Apple M2 vs Intel Core i9-11900KF

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple M2 or Apple M2 – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Apple M2 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2022 and belongs to the 2 generation of the Apple M series series.
The Intel Core i9-11900KF features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 16 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2021 and belongs to the 11 generation of the Intel Core i9 series.
To use the Intel Core i9-11900KF, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1200 socket.
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple M2 Name Intel Core i9-11900KF
Apple M series Family Intel Core i9
2 Generation 11
Apple M2 Group Intel Core i 11000
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M2 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.5 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The Intel Core i9-11900KF has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 16 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i9-11900KF is 3.5 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 5.3 GHz.
None None 5.3 GHz
2.8 GHz B-Core Frequency None
3.5 GHz A-Core Frequency None
4x Blizzard Cores B None
4x Avalanche Cores A None
No Overclocking Yes
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
None None 3.5 GHz
8 Threads 16
None None 4.8 GHz
No Hyperthreading Yes
8 CPU Cores 8
None None 8x
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple M2 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M2 uses the Apple M2 (10 Core), which has 1280 texture shaders
and 160 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Intel Core i9-11900KF does not have integrated graphics.
1.4 GHz GPU frequency --
Q2/2022 Release date --
-- Direct X --
Apple M2 (10 Core) GPU name
5 nm Technology --
-- Max. displays --
1280 Shaders --
24.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
160 Execution units --
2 Generation --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS AI specifications --
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode AVC --
Decode VC-1 --
Decode / Encode VP9 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) --
Decode / Encode h264 --
Decode VP8 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) --
Decode / Encode JPEG --
No AV1 --
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 24.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 128.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
2 Memory channels 2
24.0 GB Max. Memory 128.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI Yes
No ECC No
102.4 GB/s Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
LPDDR5-6400 Memory type DDR4-3200
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 22 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 125 W watts.
100 °C Tjunction max 100 °C
22 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 125 W
10 W TDP down 95 W
 
 

Technical details

The Apple M2 is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i9-11900KF is manufactured using a 14 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 16.0 MB cache.
Q2/2022 Release date Q1/2021
-- Part Number --
20.0 MB L2-Cache 4.0 MB
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
M2 Architecture Rocket Lake S
5 nm Technology 14 nm
Socket LGA 1200
macOS, iPadOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11
-- Release price 513 $
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
0 bytes L3-Cache 16.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Intel Core i9-11900KF
8C 16T @ 3.5 GHz
25385
25385
Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
15472
15472

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-11900KF
8C 16T @ 3.5 GHz
16211
16211
Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
8714
8714

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-11900KF
8C 16T @ 3.5 GHz
11645
11645
Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
8853
8853

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-11900KF
8C 16T @ 3.5 GHz
11167
11167
Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
9691
9691

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
2536
2536
Intel Core i9-11900KF
8C 16T @ 3.5 GHz
2349
2349

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-11900KF
8C 16T @ 3.5 GHz
1878
1878
Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
1874
1874

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
1695
1695
Intel Core i9-11900KF
8C 16T @ 3.5 GHz
1686
1686