Apple M2 vs Intel Core i7-12700T

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i7-12700T and decide which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, rendering, streaming, programming, video editing. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, Gears 5, PCMark 10, PassMark, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), VeraCrypt, RealBench, 3DMark, SuperPi, Blender, AIDA64, MATLAB, Blender, UserBenchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-12700T 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 i7-12700T

59%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i7-12700T

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	100.7
Valorant	110.7	114.4
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	64.1
Apex Legends	104.1	107.5
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	85.8
Overwatch	89.7	92.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	78.9
DOOM Eternal	55.4	57.2
Warzone	86.4	89.2
Assassin's Creed	93.0	96.1
Valheim	91.9	94.9

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 i7-12700T

167%

To make a final choice 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 i7-12700T as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 35W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video editing or video rendering, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, 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 check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 i7-12700T
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	397
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	2903
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	951
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	6591
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	2226
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	21730

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12700T
Single-Core	4095	5212
Multi-Core	29665	30421

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12700T
Single-Core	1929	1758
Multi-Core	9243	12404

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 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, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12700T
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		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	8	12
Threads	8	20
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	25 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 2% better than Core i7-12700T in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-12700T has 4 more core than M2. 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: 9
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i7-12700T is better: 28
However, it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i7-12700T 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 i7-12700T - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-12700T specs and review.