Mobile chips SoC and desktop processors CPU GPU - all information
Apple M2 vs Intel Core i3-12100 gaming benchmark

Apple M2 vs Intel Core i3-12100

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i3-12100 and decide which is better for games or normal use for streaming, programming, machine learning, rendering, video editing. Here is all information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like PassMark, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, Furmark, Handbrake, Prime95, UserBenchmark, WPrime, Blender, MATLAB, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PCMark 10, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, AIDA64.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:
  • Valorant
  • Last Man Standing
  • Overwatch
  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Apex Legends
  • DOOM: Eternal
  • Fortnite
  • Grand Theft Auto V
  • Borderlands 3
  • Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
  • Fallout 76
  • Valheim
  • World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
  • Rainbow Six Siege
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Assassin's Creed Valhalla
  • Halo Infinite
  • Watch Dogs Legion
  • Death Stranding

   After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i3-12100 or Apple M2.


 
Apple M2
Intel Core i3-12100

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark
M259% Core i3-1210056%
This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 5% better than Core i3-12100. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.
M255% Core i3-1210054%
The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. 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 low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Monster Hunter World, Ghostrunner, Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Half-Life: Alyx, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Control, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite97.496.0
Valorant110.7109.1
Cyberpunk 207762.061.1
Apex Legends104.1102.6
Call of Duty Warzone83.081.8
Overwatch89.788.4
Red Dead Redemption 276.475.3
DOOM Eternal55.454.6
Warzone86.485.1
Assassin's Creed93.091.7
Valheim91.990.6
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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. 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
M2535% Core i3-1210096%
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 is more energy efficient than the Core i3-12100 as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 60W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the CPU turns on all threads and cores that it has. 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. Since 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 Intel Core i3-12100
Cinbench 15 Single-core298267
Cinbench 15 Multi-core15861958
Cinbench 20 Single-core558642
Cinbench 20 Multi-core26994447
Cinbench 23 Single-core20571503
Cinbench 23 Multi-core1052014658

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance
Apple M2 Intel Core i3-12100
Single-Core40953516
Multi-Core2966520521

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance
Apple M2 Intel Core i3-12100
Single-Core19291740
Multi-Core92437859

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 later the processor is released, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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 in the newest games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

Apple M2 Intel Core i3-12100
Announcement dateOctober 18, 2022January 07, 2022
TypeLaptopDesktop
SocketM2FCBGA1744
Core name4 x Avalanche and 4 x BlizzardAlder Lake-U
Architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)x86
Generation212
Turbo Frequency4.3 MHz
Frequency3.49 MHz1 MHz
Cores84
Threads88
Bus rate8 GT/s
Bit6464
Lithography5 nm7 nm
Transistors count20000 millions9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)12 W60 W
Memory typeLPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHzUp to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory128 Gb
Memory Frequency2400
Memory bandwidth76.8 GB/s
L1 cache2MB
L2 cache12MB5 MB
L3 cache16MB12 MB
OverclockingNoNo
Supports ECCNoNo
Part number
In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 is 71% better than Core i3-12100 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 has 4 more core than Core i3-12100. 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 is better: 26
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-12100 is better: 10
   However, it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i3-12100 before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.
Apple M2 - all data

•  Cinebench r15 score
•  Cinebench r20 score
•  Cinebench r23 score
•  GeekBench 6, 5.2 score
Intel Core i3-12100 - all data

