Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900KS

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   Let's say there are difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900KS and decide which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, programming, rendering, video editing, streaming. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, PCMark 10, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), AIDA64, UserBenchmark, Furmark, PassMark, WPrime, Blender, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, Handbrake, 7zip, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, 3DMark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

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

73%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-12900KS is 19% 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 i9-12900KS

61%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	108.6
Valorant	110.7	123.4
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	69.1
Apex Legends	104.1	116.0
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	92.6
Overwatch	89.7	100.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	85.1
DOOM Eternal	55.4	61.7
Warzone	86.4	96.3
Assassin's Creed	93.0	103.7
Valheim	91.9	102.4

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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. You will get more accurate information about how powerful 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 i9-12900KS

48%

To make a finishing resolution 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 i9-12900KS as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 150W. Power consumption is particularly 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can 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 i9-12900KS
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	669
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	6984
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	1113
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	15520
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	3930
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	44652

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900KS
Single-Core	4095	4211
Multi-Core	29665	76561

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900KS
Single-Core	1929	2187
Multi-Core	9243	20189

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900KS
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	March 27, 2022
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		5.5 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	4 MHz
Cores	8	16
Threads	8	24
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	12400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	150 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	8 MB
L3 cache	16MB	30 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	Yes
Part number		Expansion Options

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Core i9-12900KS is 12% better than M2 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900KS 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: 5
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-12900KS is better: 33
However, it should be realized that all the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-12900KS before making a decision which of the processors 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 i9-12900KS - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900KS specs and review.