Intel Xeon Gold 6242R vs Apple M1X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Perhaps you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Xeon Gold 6242R vs Apple M1X and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, video editing, rendering, programming, machine learning. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like Furmark, PCMark 10, PassMark, Blender, AIDA64, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, WPrime, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Prime95, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Handbrake, MATLAB, 7zip.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Apple M1X or Intel Xeon Gold 6242R.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Xeon Gold 6242R

60%

M1X

58%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Xeon Gold 6242R is 3% better than M1X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Xeon Gold 6242R

66%

M1X

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	117.7	97.6
Valorant	133.8	110.9
Cyberpunk 2077	74.9	62.1
Apex Legends	125.8	104.2
Call of Duty Warzone	100.4	83.2
Overwatch	108.4	89.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	92.3	76.5
DOOM Eternal	66.9	55.4
Warzone	104.4	86.5
Assassin's Creed	112.4	93.1
Valheim	111.1	92.0

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

Xeon Gold 6242R

17%

M1X

161%

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 M1X is more energy efficient than the Xeon Gold 6242R as it consumes less power: 205W vs. 35W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video rendering or video editing, 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 uses all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that 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

	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R	Apple M1X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	216	270
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	5946	2615
Cinbench 20 Single-core	497	629
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	14382	5732
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1269	1628
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	36754	14587

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

	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R	Apple M1X
Single-Core	2419	3485
Multi-Core	34882	28843

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

	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R	Apple M1X
Single-Core	1073	1695
Multi-Core	29161	9389

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Xeon Gold 6242R	Apple M1X
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	February 12, 2021
Type	Server	Laptop;Desktop
Socket	FCLGA3647	M1X
Core name	Cascade Lake	8x Firestorm;4x Icestorm
Architecture	x86	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Generation	2	1
Turbo Frequency	4.1 MHz
Frequency	3.1 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	20	12
Threads	40	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	7510 millions	24000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	205 W	35 W
Memory type	DDR4-2933	LPDDR4 - Up to 4266MHz
Max. Memory	1 Gb
Memory Frequency		4266
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache		12MB
L2 cache		28MB
L3 cache	35.75 MB	64MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	Yes	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1X is 3% better than Xeon Gold 6242R in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Xeon Gold 6242R has 8 more core than M1X. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Xeon Gold 6242R is better: 23
The number of parameters for which Apple M1X is better: 14
Although it should be understood that all the figures in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Intel Xeon Gold 6242R and Apple M1X before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Intel Xeon Gold 6242R specs and review.

• Apple M1X specs and review.