Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i9-12900KS

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i9-12900KS tests and see which is better for games or normal use for rendering, video editing, streaming, machine learning, programming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like 3DMark, Blender, Prime95, PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, PassMark, VeraCrypt, WPrime, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, SuperPi, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, Blender.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900KS 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 i9-12900KS

73%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900KS is 16% 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 i9-12900KS

61%

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 this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, just 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: Half-Life: Alyx, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, Hitman 3, DOTA 2A, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Control.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	108.6
Valorant	119.1	123.4
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	69.1
Apex Legends	111.9	116.0
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	92.6
Overwatch	96.5	100.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	85.1
DOOM Eternal	59.5	61.7
Warzone	92.9	96.3
Assassin's Creed	100.0	103.7
Valheim	98.8	102.4

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, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 i9-12900KS

48%

To make a finishing decision 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 i9-12900KS since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 150W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, programming, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can 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 i9-12900KS
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	669
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	6984
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	1113
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	15520
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	3930
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	44652

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900KS
Single-Core	6111	4211
Multi-Core	39485	76561

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i9-12900KS
Single-Core	2085	2187
Multi-Core	16467	20189

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 i9-12900KS
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	March 27, 2022
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		5.5 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	4 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	150 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	8 MB
L3 cache	36MB	30 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	Yes
Part number		Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-12900KS is 12% better than M2 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900KS 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 i9-12900KS is better: 30
All the data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i9-12900KS before making a choice 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 i9-12900KS - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900KS specs and review.