Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i7-11700K

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the full tests Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i7-11700K and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, streaming, video editing, machine learning. Here you can find all information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step 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 special testing software like AIDA64, RealBench, Gears 5, PassMark, Prime95, PCMark 10, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, Blender, 3DMark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, Furmark, SuperPi, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-11700K 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 i7-11700K

58%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 6% better than Core i7-11700K. 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 i7-11700K

56%

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 play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches 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 less popular games in which processors were compared: Monster Hunter World, Half-Life: Alyx, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	100.2
Valorant	120.4	113.8
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	63.7
Apex Legends	113.2	107.0
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	85.4
Overwatch	97.5	92.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	78.5
DOOM Eternal	60.2	56.9
Warzone	93.9	88.8
Assassin's Creed	101.2	95.6
Valheim	99.9	94.5

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 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. 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 i7-11700K

47%

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 M2 Max is more energy efficient than the Core i7-11700K since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 i7-11700K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	262
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	2507
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	612
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	5618
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1596
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	14869

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i7-11700K
Single-Core	6536	3562
Multi-Core	42246	27126

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i7-11700K
Single-Core	2096	1793
Multi-Core	17617	11929

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 i7-11700K
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 20, 2021
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1200
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Rocket Lake-S
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	11
Turbo Frequency		5 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	12	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate		12 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	8200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-3200
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s	64 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	4 MB
L3 cache	48MB	16 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 Core i7-11700K is 3% better than M2 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Max has 4 more core than Core i7-11700K. 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: 27
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-11700K is better: 11
Although it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Max and Intel Core i7-11700K before making a selection 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 i7-11700K specs and review.