Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i9-13900

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Core i9-13900 and understand which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, streaming, video editing, machine learning. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark, RealBench, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, Handbrake, 7zip, Gears 5, Furmark, AIDA64, 3DMark, Blender, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), VeraCrypt, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10, Prime95, Blender, WPrime.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-13900 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 i9-13900

67%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-13900 is 8% better than M2 Pro. 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 i9-13900

62%

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 less popular games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World, Hitman 3, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Control, DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	110.5
Valorant	119.1	125.6
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	70.3
Apex Legends	111.9	118.1
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	94.2
Overwatch	96.5	101.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	86.7
DOOM Eternal	59.5	62.8
Warzone	92.9	98.0
Assassin's Creed	100.0	105.5
Valheim	98.8	104.2

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 participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with 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. To be sure exactly how much performance 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 i9-13900

56%

To make a final 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 i9-13900 as it consumes less power: 14W vs. 115W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful 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 programming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 i9-13900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	521
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	5424
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	865
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	12052
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	3054
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	34668

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i9-13900
Single-Core	6111	2791
Multi-Core	39485	59086

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i9-13900
Single-Core	2085	1965
Multi-Core	16467	22085

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 newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Core i9-13900
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	December 13, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Raptor Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	13
Turbo Frequency		5.6 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	12	24
Threads	12	32
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	14200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	115 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	6500
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	89.6 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB	2 MB
L2 cache	24MB	8 MB
L3 cache	36MB	36 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 14% better than Core i9-13900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-13900 has 12 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: 8
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-13900 is better: 30
Although it should be understood that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 Pro and Intel Core i9-13900 before making a choice 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 i9-13900 - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-13900 specs and review.