Apple M2 vs Intel Core i7-12800HL

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i7-12800HL and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, streaming, rendering, machine learning. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, Blender, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 7zip, Prime95, WPrime, RealBench, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, Handbrake, PCMark 10, AIDA64, Gears 5, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, PassMark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-12800HL 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 i7-12800HL

60%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-12800HL is 1% better than M2. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i7-12800HL

57%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. 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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small 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, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Metro Exodus, Control, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	100.6
Valorant	110.7	114.3
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	64.0
Apex Legends	104.1	107.4
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	85.7
Overwatch	89.7	92.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	78.9
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 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. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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 i7-12800HL

128%

To make a finishing 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 i7-12800HL since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 45W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to 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

For example you plan 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 achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes 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 make sure that 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 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 i7-12800HL
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	448
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	3274
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	1072
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	7432
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	2510
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	24506

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12800HL
Single-Core	4095	5878
Multi-Core	29665	34310

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12800HL
Single-Core	1929	1738
Multi-Core	9243	12317

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M2	Intel Core i7-12800HL
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	September 28, 2022
Type	Laptop	Embedded
Socket	M2	FCBGA1744
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	2.4 MHz
Cores	8	14
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	45 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory		64 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400
Memory bandwidth		51.2 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB
L3 cache	16MB	24 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 is 31% better than Core i7-12800HL in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-12800HL has 6 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 i7-12800HL is better: 28
However, it should be realized that all the number in the article above 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 opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 and Intel Core i7-12800HL before making a decision 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 i7-12800HL - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-12800HL specs and review.