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


Apple M2 Processor Comparisons
• Vs Core i7-12700TE
• Vs Core i7-12700HE
• Vs Xeon W-3245
• Vs Xeon Gold 6246R
• Vs Core i7-12700T
• Vs Ryzen Threadripper 2950X
• Vs Core i7-12700H
• Vs Ryzen 9 3900
• Vs Core i9-9960X
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U
• Vs Ryzen 9 PRO 3900
• Vs Core i9-9990XE
• Vs Xeon W-3175X
• Vs Core i9-9980XE
• Vs Core i7-12700F
• Vs Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX
• Vs Core i7-12650HX
• Vs Core i7-12700E
• Vs Ryzen 9 5800
• Vs Core i7-12700
• Vs Ryzen 9 3900X
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS
• Vs Ryzen 9 3900XT
• Vs Ryzen 9 5800X
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H
• Vs Core i7-12700HL
• Vs Core i9-10980XE
• Vs Xeon Platinum 8260M
• Vs Ryzen 9 PRO 6950HS
• Vs Core i7-12800HL
• Vs Core i9-7980XE
• Vs Core i9-11980HK
• Vs Core i9-10940X
• Vs Core i9-11900KB
• Vs Core i9-11900H
• Vs Ryzen Threadripper 2970WX
• Vs Apple M1X
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800X
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 6650H
• Vs Core i7-11700B
• Vs Core i9-11950H
• Vs Xeon W-2275
• Vs Core i3-13100
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 6650HS
• Vs Core i9-9940X
• Vs Core i9-11900K
• Vs Ryzen 9 6980HS
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800X3D
• Vs Ryzen 7 5700G
• Vs Core i9-11900KF
• Vs Core i5-12600HE
• Vs Ryzen 9 6980HX
• Vs Ryzen 9 6900HX
• Vs Core i7-12650H
• Vs Core i9-11900
• Vs Core i5-12600H
• Vs Ryzen 9 5600X
• Vs Ryzen 9 6900HS
• Vs Ryzen 7 Pro 5850U
• Vs Core i5-12490F
• Vs Core i5-13500
• Vs Core i9-12950HX
• Vs Core i7-13700KF
• Vs Core i9-12900
• Vs Core i9-13900KF
• Vs Core i9-12900K
• Vs Core i7-12850HX
• Vs Core i7-13700K
• Vs Core i9-12900H
• Vs Core i7-12700KF
• Vs Ryzen 5 7600X
• Vs Core i5-13600KF
• Vs Core i9-13900K
• Vs Core i9-12900KS
• Vs Ryzen 9 5900X
• Vs Ryzen 7 7700X
• Vs Core i9-12900F
• Vs Core i9-13900KS
• Vs Core i5-13600K
• Vs Core i7-13700
• Vs Core i5-13400
• Vs Core i7-12800H
• Vs Core i7-12700K
• Vs Core i5-12600KF
• Vs Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX
• Vs Core i5-12600K
• Vs Core i9-13900
• Vs Ryzen 9 5900
• Vs Core i9-12900KF
• Vs Core i9-12900HK
• Vs Core i9-12900T
• Vs Core i9-12900HX
• Vs Ryzen 9 7900X
• Vs Ryzen 9 5950X
• Vs Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H
• Vs Ryzen 5 6600H
• Vs Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3945WX
• Vs Core i7-11700K
• Vs Core i5-12600HX
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U
• Vs Ryzen 7 6800HS
• Vs Ryzen 9 7950X
• Vs Ryzen 9 5980HS
• Vs Core i5-12400
• Vs Ryzen 5 6600HS
• Vs Core i9-11900T
• Vs Ryzen 7 6800H
• Vs Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX
• Vs Core i9-11900F
• Vs Ryzen 7 6800U
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800HS
• Vs Ryzen 7 Pro 5750G
• Vs Ryzen 9 3950X
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800H
• Vs Core i7-11700F
• Vs Core i7-11700
• Vs Ryzen 9 5980HX
• Vs Core i7-11700KF
• Vs Core i5-12400F
• Vs Core i7-11700T
• Vs Core i7-11850H
• Vs Core i5-12500H
