Apple M2 vs Intel Core i7-12700TE

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i7-12700TE and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, rendering, machine learning, streaming. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications such as WPrime, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Prime95, Blender, MATLAB, 7zip, UserBenchmark, RealBench, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, SuperPi, Handbrake, PassMark, 3DMark, Blender, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-12700TE 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 i7-12700TE

59%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i7-12700TE

57%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think 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 CPU comparisons were performed: Monster Hunter World, Control, Ghostrunner, Hitman 3, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Microsoft Flight Simulator, NBA 2K20, Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	100.5
Valorant	110.7	114.2
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	64.0
Apex Legends	104.1	107.4
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	85.7
Overwatch	89.7	92.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	78.8
DOOM Eternal	55.4	57.1
Warzone	86.4	89.1
Assassin's Creed	93.0	96.0
Valheim	91.9	94.8

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 i7-12700TE

165%

To make a final decision 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 i7-12700TE as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 35W. Power consumption is especially 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in 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 i7-12700TE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	393
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	2874
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	941
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	6525
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	2204
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	21513

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12700TE
Single-Core	4095	5160
Multi-Core	29665	30117

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12700TE
Single-Core	1929	1740
Multi-Core	9243	12280

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12700TE
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop	Embedded
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.6 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 i7-12700TE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-12700TE 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 i7-12700TE is better: 28
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i7-12700TE before making a selection 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 i7-12700TE - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-12700TE specs and review.