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Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core i5-9400F

Apple M2 Max

► remove from comparison Apple M2 Max

The Apple M2 Max is a System on a Chip (SoC) from Apple that is found in the early 2023 MacBook Pro 14 and 16-inch models. It offers all 12 CPU cores available in the chip divided in eight performance cores (P-cores) and four power-efficiency cores (E-cores). The E-cores clock with up to 3.4 GHz, the P-Cores up to 3.7 GHz (mostly 3.3 GHz in multi-threaded workloads and 3.4 GHz in single threaded).

The big cores (codename Avalanche) offer 192 KB instruction cache, 128 KB data cache, and 36 MB shared L2 cache (up from 24 MB in the M1 Pro). The four efficiency cores (codename Blizzard) are a lot smaller and offer only 128 KB instruction cache, 64 KB data cache, and 4 MB shared cache. CPU and GPU can both use the 49 MB SLC (System Level Cache). 

The unified memory (32, 64, or 96 GB LPDDR5-6400) next to the chip is connected by a 512 Bit memory controller (400 GB/s bandwidth) and can be used by the GPU and CPU.

The CPU performance should be quite similar to the M2 Pro as only the higher memory bandwidth and bigger L3 cache could make a difference for some workloads.

The integrated graphics card in the M1 Max offers a 30-core GPU or a GPU with all 38 cores.

Furthermore, the SoC integrates a fast 16 core neural engine (faster than M1 Max), a secure enclave (e.g., for encryption), a unified memory architecture, Thunderbolt 4 controller, an ISP, and media de- and encoders (including ProRes).

The M2 Max is manufactured in 5 nm at TSMC (second generation) and integrates 40 billion transistors. The power consumption of the CPU part is up to 36 Watt according to powermetrics. When fully loading the CPU and GPU cores, the chip uses up to 89 Watt and the CPU part is limited to 25 Watt.

Intel Core i5-9400F

► remove from comparison Intel i5-9400F

The Intel Core i5-9400F is a six-core desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture introduced in October 2018 along with the flagship Intel Core i9-9900K. The processor clocks at 2.9-4.1 GHz and can process up to 6 threads simultaneously. The Intel Core i5-9400F is manufactured in the improved 14-nm process (14nm++).

Performance

Compared to the Intel Core i5-8400, the performance could only be increased slightly. Performance increases of up to 10 percent can be expected. Both processors (old and new) still do not offer hyperthreading. The performance increase therefore only adds up to small architecture improvements and a slightly higher basic and turbo clock rate. This CPU is suitable for everyday office use, which does not require large coolers due to the low waste heat. But games are also among the application areas, because in games the Intel Core i5-9400F clearly beats the Intel Core i3-9100F. Here the six cores are paying off in the meantime. 

Graphics unit

The Intel Core i5-9400F is a processor without integrated graphics unit. If you value an iGPU, you should take a closer look at the Intel Core i5-9400, as it offers the entry level Intel UHD Graphics 630.

Power consumption

Intel puts the Thermal Design Power (TDP) at 65 watts. This means there is no need for large cooling systems, which also allows installation in very compact housings.

ModelApple M2 MaxIntel Core i5-9400F
SeriesApple Apple M2Intel Coffee Lake
Series: Coffee Lake Coffee Lake-R
Apple M2 Max « 2.42 - 3.7 GHz12 / 12 cores48 MB L3
Apple M2 Pro compare2.42 - 3.5 GHz12 / 12 cores24 MB L3
Apple M2 Pro 10-Core compare2.42 - 3.7 GHz10 / 10 cores24 MB L3
Apple M2 compare2.42 - 3.48 GHz8 / 8 cores8 MB L3
Intel Core i9-9900KS compare4 - 5 GHz8 / 16 cores16 MB L3
Intel Core i9-9900K compare3.6 - 5 GHz8 / 16 cores16 MB L3
Intel Core i7-9700K compare3.6 - 4.9 GHz8 / 8 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i7-9700 compare3 - 4.7 GHz8 / 8 cores12 MB L3
Intel Core i5-9600K compare3.7 - 4.6 GHz6 / 6 cores9 MB L3
Intel Core i9-9900T compare2.1 - 4.4 GHz8 / 16 cores16 MB L3
Intel Core i5-9400F « 2.9 - 4.1 GHz6 / 6 cores9 MB L3
Intel Core i3-9100F compare3.6 - 4.2 GHz4 / 4 cores6 MB L3
Clock2424 - 3696 MHz2900 - 4100 MHz
L1 Cache3.3 MB384 KB
L2 Cache36 MB1.5 MB
L3 Cache48 MB9 MB
Cores / Threads12 / 126 / 6
TDP79 Watt65 Watt
Transistors67000 Million
5 nm14 nm, 100
FeaturesARMv8 Instruction SetDual-Channel DDR4-2666 Memory Controller, AVX, AVX2, AES-NI, TSX, Quick Sync, Virtualization
iGPUApple M2 Max 38-Core GPU
ArchitectureARMx86
Announced
CodenameCoffee Lake-R
Die Size149 mm2
SocketLGA 1151-2
$182 U.S.

