Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i9-12900K

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 i9-12900K and see which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, rendering, video editing, streaming, programming. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, 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 testing software such as GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, Gears 5, 7zip, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, AIDA64, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, MATLAB, Blender, 3DMark, SuperPi, Handbrake, VeraCrypt, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Prime95, WPrime.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900K 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 i9-12900K

67%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900K is 8% better than M2 Pro. 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 i9-12900K

64%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	113.8
Valorant	119.1	129.3
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	72.4
Apex Legends	111.9	121.5
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	97.0
Overwatch	96.5	104.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	89.2
DOOM Eternal	59.5	64.6
Warzone	92.9	100.8
Assassin's Creed	100.0	108.6
Valheim	98.8	107.3

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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Pro

496%

Core i9-12900K

97%

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 i9-12900K as it consumes less power: 14W vs. 125W. Power consumption is particularly 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. 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. 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 i9-12900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	489
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	5150
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	816
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	11450
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	2896
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	32950

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900K
Single-Core	6111	7546
Multi-Core	39485	56332

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900K
Single-Core	2085	3641
Multi-Core	16467	25262

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900K
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	July 21, 2021
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		5.2 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	12	24
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	12400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	125 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	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB	2 MB
L2 cache	24MB	14 MB
L3 cache	36MB	30 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 i9-12900K is 10% better than M2 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900K 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: 7
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900K is better: 29
However, it should be understood that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i9-12900K before making a selection 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 i9-12900K - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900K specs and review.