Apple M2 Benchmarks Out: As Fast As Intel Core i9-12900K?

Apple M2, the second-generation Apple Silicon was announced at WWDC 2022 along with the new MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. Apple claimed that the M2 is faster and power-efficient than the M1. Users will soon be able to buy Apple M2-powered MacBooks with a starting price of Rs. 1,19,900.

Apple M2-powered MacBook has been spotted on Geekbench 5, a CPU benchmark platform, suggesting up to a 20 percent improvement over the Apple M1 processor. Apple M2 is faster than Apple M1 in both single-core and multi-core Geekbench 5 tests.

Apple M2 Single Core CPU Test Results

According to Geekbench 5, the Apple M2 is 11.56 percent faster than the Apple M1 in the single-core Geekbench CPU test. What's even more interesting is the fact that Apple M2 scored 1919 points on the single-core test, which is similar to the high-end desktop CPUs like the Intel Core i9-12900K.

Considering the Apple M2 has a much lower TPD, the 2nd Gen Apple Silicon is a lot more power-efficient than the Intel Core i9-12900K and even the Intel Core i9-12900KF.

Apple M2 Multi-Core CPU Test Results

When it comes to multi-core performance, the Apple M2 posted 8929 points on Geekbencb 5 multi-core CPU test. In this scenario, Apple M2 is not as capable as the Intel Core i9-12900K due to the fewer CPU cores. Again, when compared to the Apple M1, the Apple M2 is around 20 percent faster in the multi-core Geekbench CPU test.

Apple M2 Based Macs Any Good?

Apple M2-based Macs should outperform their competition without any issue and are expected to deliver a great day-to-day user experience. On top of that, the Apple M2 is also likely to deliver great performance on optimized apps and software. However, some unoptimized apps might not work properly on Macs based on the Apple M2 processor.

Most Affordable Apple M2 Powered Mac?

Currently, the new MacBook Air is the most affordable Apple M2-powered Mac in the world, which is slightly expensive in India and costs 1,19,900. Then there is also the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Apple M2 with an active cooling solution that delivers better-sustained performance.

CPU Benchmarks have leaked for Apple's M2 chip!

3.49GHz CPU clock vs M1's 3.2GHz
Single-core performance gain vs M1: 11.56%
Multi-core performance gain vs M1: 19.45%

A little bit better than my estimates. I'm impressed!https://t.co/TGHOHw77Ds
Thanks to @amoss_137 for sharing. pic.twitter.com/NS9xODnOdX

— Vadim Yuryev (@VadimYuryev) June 15, 2022