Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Xeon Gold 6242R

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   For example there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Pro vs Intel Xeon Gold 6242R and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, machine learning, streaming, rendering, video editing. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as PassMark, PCMark 10, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, WPrime, 3DMark, 7zip, VeraCrypt, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, Gears 5, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Xeon Gold 6242R 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%

Xeon Gold 6242R

60%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 1% better than Xeon Gold 6242R. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Pro

59%

Xeon Gold 6242R

66%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	117.7
Valorant	119.1	133.8
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	74.9
Apex Legends	111.9	125.8
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	100.4
Overwatch	96.5	108.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	92.3
DOOM Eternal	59.5	66.9
Warzone	92.9	104.4
Assassin's Creed	100.0	112.4
Valheim	98.8	111.1

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: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Pro

496%

Xeon Gold 6242R

17%

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 Xeon Gold 6242R as it consumes less power: 14W vs. 205W. 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 programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 Xeon Gold 6242R
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	216
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	5946
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	497
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	14382
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	1269
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	36754

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Single-Core	6111	2419
Multi-Core	39485	34882

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

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Single-Core	2085	1073
Multi-Core	16467	29161

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Pro	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	October 01, 2020
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Server
Socket	M2	FCLGA3647
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Cascade Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	2
Turbo Frequency		4.1 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	12	20
Threads	12	40
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	7510 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	205 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory	32 Gb	1 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB
L3 cache	36MB	35.75 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 11% better than Xeon Gold 6242R in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Gold 6242R has 8 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: 17
The number of parameters for which Intel Xeon Gold 6242R is better: 20
However, it should be understood that all the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 Pro and Intel Xeon Gold 6242R 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 Xeon Gold 6242R specs and review.