Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i5-12600KF

Processor comparisons   21-10-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i5-12600KF and see which is better for games or simple use for programming, rendering, video editing, streaming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be 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 testing software such as Handbrake, Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, PassMark, MATLAB, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, SuperPi, 7zip, Blender, Blender, WPrime, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, PCMark 10, AIDA64, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), GeekBench 6, 5.2, RealBench.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i5-12600KF 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 i5-12600KF

61%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i5-12600KF is 3% better than M1 Pro. 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 i5-12600KF

58%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	102.9
Valorant	114.8	117.0
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	65.5
Apex Legends	107.9	110.0
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	87.7
Overwatch	93.0	94.8
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	80.7
DOOM Eternal	57.4	58.5
Warzone	89.5	91.2
Assassin's Creed	96.4	98.3
Valheim	95.3	97.1

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 computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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

M1 Pro

358%

Core i5-12600KF

57%

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 M1 Pro is more energy efficient than the Core i5-12600KF since it has less power consumption: 16W vs. 125W. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. 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. 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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	485
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	3543
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	1161
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	8045
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	2715
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	26517

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Single-Core	5046	6362
Multi-Core	32596	37124

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i5-12600KF
Single-Core	1723	2144
Multi-Core	12737	14653

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 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 can be said about overclocking. When 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, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i5-12600KF
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		4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	10	10
Threads	10	16
Bus rate		8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	34000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	16 W	125 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	9.5 MB
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 Core i5-12600KF is 11% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. 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: 6
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-12600KF is better: 30
However, it should be realized that all the figures in the text above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Pro and Intel Core i5-12600KF before making a choice which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

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 i5-12600KF - all data

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

• Intel Core i5-12600KF specs and review.