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU - i5-9400F
30.9 pt (43%)
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Multi Core
100%
1 M2 Max +
min: 14738     avg: 14753     median: 14752.5 (14%)     max: 14767 Points
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Single Core
100%
1 M2 Max +
min: 1625     avg: 1644     median: 1643.5 (70%)     max: 1662 Points
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Single Core)
min: 451     avg: 455.5     median: 455.5 (51%)     max: 460 Points
416 Points (46%)
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Multi Core)
min: 4044     avg: 4065     median: 4064.5 (10%)     max: 4085 Points
2378 Points (6%)
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
min: 2074     avg: 2084     median: 2084 (13%)     max: 2094 Points
984 Points (6%)
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64 Bit
min: 233     avg: 236     median: 236 (71%)     max: 239 Points
173 Points (52%)
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64 Bit
11.3 Points (15%)
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64 Bit
2 Points (49%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (32bit)
6490 Points (39%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (32bit)
31523 Points (23%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (64bit)
40065 Points (28%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (64bit)
8182 Points (10%)
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 1024m *
198.7 s (2%)
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 32m *
6.8 s (1%)
WinRAR - WinRAR 4.0
5794 Points (9%)
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Multli Thread 4 runs
25639 MIPS (15%)
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Single Thread 4 runs
4678 MIPS (56%)
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 2
64 fps (22%)
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 1
234 fps (54%)
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - HWBOT x265 4k Preset
9.1 fps (16%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Serpent
0.5 GB/s (0%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Twofish
0.9 GB/s (15%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt AES
5.2 GB/s (14%)
Blender - Blender 3.3 Classroom CPU *
100%
1 M2 Max +
326 Seconds (4%)
Blender - Blender 2.79 BMW27 CPU *
333 Seconds (2%)
468.5 Seconds (3%)
R Benchmark 2.5 - R Benchmark 2.5 *
0.7 sec (14%)
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M *
9.3 s (2%)
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M *
20.8 s (1%)
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 32M *
499.8 s (2%)
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Physics
11185 Points (30%)
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Physics
70546 Points (57%)
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme Physics
70482 Points (57%)
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
72413 Points (61%)
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Physics
8275 Points (21%)
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Physics
12616 Points (22%)
3DMark - 3DMark Time Spy CPU
5777 Points (24%)
Geekbench 6.2 - Geekbench 6.2 Single-Core
100%
1 M2 Max +
2692 Points (72%)
Geekbench 6.2 - Geekbench 6.2 Multi-Core
100%
1 M2 Max +
14863 Points (59%)
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.4 64 Bit Single-Core
min: 1965     avg: 1970     median: 1967 (83%)     max: 1978 Points
1139 Points (48%)
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
min: 15348     avg: 15388     median: 15373 (28%)     max: 15444 Points
5715 Points (10%)
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Single-Core
1132 Points (5%)
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
5698 Points (18%)
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Single-Core
5347 Points (53%)
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
21830 Points (24%)
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
min: 430.2     avg: 437.2     median: 437.2 (1%)     max: 444.2 ms
867 ms (1%)
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
100%
1 M2 Max +
min: 76610     avg: 77676     median: 77676 (70%)     max: 78742 Points
WebXPRT 4 - WebXPRT 4 Score
100%
1 M2 Max +
min: 258     avg: 259     median: 259 (74%)     max: 260 Points
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
min: 402     avg: 404.5     median: 404.5 (84%)     max: 407 Points
211 Points (44%)
CrossMark - CrossMark Overall
100%
1 M2 Max +
min: 1759     avg: 1835     median: 1834.5 (70%)     max: 1910 Points
Power Consumption - Prime95 Power Consumption - external Monitor *
131.6 Watt (23%)
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Consumption - external Monitor *
100%
1 M2 Max +
72.8 Watt (13%)
122.5 Watt (22%)
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption - external Monitor *
100%
1 M2 Max +
9.2 Watt (6%)
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Efficiency - external Monitor
100%
1 M2 Max +
28.5 Points per Watt (21%)
8 Points per Watt (6%)

Average Benchmarks Apple M2 Max → 100% n=9

Average Benchmarks Intel Core i5-9400F → 68% n=9

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

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v1.27
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Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)