Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-12850HX

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i7-12850HX and decide which is better for games or normal use for streaming, video editing, rendering, programming, machine learning. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, AIDA64, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, Handbrake, WPrime, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, Prime95, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, MATLAB, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, PassMark, Blender.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-12850HX 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 i7-12850HX

61%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Pro

59%

Core i7-12850HX

58%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, 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 small 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: Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, League of Legends (LOL), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	102.4
Valorant	119.1	116.4
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	65.2
Apex Legends	111.9	109.4
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	87.3
Overwatch	96.5	94.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	80.3
DOOM Eternal	59.5	58.2
Warzone	92.9	90.8
Assassin's Creed	100.0	97.8
Valheim	98.8	96.6

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. Therefore, 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 i7-12850HX

109%

To make a finishing 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 i7-12850HX since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 55W. Power consumption is especially 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores 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 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 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 i7-12850HX
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	491
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	3628
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	1184
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	8244
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	2780
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	27196

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-12850HX
Single-Core	6111	6519
Multi-Core	39485	38078

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-12850HX
Single-Core	2085	1813
Multi-Core	16467	14133

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i7-12850HX
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	June 15, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1964
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	3.4 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	12	24
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	55 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	36MB	25 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	Yes
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 2% better than Core i7-12850HX in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-12850HX has 4 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 i7-12850HX is better: 15
Although it should be realized that all the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i7-12850HX before deciding which of the processors 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 i7-12850HX - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-12850HX specs and review.