Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i5-13500

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i5-13500 tests and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, video editing, machine learning, streaming. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, UserBenchmark, Prime95, WPrime, PCMark 10, PassMark, 7zip, VeraCrypt, SuperPi, Blender, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, Blender, MATLAB, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-13500 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 i5-13500

61%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 1% better than Core i5-13500. 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 i5-13500

59%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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. 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 other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, Forza Horizon 4, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	104.0
Valorant	120.4	118.2
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	66.2
Apex Legends	113.2	111.1
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	88.6
Overwatch	97.5	95.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	81.6
DOOM Eternal	60.2	59.1
Warzone	93.9	92.2
Assassin's Creed	101.2	99.3
Valheim	99.9	98.1

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 i5-13500

94%

To make a finishing choice 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 i5-13500 since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, 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 uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in 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 M2 Max	Intel Core i5-13500
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	336
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	3353
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	549
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	7434
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1895
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	21360

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i5-13500
Single-Core	6536	1732
Multi-Core	42246	36394

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i5-13500
Single-Core	2096	1846
Multi-Core	17617	15694

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i5-13500
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	September 23, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Raptor Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	13
Turbo Frequency		4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	2.5 MHz
Cores	12	14
Threads	12	20
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	14200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	4800
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s	68 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB	2 MB
L2 cache	24MB	4 MB
L3 cache	48MB	20 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 28% better than Core i5-13500 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-13500 has 2 more core than M2 Max. 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: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-13500 is better: 11
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 Max and Intel Core i5-13500 before making a choice which CPU 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 i5-13500 - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-13500 specs and review.