Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i9-10900K

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   For example you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the full tests Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i9-10900K and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, streaming, programming, rendering, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like Blender, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, Blender, AIDA64, Handbrake, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, PCMark 10, WPrime, 3DMark, Prime95, SuperPi, 7zip.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10900K 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 i9-10900K

57%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 8% better than Core i9-10900K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Max

60%

Core i9-10900K

58%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, 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. 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 summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, Battlefield V, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 4.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	102.7
Valorant	120.4	116.7
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	65.3
Apex Legends	113.2	109.7
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	87.5
Overwatch	97.5	94.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	80.5
DOOM Eternal	60.2	58.3
Warzone	93.9	91.0
Assassin's Creed	101.2	98.0
Valheim	99.9	96.8

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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Max

465%

Core i9-10900K

43%

To make a final resolution 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 i9-10900K since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 use only one core to work, and all the benefit 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 i9-10900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	234
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	2677
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	539
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	6399
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1418
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	17325

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	6536	3141
Multi-Core	42246	24010

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	2096	1617
Multi-Core	17617	14374

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i9-10900K
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	April 01, 2020
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1200
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Comet Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	10
Turbo Frequency		5.3 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	12	10
Threads	12	20
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
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 Core i9-10900K is 5% better than M2 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Max has 2 more core than Core i9-10900K. 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 i9-10900K is better: 10
However, it should be realized that all the number in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 Max and Intel Core i9-10900K before making a selection 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 i9-10900K specs and review.