Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i5-12490F

Processor comparisons   21-10-2022
   For example you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i5-12490F tests and decide which is better for games or normal use for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing, rendering. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as WPrime, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, Prime95, VeraCrypt, Furmark, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 3DMark, UserBenchmark, RealBench, 7zip, PassMark, SuperPi, GeekBench 6, 5.2, MATLAB, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12490F or Apple M1 Pro.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Pro

59%

Core i5-12490F

58%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Pro is 1% better than Core i5-12490F. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Pro

57%

Core i5-12490F

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	97.4
Valorant	114.8	110.7
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	62.0
Apex Legends	107.9	104.1
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	83.1
Overwatch	93.0	89.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	76.4
DOOM Eternal	57.4	55.4
Warzone	89.5	86.4
Assassin's Creed	96.4	93.0
Valheim	95.3	91.9

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 computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, 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

M1 Pro

358%

Core i5-12490F

99%

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 M1 Pro is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12490F since it has less power consumption: 16W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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, streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 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 M1 Pro	Intel Core i5-12490F
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	351
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	2602
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	849
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	5918
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	1993
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	19522

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i5-12490F
Single-Core	5046	4680
Multi-Core	32596	27334

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i5-12490F
Single-Core	1723	1938
Multi-Core	12737	9261

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. 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. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i5-12490F
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	January 07, 2022
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M1	FCLGA1700
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Alder Lake
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	x86
Generation	1	12
Turbo Frequency		4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	10	6
Threads	10	12
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	34000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	16 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s
Max. Memory	32 Gb	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	7.5 ÐœÐ‘
L3 cache	24MB	20 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1103

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 Pro is 6% better than Core i5-12490F in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Pro has 4 more core than Core i5-12490F. 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 M1 Pro is better: 23
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12490F 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 reviews of real owners of Apple M1 Pro and Intel Core i5-12490F before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M1 Pro - all data

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

• Apple M1 Pro specs and review.

Intel Core i5-12490F - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12490F specs and review.