Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-10900F

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   If you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-10900F tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, programming, video editing, streaming, machine learning. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis 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 parallel examination in special test applications such as World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Gears 5, AIDA64, WPrime, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, SuperPi, Furmark, 7zip, Handbrake, Blender.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

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 i9-10900F 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 i9-10900F

56%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 5% better than Core i9-10900F. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i9-10900F

56%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, 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 low game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Horizon Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20, Control, Monster Hunter World, Half-Life: Alyx, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), DOTA 2A.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	99.0
Valorant	110.7	112.5
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	63.0
Apex Legends	104.1	105.8
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	84.4
Overwatch	89.7	91.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	77.7
DOOM Eternal	55.4	56.3
Warzone	86.4	87.8
Assassin's Creed	93.0	94.5
Valheim	91.9	93.4

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

Power consumption

535%

Core i9-10900F

71%

To make a final decision 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 i9-10900F since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 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 i9-10900F
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	229
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	2516
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	524
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	5853
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1353
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	14644

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-10900F
Single-Core	4095	3085
Multi-Core	29665	20970

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-10900F
Single-Core	1929	1398
Multi-Core	9243	10825

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-10900F
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	April 01, 2020
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1200
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Comet Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	10
Turbo Frequency		5.2 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	2.8 MHz
Cores	8	10
Threads	8	20
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	9200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2933
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400
Memory bandwidth		45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB
L3 cache	16MB	20 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 19% better than Core i9-10900F in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10900F has 2 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: 14
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10900F is better: 23
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-10900F before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

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 i9-10900F - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-10900F specs and review.