Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i7-12700KF

Processor comparisons   21-10-2022
   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Pro vs Intel Core i7-12700KF and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, streaming, rendering, video editing, machine learning. Here you can find all information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests such as MATLAB, Handbrake, AIDA64, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Prime95, PCMark 10, RealBench, Furmark, 7zip, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, PassMark, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Intel Core i7-12700KF 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 i7-12700KF

63%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i7-12700KF is 6% better than M1 Pro. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Pro

57%

Core i7-12700KF

59%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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 small 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: Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Ghostrunner, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	105.1
Valorant	114.8	119.4
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	66.9
Apex Legends	107.9	112.3
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	89.6
Overwatch	93.0	96.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	82.4
DOOM Eternal	57.4	59.7
Warzone	89.5	93.1
Assassin's Creed	96.4	100.3
Valheim	95.3	99.1

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 participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, 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 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 i7-12700KF

57%

To make a final choice 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 i7-12700KF as it consumes less power: 16W vs. 125W. 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 machine learning, streaming, programming, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 can use only one core to work, and all the advantages 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 i7-12700KF
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	563
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	4104
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	1344
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	9314
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	3147
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	30705

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i7-12700KF
Single-Core	5046	7367
Multi-Core	32596	42989

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

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i7-12700KF
Single-Core	1723	2161
Multi-Core	12737	16755

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. 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, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M1 Pro	Intel Core i7-12700KF
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		5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	10	12
Threads	10	20
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	12 MB
L3 cache	24MB	25 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 i7-12700KF is 15% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i7-12700KF has 2 more core than M1 Pro. 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 i7-12700KF is better: 31
However, it should be realized that all the number in the table above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Pro and Intel Core i7-12700KF before deciding which processor 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 i7-12700KF - all data

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

• Intel Core i7-12700KF specs and review.