Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-1260P

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-1260P and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning, video editing. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications such as Blender, Gears 5, 7zip, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Handbrake, 3DMark, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, UserBenchmark, Furmark, AIDA64, Prime95, SuperPi, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-1260P 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 i7-1260P

56%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 8% better than Core i7-1260P. 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 i7-1260P

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	97.8
Valorant	119.1	111.1
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	62.2
Apex Legends	111.9	104.5
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	83.3
Overwatch	96.5	90.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	76.7
DOOM Eternal	59.5	55.6
Warzone	92.9	86.7
Assassin's Creed	100.0	93.3
Valheim	98.8	92.2

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 tested computers not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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 Pro

496%

Core i7-1260P

211%

To make a finishing choice 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 i7-1260P as it consumes less power: 14W vs. 28W. Power consumption is particularly 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out 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. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 Pro	Intel Core i7-1260P
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	280
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	2053
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	673
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	4661
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	1574
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	15365

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-1260P
Single-Core	6111	3685
Multi-Core	39485	21511

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-1260P
Single-Core	2085	1773
Multi-Core	16467	9600

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 later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-1260P
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1744
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Alder Lake-P
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	2.1 MHz
Cores	12	12
Threads	12	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	10 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	28 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s
Max. Memory	32 Gb	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	36MB	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 Pro is 39% better than Core i7-1260P in terms of CPU frequency. 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 Intel Core i7-1260P is better: 7
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i7-1260P before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i7-1260P - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-1260P specs and review.