Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-1280P

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   For example you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-1280P and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, 7zip, Handbrake, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, UserBenchmark, Furmark, Gears 5, MATLAB, 3DMark, AIDA64, Blender, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-1280P 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 i7-1280P

56%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 8% better than Core i7-1280P. 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 i7-1280P

55%

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 the cost of this processor reaches 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 other games in which processors were compared: Ghostrunner, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Control, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, 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	83.8
Overwatch	96.5	90.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	77.1
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 comparisons 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. 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 i7-1280P

200%

To make a final resolution 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 i7-1280P since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 28W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 work, and all the benefit 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 i7-1280P
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	298
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	2182
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	715
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	4954
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	1673
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	16330

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-1280P
Single-Core	6111	3917
Multi-Core	39485	22862

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-1280P
Single-Core	2085	1681
Multi-Core	16467	10160

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. 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. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-1280P
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		4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	1.8 MHz
Cores	12	14
Threads	12	20
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 48% better than Core i7-1280P in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-1280P 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: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-1280P is better: 11
Although it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i7-1280P before making a decision 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 i7-1280P - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-1280P specs and review.