• Vs Ryzen 7 3800X
• Vs Ryzen 9 5900HX
• Vs Core i9-10900KF
• Vs Ryzen 5 6600U
• Vs Core i9-10900K
• Vs Core i5-12450H
• Vs Core i5-12400T
• Vs Core i7-1280P
• Vs Ryzen 9 5900HS
• Vs Ryzen 7 Pro 5750GE
• Vs Core i5-12500
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 3700
• Vs Core i5-12450HX
• Vs Core i5-12600T
• Vs Ryzen 7 3800XT
• Vs Ryzen 7 5825U
• Vs Ryzen 7 5700U
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 5875U
• Vs Core i3-12300
• Vs Core i5-11600K
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600G
• Vs Core i9-10900
• Vs Core i5-12500T
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800
• Vs Core i5-11600KF
• Vs Ryzen 7 4800H
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800U
• Vs Core i3-12100F
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600X
• Vs Ryzen 7 3700X
• Vs Ryzen 9 4900H
• Vs Core i9-10900F
• Vs Core i5-12600
• Vs Ryzen 9 4900U
• Vs Ryzen 9 4900HS
• Vs Ryzen 7 4800HS
• Vs Core i9-10900X
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600
• Vs Core i5-1240P
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 5650G
• Vs Core i5-11500H
• Vs Ryzen 7 4700G
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 4700G
• Vs Ryzen 7 4700GE
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U
• Vs Core i3-12300T
• Vs Core i7-1270P
• Vs Ryzen 7 4800U
• Vs Core i5-11400H
• Vs Core i5-1250P
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600H
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE
• Vs Core i5-11500
• Vs Core i7-10700K
• Vs Core i3-12100T
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 4750GE
• Vs Ryzen 7 2700X
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 3600
• Vs Core i7-1260P
• Vs Ryzen 7 Extreme Edition
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600XT
• Vs Core i5-1155G7
• Vs Core i7-10700KF
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600X
• Vs Apple M1 Pro
• Vs Apple M1 Max
• Vs Apple M1 Ultra
• Vs Apple M1
• Vs Apple M2 Pro
• Vs Apple M2 Max
• Vs Core i7-13700H
• Vs Core i9-13700HK
• Vs Core i9-13900HK
• Vs Core i5-13600HX
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600
• Vs Core i7-1360P
• Vs Core i5-1350P
• Vs Core i5-1340P
• Vs Core i5-13500HX
• Vs Core i5-13600H
• Vs Core i5-13500H
• Vs Core i5-13505H
• Vs Core i5-1345U
• Vs Core i5-1335U
• Vs Core i5-1334U
• Vs Core i5-13420H
• Vs Core i5-13450HX
• Vs Core i7-1355U
• Vs Core i7-1365U
• Vs Core i3-1315U
• Vs Core i3-1305U
• Vs Core i7-13620H
• Vs Core i7-13650HX
• Vs Core i7-13705H
• Vs Core i3-N305
• Vs Core i3-N300
• Vs Core i7-8650U
• Vs Ryzen 7 3750H
• Vs Core i9-9880H
• Vs Ryzen 5 5625C
• Vs Ryzen 7 5825C
• Vs Ryzen 3 5425C
• Vs Ryzen 7 3700C
• Vs Ryzen 5 3500C
• Vs Ryzen 9 7945HX
• Vs Ryzen 9 7845HX
• Vs Ryzen 7 7745HX
• Vs Ryzen 5 7645HX
• Vs Ryzen 9 7940HS
• Vs Ryzen 7 7840HS
• Vs Ryzen 5 7640HS
• Vs Ryzen 7 7735HS
• Vs Ryzen 5 7535HS
• Vs Ryzen 7 7736U
• Vs Ryzen 7 7735U
• Vs Ryzen 5 7535U
• Vs Ryzen 3 7335U
• Vs Ryzen 7 7730U
• Vs Ryzen 5 7530U
• Vs Ryzen 3 7330U
• Vs Ryzen 5 7520U
• Vs Ryzen 3 7320U
• Vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 6860Z


