Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-12650H

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-12650H and decide which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing, streaming. Here is useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications such as VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, Blender, MATLAB, 7zip, WPrime, 3DMark, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, RealBench, Prime95, SuperPi, Blender, AIDA64, Handbrake.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-12650H 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 i7-12650H

58%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 4% better than Core i7-12650H. 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 i7-12650H

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Control, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	98.4
Valorant	119.1	111.8
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	62.6
Apex Legends	111.9	105.1
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	83.9
Overwatch	96.5	90.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	77.2
DOOM Eternal	59.5	55.9
Warzone	92.9	87.2
Assassin's Creed	100.0	93.9
Valheim	98.8	92.8

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: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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 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 i7-12650H

146%

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 i7-12650H since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 40W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU uses all cores and threads 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 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	Intel Core i7-12650H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	361
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	2639
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	865
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	5992
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	2023
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	19754

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-12650H
Single-Core	6111	4739
Multi-Core	39485	27655

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-12650H
Single-Core	2085	1755
Multi-Core	16467	10216

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 can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-12650H
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1744
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.5 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	40 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 Core i7-12650H is 0% better than M2 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Pro has 2 more core than Core i7-12650H. 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: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-12650H is better: 11
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i7-12650H before making a selection 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 i7-12650H - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-12650H specs and review.