Apple M2 Pro vs Apple M1 Pro

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   Let's say you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Apple M2 Pro vs Apple M1 Pro tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, machine learning, streaming, programming, video editing. Here you can find useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, Prime95, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, Furmark, MATLAB, WPrime, RealBench, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Apple M1 Pro or Apple M2 Pro.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

M2 Pro

61%

M1 Pro

59%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 3% better than M1 Pro. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Pro

59%

M1 Pro

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	101.0
Valorant	119.1	114.8
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	64.3
Apex Legends	111.9	107.9
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	86.1
Overwatch	96.5	93.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	79.2
DOOM Eternal	59.5	57.4
Warzone	92.9	89.5
Assassin's Creed	100.0	96.4
Valheim	98.8	95.3

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, FullHD or 4K. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Pro

496%

M1 Pro

358%

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 Pro is more energy efficient than the M1 Pro since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 16W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 video editing or video rendering, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software 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 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 Pro	Apple M1 Pro
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	304
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	1716
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	590
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	2936
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	2233
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	11512

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Apple M1 Pro
Single-Core	6111	5046
Multi-Core	39485	32596

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Apple M1 Pro
Single-Core	2085	1723
Multi-Core	16467	12737

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M2 Pro	Apple M1 Pro
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	October 07, 2021
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	M1
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Generation	2	1
Turbo Frequency
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	12	10
Threads	12	10
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	34000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	16 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz
Max. Memory	32 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	208 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	24MB
L3 cache	36MB	24MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		APL1103

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 Pro is 8% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Pro has 2 more core than M1 Pro. 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 Pro is better: 29
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 Pro is better: 1
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and Apple M1 Pro before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Apple M2 Pro - all data

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

• Apple M2 Pro specs and review.

Apple M1 Pro - all data

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

• Apple M1 Pro specs and review.