Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-12800H

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-12800H and understand which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing, programming. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A careful analysis 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 joint testing in special test applications like Prime95, UserBenchmark, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, PCMark 10, Blender, Furmark, Blender, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, PassMark, Gears 5, AIDA64, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-12800H 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 i7-12800H

60%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 1% better than Core i7-12800H. 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 i7-12800H

57%

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 run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World, Forza Horizon 4, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Control, League of Legends (LOL).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	101.0
Valorant	119.1	114.7
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	64.2
Apex Legends	111.9	107.8
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	86.0
Overwatch	96.5	92.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	79.2
DOOM Eternal	59.5	57.4
Warzone	92.9	89.5
Assassin's Creed	100.0	96.4
Valheim	98.8	95.2

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 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: 2K, 4K or FullHD. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Pro

496%

Core i7-12800H

132%

To make a final decision 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 i7-12800H since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 45W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count 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, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU 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 find out whether the software 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 work, 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 i7-12800H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	463
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	3376
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	1106
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	7663
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	2589
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	25265

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-12800H
Single-Core	6111	6061
Multi-Core	39485	35372

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-12800H
Single-Core	2085	1793
Multi-Core	16467	12699

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 you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest 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 i7-12800H
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		4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	12	14
Threads	12	20
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	45 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	51.2 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 i7-12800H is 5% better than M2 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-12800H 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: 23
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-12800H is better: 14
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 comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i7-12800H before deciding which CPU 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 i7-12800H - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-12800H specs and review.