Intel Core i3-12100 Processor Comparisons
• Vs Core i3-12100T
• Vs Core i3-12100F
• Vs Core i5-11600K
• Vs Core i5-1155G7
• Vs Ryzen 7 4700GE
• Vs Core i5-1250P
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 4700G
• Vs Core i9-10900F
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 4750G
• Vs Core i9-10900
• Vs Ryzen 7 5700U
• Vs Core i9-7900X
• Vs Core i7-1260P
• Vs Ryzen 9 4900U
• Vs Core i9-9900X
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800
• Vs Xeon Gold 6130T
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600G
• Vs Apple M1
• Vs Core i5-12500TE
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600X
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800U
• Vs Core i7-1270P
• Vs Core i5-12500T
• Vs EPYC 7F32
• Vs Core i9-10910
• Vs Core i5-12500E
• Vs Core i9-10900X
• Vs Core i7-1280P
• Vs Core i5-12500
• Vs Core i5-11500H
• Vs Core i9-9820X
• Vs Core i5-11600KF
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 4750GE
• Vs Core i5-1240P
• Vs Core i5-11500B
• Vs Core i3-12100E
• Vs Ryzen 7 4700G
• Vs Ryzen 9 4900HS
• Vs Core i5-11600
• Vs Core i7-10700KF
• Vs Core i9-9900KS
• Vs Core i7-10700K
• Vs Core i7-7900X
• Vs Core i5-11500
• Vs Core i5-11400H
• Vs Ryzen 9 4900H
• Vs Ryzen 7 4800H
• Vs Ryzen 7 4800HS
• Vs Core i5-11400
• Vs Core i9-9900KF
• Vs Core i3-1220P
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600XT
• Vs Core i9-9900K
• Vs Core i5-11400F
• Vs Xeon E5-2680R v4
• Vs Xeon E5-2697R v4
• Vs Ryzen 5 3600X
• Vs Xeon W-1290T
• Vs Core i7-9800X
• Vs Core i3-12100TE
• Vs Core i3-12300
• Vs Core i3-12300T
• Vs Ryzen 7 PRO 5875U
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 5675U
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 5650GE
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 5650G
• Vs Core i7-1265UL
• Vs Core i5-1250PE
• Vs Ryzen 9 7900X
• Vs Ryzen 7 7700X
• Vs Ryzen 5 7600X
• Vs Core i9-12900KS
• Vs Core i9-13900K
• Vs Core i9-12900K
• Vs Core i9-12900KF
• Vs Core i9-12900F
• Vs Core i7-13700K
• Vs Core i7-13700KF
• Vs Core i5-13600K
• Vs Core i5-13600KF
• Vs Core i3-N305
• Vs Core i3-13100
• Vs Apple M2 Pro
• Vs Core i5-13600
• Vs Core i5-13600HX
• Vs Core i9-13950HX
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600
• Vs Ryzen 9 7900
• Vs Ryzen 7 7700
• Vs Ryzen 5 7600
• Vs Core i9-13900T
• Vs Core i9-13900F
• Vs Core i7-13700F
• Vs Core i7-13700T
• Vs Core i5-13600T
• Vs Core i5-13500H
• Vs Core i5-13500T
• Vs Core i5-13400F
• Vs Core i5-13400T
• Vs Core i3-13100T
• Vs Core i3-13100F
• Vs Ryzen 7 5700X
• Vs Ryzen 5 5500
• Vs Core i3-13300
• Vs Core i3-13300F
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 5350GE
• Vs Ryzen 9 7950X
• Vs Ryzen 9 7950X3D
• Vs Ryzen 9 7900X3D
• Vs Ryzen 9 5900
• Vs Ryzen 7 5700GE
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800X3D
• Vs Core i5-7500
• Vs Core i3-8100
• Vs Ryzen 5 4500
• Vs Core i3-6100
• Vs Core i5-6500T
• Vs Core i5-6600
• Vs Ryzen 9 3900XT
• Vs Core i5-7600K
• Vs Core i7-5820K
• Vs Ryzen 9 5900X
• Vs Ryzen 7 5800X
• Vs Ryzen 7 3700X
• Vs Ryzen 9 3900X
• Vs Ryzen 9 5950X
• Vs Ryzen 9 5600X
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600GE
• Vs Ryzen 3 5300GE
• Vs Ryzen 5 4600G
• Vs Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE
• Vs Apple M1 Ultra
• Vs Ryzen 3 PRO 4355G
• Vs Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• Vs Ryzen 5 5600X3D
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