Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i5-12600KF

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i5-12600KF tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, streaming, rendering, machine learning. Here you can find all information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A careful 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 synthetic type tests like World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, RealBench, 3DMark, MATLAB, Blender, VeraCrypt, PassMark, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, WPrime, Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, PCMark 10, AIDA64, 7zip, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12600KF 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 i5-12600KF

61%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Pro

59%

Core i5-12600KF

58%

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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low game result, just 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: Half-Life: Alyx, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), League of Legends (LOL), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, Metro Exodus, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	102.9
Valorant	119.1	117.0
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	65.5
Apex Legends	111.9	110.0
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	87.7
Overwatch	96.5	94.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	80.7
DOOM Eternal	59.5	58.5
Warzone	92.9	91.2
Assassin's Creed	100.0	98.3
Valheim	98.8	97.1

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 comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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 Pro

496%

Core i5-12600KF

57%

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 Pro is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12600KF since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 run, 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 i5-12600KF
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	485
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	3543
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	1161
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	8045
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	2715
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	26517

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Single-Core	6111	6362
Multi-Core	39485	37124

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Single-Core	2085	2144
Multi-Core	16467	14653

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 later the processor is released, 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. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	12	10
Threads	12	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	125 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	9.5 MB
L3 cache	36MB	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 i5-12600KF is 3% better than M2 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Pro has 2 more core than Core i5-12600KF. 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: 21
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12600KF is better: 16
Although it should be realized that all the data that you have looked at here 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 reviews of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i5-12600KF before making a selection 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 i5-12600KF - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12600KF specs and review.