Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-11900KB

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-11900KB tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, machine learning, video editing, streaming, programming. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like Blender, PCMark 10, Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Furmark, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Blender, UserBenchmark, Prime95, WPrime, Gears 5, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, PassMark, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-11900KB 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 i9-11900KB

58%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 1% better than Core i9-11900KB. 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 i9-11900KB

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	101.4
Valorant	110.7	115.2
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	64.5
Apex Legends	104.1	108.3
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	86.4
Overwatch	89.7	93.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	79.5
DOOM Eternal	55.4	57.6
Warzone	86.4	89.9
Assassin's Creed	93.0	96.8
Valheim	91.9	95.6

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 comparing 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. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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 i9-11900KB

104%

To make a finishing 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 i9-11900KB since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 65W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 i9-11900KB
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	296
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	2680
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	662
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	5957
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1720
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	17143

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-11900KB
Single-Core	4095	3955
Multi-Core	29665	29307

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-11900KB
Single-Core	1929	2041
Multi-Core	9243	13142

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. 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 in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-11900KB
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	February 21, 2021
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1787
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Tiger Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	11
Turbo Frequency		5.3 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	8	8
Threads	8	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	10 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	9800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400	3200
Memory bandwidth		45.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB	4 MB
L3 cache	16MB	24 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 5% better than Core i9-11900KB in terms of CPU frequency. 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: 10
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-11900KB is better: 26
However, it should be understood that all the data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-11900KB before deciding 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 i9-11900KB - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-11900KB specs and review.