Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Xeon Gold 6246R

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Xeon Gold 6246R and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, Gears 5, Furmark, PCMark 10, Prime95, Handbrake, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, Blender, 7zip, UserBenchmark, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, AIDA64, SuperPi, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Xeon Gold 6246R 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 6246R

59%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Pro

57%

Xeon Gold 6246R

62%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	109.5
Valorant	114.8	124.5
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	69.7
Apex Legends	107.9	117.0
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	93.4
Overwatch	93.0	100.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	85.9
DOOM Eternal	57.4	62.2
Warzone	89.5	97.1
Assassin's Creed	96.4	104.6
Valheim	95.3	103.3

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 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 6246R

16%

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 6246R as it consumes less power: 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. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. 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. Since there are still many programs that can 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 6246R
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	179
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	5252
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	397
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	12359
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	1059
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	29861

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6246R
Single-Core	5046	2365
Multi-Core	32596	30393

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6246R
Single-Core	1723	1041
Multi-Core	12737	21110

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6246R
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	3.4 MHz
Cores	10	16
Threads	10	32
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 Xeon Gold 6246R is 5% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Gold 6246R has 6 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 6246R is better: 23
Although it should be understood that the summary data that you have looked at here 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 real owners of Apple M1 Pro and Intel Xeon Gold 6246R before making a decision which of the processors to buy for gaming.

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 6246R specs and review.