Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i9-12900HX

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests Apple M1 Ultra vs Intel Core i9-12900HX and see which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, streaming, video editing, rendering, programming. Here you can find all information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as Blender, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, PassMark, 7zip, WPrime, Handbrake, Prime95, 3DMark, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, RealBench, PCMark 10.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900HX or Apple M1 Ultra.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Ultra

68%

Core i9-12900HX

69%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900HX is 1% better than M1 Ultra. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Ultra

64%

Core i9-12900HX

59%

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 run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think 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: NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Half-Life: Alyx, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, League of Legends (LOL).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	104.5
Valorant	128.6	118.8
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	66.5
Apex Legends	120.8	111.6
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	89.1
Overwatch	104.1	96.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	82.0
DOOM Eternal	64.3	59.4
Warzone	100.3	92.6
Assassin's Creed	108.0	99.8
Valheim	106.7	98.6

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 Ultra

272%

Core i9-12900HX

118%

To make a finishing 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 Ultra is more energy efficient than the Core i9-12900HX since it has less power consumption: 20W vs. 55W. 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 calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes 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 using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 Ultra	Intel Core i9-12900HX
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555	560
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	5904
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	936
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	13128
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	3320
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	37780

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i9-12900HX
Single-Core	9611	3557
Multi-Core	62194	64783

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i9-12900HX
Single-Core	1637	1947
Multi-Core	24642	16198

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 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, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Ultra	Intel Core i9-12900HX
Announcement date	April 09, 2022	June 26, 2022
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	M1	FCBGA1964
Core name	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	12
Turbo Frequency		5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	20	16
Threads	20	24
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	12400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	55 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	128 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	6400
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB	2 MB
L2 cache	48MB	8 MB
L3 cache	96MB	30 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1W06

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-12900HX is 11% better than M1 Ultra in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 4 more core than Core i9-12900HX. 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 Ultra is better: 22
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900HX is better: 13
However, it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Ultra and Intel Core i9-12900HX before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M1 Ultra - all data

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

• Apple M1 Ultra specs and review.

Intel Core i9-12900HX - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900HX specs and review.