Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i3-12300T

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i3-12300T and decide which is better for games or normal use for streaming, programming, machine learning, rendering, video editing. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like PassMark, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, Furmark, Handbrake, Prime95, UserBenchmark, WPrime, Blender, MATLAB, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PCMark 10, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, AIDA64.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-12300T 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%

Core i3-12300T

56%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 8% better than Core i3-12300T. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Pro

59%

Core i3-12300T

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	95.8
Valorant	119.1	108.9
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	61.0
Apex Legends	111.9	102.3
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	81.6
Overwatch	96.5	88.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	75.1
DOOM Eternal	59.5	54.4
Warzone	92.9	84.9
Assassin's Creed	100.0	91.4
Valheim	98.8	90.4

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 Pro

496%

Core i3-12300T

161%

To make a final choice 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 Core i3-12300T as it consumes less power: 14W vs. 35W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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 rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 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 Pro	Intel Core i3-12300T
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	259
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	1905
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	624
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	4324
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	1462
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	14253

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i3-12300T
Single-Core	6111	3419
Multi-Core	39485	19953

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i3-12300T
Single-Core	2085	1692
Multi-Core	16467	7642

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i3-12300T
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1744
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	1 MHz
Cores	12	4
Threads	12	8
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	35 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	5 MB
L3 cache	36MB	12 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 Pro is 71% better than Core i3-12300T in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Pro has 8 more core than Core i3-12300T. 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: 30
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-12300T is better: 7
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i3-12300T before making a choice 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.

Intel Core i3-12300T - all data

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

• Intel Core i3-12300T specs and review.