Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900 and see which is better for games or simple use for video editing, streaming, rendering, machine learning, programming. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests like 3DMark, UserBenchmark, PCMark 10, Blender, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, AIDA64, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Furmark, SuperPi, 7zip, RealBench, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Prime95, MATLAB, Gears 5.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900 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 i9-12900

65%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900 is 9% 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 i9-12900

59%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	104.3
Valorant	110.7	118.6
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	66.4
Apex Legends	104.1	111.5
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	88.9
Overwatch	89.7	96.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	81.8
DOOM Eternal	55.4	59.3
Warzone	86.4	92.5
Assassin's Creed	93.0	99.6
Valheim	91.9	98.4

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 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 i9-12900

96%

To make a finishing choice 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 i9-12900 since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 65W. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 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 i9-12900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	445
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	4687
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	743
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	10420
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	2635
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	29985

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900
Single-Core	4095	6867
Multi-Core	29665	51262

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900
Single-Core	1929	1885
Multi-Core	9243	16028

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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 can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	July 21, 2021
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		5.1 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	8	16
Threads	8	24
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	12600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	65 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	6400
Memory bandwidth		76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB	2 MB
L2 cache	12MB	12 MB
L3 cache	16MB	30 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 i9-12900 is 8% better than M2 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900 has 8 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: 7
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900 is better: 30
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the table above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-12900 before deciding 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 i9-12900 - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900 specs and review.