Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900H

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900H and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, programming, streaming, rendering, machine learning. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like 3DMark, RealBench, Prime95, Gears 5, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, PassMark, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, 7zip, Furmark, Handbrake.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900H 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 i9-12900H

66%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900H is 10% 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 i9-12900H

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	100.8
Valorant	110.7	114.5
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	64.1
Apex Legends	104.1	107.7
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	85.9
Overwatch	89.7	92.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	79.0
DOOM Eternal	55.4	57.3
Warzone	86.4	89.3
Assassin's Creed	93.0	96.2
Valheim	91.9	95.1

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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. 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 i9-12900H

143%

To make a finishing choice 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 i9-12900H since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 45W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, streaming, video editing or video rendering, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. 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 can use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 i9-12900H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	484
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	5097
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	808
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	11333
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	2866
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	32614

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900H
Single-Core	4095	7469
Multi-Core	29665	55757

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900H
Single-Core	1929	1935
Multi-Core	9243	12544

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 in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900H
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FCBGA1744
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	12
Turbo Frequency		5 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	8	14
Threads	8	20
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	12400 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 Up to LPDDR5 5200 MT/s Up to LPDDR4x 4267 MT/s
Max. Memory		64 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400	6400
Memory bandwidth		108 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB	2 MB
L2 cache	12MB	8 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 Core i9-12900H is 8% better than M2 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900H 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: 5
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900H is better: 32
However, it should be understood that all the number in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-12900H before making a selection 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 i9-12900H - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900H specs and review.