Apple M2 vs Intel Core i5-12500T

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i5-12500T and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning, rendering. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as Dolphin Emulator, 3DMark, PassMark, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, SuperPi, 7zip, Furmark, Blender, Blender, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, AIDA64, RealBench.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12500T 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 i5-12500T

56%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 5% better than Core i5-12500T. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i5-12500T

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Forza Horizon 4, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	96.9
Valorant	110.7	110.1
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	61.7
Apex Legends	104.1	103.5
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	82.6
Overwatch	89.7	89.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	76.0
DOOM Eternal	55.4	55.1
Warzone	86.4	85.9
Assassin's Creed	93.0	92.5
Valheim	91.9	91.4

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 tested computers not only did they have 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. 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

535%

Core i5-12500T

155%

To make a finishing choice 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 is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12500T as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 35W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program 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 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 i5-12500T
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	289
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	2117
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	694
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	4807
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1623
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	15847

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12500T
Single-Core	4095	3803
Multi-Core	29665	22187

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12500T
Single-Core	1929	1634
Multi-Core	9243	8748

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M2	Intel Core i5-12500T
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
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	6
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	35 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400
Memory bandwidth		76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB
L3 cache	16MB	18 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 i5-12500T in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 has 2 more core than Core i5-12500T. 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 i5-12500T is better: 11
However, it should be understood that 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 figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i5-12500T before making a choice which of the processors 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 i5-12500T - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12500T specs and review.