Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900T

Processor comparisons   20-10-2022
   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the full tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-12900T and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, Furmark, Blender, Handbrake, PCMark 10, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, VeraCrypt, Prime95, AIDA64, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, WPrime, Gears 5, 7zip, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-12900T 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 i9-12900T

65%

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

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	104.0
Valorant	110.7	118.2
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	66.2
Apex Legends	104.1	111.1
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	88.7
Overwatch	89.7	95.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	81.6
DOOM Eternal	55.4	59.1
Warzone	86.4	92.2
Assassin's Creed	93.0	99.3
Valheim	91.9	98.1

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. 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 i9-12900T

175%

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 i9-12900T as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 35W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU 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 check whether the program 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 advantages 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 i9-12900T
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	436
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	4593
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	728
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	10212
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	2582
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	29385

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900T
Single-Core	4095	6730
Multi-Core	29665	50237

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900T
Single-Core	1929	1847
Multi-Core	9243	15707

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 in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-12900T
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		4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.6 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	35 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 i9-12900T is 3% better than M2 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-12900T 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 i9-12900T is better: 30
Although it should be understood that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-12900T before making a selection 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 i9-12900T - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-12900T specs and review.