Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i5-12450H

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   If there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i5-12450H and see which is better for games or simple use for streaming, video editing, machine learning, rendering, programming. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as Handbrake, VeraCrypt, 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, 3DMark, Blender, WPrime, RealBench, Blender, Furmark, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, MATLAB, AIDA64, PassMark, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12450H or Apple M2 Max.

Summary benchmark results

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

M2 Max

62%

Core i5-12450H

57%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 8% better than Core i5-12450H. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Max

60%

Core i5-12450H

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	96.8
Valorant	120.4	110.0
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	61.6
Apex Legends	113.2	103.4
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	82.5
Overwatch	97.5	89.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	75.9
DOOM Eternal	60.2	55.0
Warzone	93.9	85.8
Assassin's Creed	101.2	92.4
Valheim	99.9	91.3

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So 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

M2 Max

465%

Core i5-12450H

137%

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 M2 Max is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12450H since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 40W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has. 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. Since 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 M2 Max	Intel Core i5-12450H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	312
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	2282
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	748
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	5183
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1749
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	17085

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i5-12450H
Single-Core	6536	4099
Multi-Core	42246	23919

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i5-12450H
Single-Core	2096	1653
Multi-Core	17617	8588

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 M2 Max	Intel Core i5-12450H
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1744
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	12	8
Threads	12	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	40 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	64 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	48MB	12 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 Max is 5% better than Core i5-12450H in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Max has 4 more core than Core i5-12450H. 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 M2 Max is better: 29
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12450H is better: 6
However, it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 Max and Intel Core i5-12450H before making a choice which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Apple M2 Max - all data

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

• Apple M2 Max specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12450H - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12450H specs and review.