Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i5-13600K

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i5-13600K and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, rendering, streaming, machine learning. Here you can find all information from various benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like 7zip, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, PassMark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, RealBench, 3DMark, Prime95, Gears 5, Handbrake, PCMark 10.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-13600K 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 i5-13600K

64%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-13600K is 4% better than M2 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%

Core i5-13600K

60%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	106.5
Valorant	119.1	121.0
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	67.8
Apex Legends	111.9	113.7
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	90.8
Overwatch	96.5	98.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	83.5
DOOM Eternal	59.5	60.5
Warzone	92.9	94.4
Assassin's Creed	100.0	101.6
Valheim	98.8	100.4

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 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Pro

496%

Core i5-13600K

54%

To make a finishing 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 Pro is more energy efficient than the Core i5-13600K as it consumes less power: 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. 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since 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 i5-13600K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	400
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	4282
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	673
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	9530
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	2405
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	27440

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i5-13600K
Single-Core	6111	2197
Multi-Core	39485	46776

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i5-13600K
Single-Core	2085	2049
Multi-Core	16467	18118

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 i5-13600K
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	September 23, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Raptor Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	13
Turbo Frequency		5.1 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	12	14
Threads	12	20
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	14200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	6500
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	89.6 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB	2 MB
L2 cache	24MB	8 MB
L3 cache	36MB	24 MB
Overclocking	No	y
Supports ECC	No	Yes
Part number		Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i5-13600K is 10% better than M2 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i5-13600K has 2 more core than M2 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: 9
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-13600K is better: 29
Although it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i5-13600K 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.

Intel Core i5-13600K - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-13600K specs and review.