Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i5-12500H

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i5-12500H tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for streaming, programming, video editing, rendering, machine learning. Here you can find all information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as Furmark, SuperPi, VeraCrypt, WPrime, Prime95, 3DMark, PCMark 10, RealBench, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, Blender, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, AIDA64, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12500H 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 i5-12500H

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 i5-12500H. 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 i5-12500H

55%

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 low 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 CPU comparisons were performed: NBA 2K20, Control, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ghostrunner, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Half-Life: Alyx, League of Legends (LOL), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	98.6
Valorant	120.4	112.0
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	62.7
Apex Legends	113.2	105.3
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	84.0
Overwatch	97.5	90.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	77.3
DOOM Eternal	60.2	56.0
Warzone	93.9	87.4
Assassin's Creed	101.2	94.1
Valheim	99.9	93.0

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: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Max

465%

Core i5-12500H

143%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M2 Max is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12500H as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 40W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve 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 find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 M2 Max	Intel Core i5-12500H
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 i5-12500H
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 i5-12500H
Single-Core	2096	1721
Multi-Core	17617	10346

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i5-12500H
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		4.5 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	12	12
Threads	12	16
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	18 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 i5-12500H in terms of CPU frequency. 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: 28
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12500H is better: 7
Although it should be realized that all the figures in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Max and Intel Core i5-12500H before making a decision which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i5-12500H - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12500H specs and review.