Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-7980XE

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   For example you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-7980XE and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, video editing, machine learning, programming. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications such as MATLAB, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, 7zip, Gears 5, SuperPi, Prime95, PCMark 10, Furmark, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Handbrake, 3DMark, Blender, PassMark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i9-7980XE 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 i9-7980XE

58%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 1% better than Core i9-7980XE. 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 i9-7980XE

60%

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 this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you 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 CPU comparisons were performed: Monster Hunter World, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Hitman 3, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Half-Life: Alyx, Metro Exodus, NBA 2K20, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Control.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	107.0
Valorant	110.7	121.6
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	68.1
Apex Legends	104.1	114.3
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	91.2
Overwatch	89.7	98.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	83.9
DOOM Eternal	55.4	60.8
Warzone	86.4	94.9
Assassin's Creed	93.0	102.2
Valheim	91.9	100.9

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: 2K, FullHD 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

535%

Core i9-7980XE

23%

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 i9-7980XE as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 165W. 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

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 first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has. You will find out 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 use only one core to work, 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 i9-7980XE
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	184
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	3455
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	446
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	7671
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1281
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	28196

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Single-Core	4095	2490
Multi-Core	29665	29612

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

	Apple M2	Intel Core i9-7980XE
Single-Core	1929	1158
Multi-Core	9243	18658

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in new 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 i9-7980XE
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	April 01, 2017
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	FCLGA2066
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Skylake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	2	9
Turbo Frequency		4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	2.6 MHz
Cores	8	18
Threads	8	36
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	14 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	165 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-2666
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400
Memory bandwidth		85 GB/s
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB
L3 cache	16MB	24.75 MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
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 M2 is 25% better than Core i9-7980XE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7980XE has 10 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: 14
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7980XE is better: 24
Although it should be realized that all the data in the article 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 of people who bought Apple M2 and Intel Core i9-7980XE before deciding 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 i9-7980XE specs and review.