
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	11333
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	2866
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	32614

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900H
Single-Core	5046	7469
Multi-Core	32596	55757

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900H
Single-Core	1723	1935
Multi-Core	12737	12544

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 M1 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900H
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M1	FCBGA1744
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	12
Turbo Frequency		5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	10	14
Threads	10	20
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	34000 millions	12400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	16 W	45 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	32 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	108 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB	2 MB
L2 cache	24MB	8 MB
L3 cache	24MB	24 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1103

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-12900H is 15% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900H has 4 more core than M1 Pro. 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 Pro is better: 18
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900H is better: 18
However, it should be understood that all the number in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Pro and Intel Core i9-12900H before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M1 Pro - all data

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

• Apple M1 Pro specs and review.

Intel Core i9-12900H - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900H specs and review.