Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i9-11980HK

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i9-11980HK and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, programming, rendering, video editing, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, RealBench, Blender, AIDA64, Gears 5, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, PCMark 10, Prime95, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, PassMark, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-11980HK 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 i9-11980HK

58%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 6% better than Core i9-11980HK. 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 i9-11980HK

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	98.4
Valorant	120.4	111.8
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	62.6
Apex Legends	113.2	105.1
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	83.9
Overwatch	97.5	90.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	77.2
DOOM Eternal	60.2	55.9
Warzone	93.9	87.2
Assassin's Creed	101.2	93.9
Valheim	99.9	92.8

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 participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD 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 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 i9-11980HK

82%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i9-11980HK as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, machine learning, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach 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 check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because 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 i9-11980HK
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	298
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	2704
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	668
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	6009
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1735
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	17294

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i9-11980HK
Single-Core	6536	3989
Multi-Core	42246	29565

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

	Apple M2 Max	Intel Core i9-11980HK
Single-Core	2096	1599
Multi-Core	17617	10219

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. The savings 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 i9-11980HK
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	February 21, 2021
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1787
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Tiger Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	11
Turbo Frequency		5 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	12	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	10 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	64 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s	51.2 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	4 MB
L3 cache	48MB	24 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 i9-11980HK in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Max has 4 more core than Core i9-11980HK. 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 i9-11980HK is better: 10
However, it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Max and Intel Core i9-11980HK 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 i9-11980HK - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-11980HK specs and review.