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日本[Comparison] Intel Core i7-1250U vs Apple M2 – More powerful, but more expensive as well
Yesterday, we had the Apple M1 go against the Core i5-1250U, resulting in a fantastic showing for the Apple chip. However, the M1 isn’t even the most recent thing to come out of Apple’s oven, as the M2 has been out for a few months.
It’s shown to do quite well when compared to its predecessor, as the new architecture swiftly dispatched the competition. How can it do against the Core i7-1250U, well today we’re going after that exact question?
Today we’re comparing the Intel Core i5-1250U against the Apple M2.
You can take a look at our Top Laptop CPU Ranking, where we showcase the best and the newest laptop processors.
You can find more information about both CPUs here: Intel Core i7-1250U / Apple M2 (8-core GPU) / Apple M2 (10-core GPU)
Specs table
| Intel Core i7-1250U | Apple M2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Alder Lake U | Apple M-series |
| Cores / Threads | 10/12 | 8/8 |
| Clock Speeds – Base/Boost | 0.80 – 4.70GHz | 2.42 – 3.48GHz |
| Cache | 12MB | 20MB |
| Lithography | 10nm | 5nm |
| TDP | 9W | 10W |
| Memory type | LPDDR5-5200, LPDDR4x-4267 | LPDDR5-6400 |
| Integrated GPU | Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EU) | Apple M2 GPU (8-core) |
CPU benchmarks
The Core i7-1250U is decently more powerful in 3D Rendering with Cinebench 20, scoring 27% higher than the MacBook Air and 30% higher than the MacBook Pro 13. However, the M2 SoC is much better in both GeekBench and in the newer Cinebench R23.
Results are from the Cinebench R23 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
| Geekbench 5 | Single | Multi |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Core i7-1250U | 1237 | 4492 |
| Apple M2 | 1933 (+56%) | 8985 (+100%) |
| Cinebench R23 | |
|---|---|
| Intel Core i7-1250U | 7766 |
| Apple M2 | 8739 (+13%) |
GPU benchmarks
The Apple M2 comes with either an 8-core or a 10-core GPU, both of which score a lot higher than the integrated graphics inside the Core i7, the 8-core GPU does 84% better in Wildlife Extreme, while the 10-core GPU is 122% faster.
| 3DMark Wildlife Extreme | |
|---|---|
| Intel Core i7-1250U – Iris Xe Graphics G7 (96EU) | 3082 |
| Apple M2 (8-core GPU) | 5683 (+84%) |
| Apple M2 (10-core GPU) | 6840 (+122%) |
Conclusion
The M2 SoC is a fantastic piece of technology that makes the MacBook series of laptops stand out even more. On the other hand, it’s a lot more expensive, as the MacBook Air with an M2 chip starts off at $1199, while the Core i7-1250U can be found inside the HP Envy x360 13 for around $800 to $900.
