Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Xeon Gold 6242R

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Xeon Gold 6242R and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Furmark, AIDA64, Handbrake, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, Prime95, PCMark 10, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Xeon Gold 6242R 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%

Xeon Gold 6242R

60%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Xeon Gold 6242R is 1% better than M1 Pro. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Pro

57%

Xeon Gold 6242R

66%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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 small game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: League of Legends (LOL), Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, DOTA 2A, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	117.7
Valorant	114.8	133.8
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	74.9
Apex Legends	107.9	125.8
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	100.4
Overwatch	93.0	108.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	92.3
DOOM Eternal	57.4	66.9
Warzone	89.5	104.4
Assassin's Creed	96.4	112.4
Valheim	95.3	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 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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Pro

358%

Xeon Gold 6242R

17%

To make a final decision 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 Xeon Gold 6242R since it has less power consumption: 16W vs. 205W. 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, machine learning, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	216
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	5946
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	497
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	14382
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	1269
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	36754

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Single-Core	5046	2419
Multi-Core	32596	34882

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Single-Core	1723	1073
Multi-Core	12737	29161

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 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. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain 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 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	October 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	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	34000 millions	7510 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	16 W	205 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	32 Gb	1 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	24MB	35.75 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	Yes
Part number	APL1103

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 Pro 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 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: 15
The number of parameters for which Intel Xeon Gold 6242R is better: 23
Although it should be realized that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M1 Pro and Intel Xeon Gold 6242R before deciding 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 Xeon Gold 6242R specs and review.