Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-13900KS

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-13900KS and understand which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming. Here is useful information from different benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like Prime95, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, SuperPi, Blender, Handbrake, Blender, 7zip, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, 3DMark, PCMark 10, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, VeraCrypt.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-13900KS 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 i9-13900KS

73%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-13900KS is 19% better than M2. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Core i9-13900KS

66%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	117.3
Valorant	110.7	133.2
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	74.6
Apex Legends	104.1	125.2
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	99.9
Overwatch	89.7	107.9
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	91.9
DOOM Eternal	55.4	66.6
Warzone	86.4	103.9
Assassin's Creed	93.0	111.9
Valheim	91.9	110.6

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD 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 i9-13900KS

71%

To make a final decision 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 i9-13900KS as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 125W. 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

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 i9-13900KS
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	631
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	6774
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	1056
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	15135
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	3757
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	43688

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-13900KS
Single-Core	4095	3134
Multi-Core	29665	76304

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-13900KS
Single-Core	1929	2675
Multi-Core	9243	28679

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 i9-13900KS
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	October 12, 2022
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA1700
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Raptor Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	13
Turbo Frequency		5.9 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	4.5 MHz
Cores	8	24
Threads	8	32
Bus rate		16 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	14200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	125 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 5600 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400	6500
Memory bandwidth		89.6 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB	2 MB
L2 cache	12MB	8 MB
L3 cache	16MB	36 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 i9-13900KS is 22% better than M2 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-13900KS has 16 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: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-13900KS is better: 33
However, it should be realized that the summary data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-13900KS before making a decision which processor 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 i9-13900KS - all data

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

• Intel Core i9-13900KS specs and review.