Apple M2 vs Intel Core i5-12450H

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i5-12450H and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like WPrime, Handbrake, Blender, 3DMark, SuperPi, AIDA64, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, PCMark 10, 7zip, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, VeraCrypt, Prime95, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12450H or Apple M2.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

59%

Core i5-12450H

57%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 3% better than Core i5-12450H. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i5-12450H

54%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	96.8
Valorant	110.7	110.0
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	61.6
Apex Legends	104.1	103.4
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	82.5
Overwatch	89.7	89.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	75.9
DOOM Eternal	55.4	55.0
Warzone	86.4	85.8
Assassin's Creed	93.0	92.4
Valheim	91.9	91.3

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

535%

Core i5-12450H

137%

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 i5-12450H since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 40W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has. 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. Since 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	Intel Core i5-12450H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	312
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	2282
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	748
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	5183
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1749
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	17085

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12450H
Single-Core	4095	4099
Multi-Core	29665	23919

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12450H
Single-Core	1929	1653
Multi-Core	9243	8588

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 in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest 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	Intel Core i5-12450H
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1744
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	8	8
Threads	8	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	40 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s
Max. Memory		64 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400
Memory bandwidth		45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB
L3 cache	16MB	12 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 M2 is 5% better than Core i5-12450H in terms of CPU frequency. 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: 24
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12450H is better: 12
The summary data in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 and Intel Core i5-12450H before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Apple M2 - all data

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

• Apple M2 specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12450H - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12450H specs and review.