Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-10900K

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-10900K and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, machine learning, streaming, rendering, programming. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, Blender, 7zip, Furmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, WPrime, PCMark 10, PassMark, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, SuperPi, Prime95, Handbrake.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-10900K 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 i9-10900K

57%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 3% better than Core i9-10900K. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i9-10900K

58%

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 run 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 little game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, League of Legends (LOL), NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	102.7
Valorant	110.7	116.7
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	65.3
Apex Legends	104.1	109.7
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	87.5
Overwatch	89.7	94.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	80.5
DOOM Eternal	55.4	58.3
Warzone	86.4	91.0
Assassin's Creed	93.0	98.0
Valheim	91.9	96.8

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 computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

535%

Core i9-10900K

43%

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 i9-10900K since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 125W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, streaming, machine learning, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor includes 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 software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 i9-10900K
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	234
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	2677
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	539
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	6399
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1418
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	17325

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	4095	3141
Multi-Core	29665	24010

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-10900K
Single-Core	1929	1617
Multi-Core	9243	14374

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 i9-10900K
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		5.3 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.7 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	125 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 Core i9-10900K is 5% better than M2 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-10900K 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: 13
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-10900K is better: 24
However, it should be realized that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-10900K before making a choice which processor 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 i9-10900K specs and review.