Apple latest M2 system on a chip has been available for a month and has undergone several benchmark tests against the competition. The latest Hardware Unboxed tests surprised everyone when the M2 outperformed the Ryzen 7 6800U GPU in gaming but lagged behind in CPU benchmarks.
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In a gaming test using Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the Apple M2 was pitted against the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U with the RDNA 2 iGPU. This is a graphically intensive game, and Apple previous-generation M1 chip could only handle it on low settings but the M2 was a completely different story.
At the highest settings rate, the M2 outperformed the Ryzen 7 6800U by 10%. At 1200p, the M2 averaged 28 frames per second (fps), while the AMD Ryzen 7 maxed out at 25 fps.
The results were consistent across medium and low settings, with the M2 achieving 33 fps on medium and the Ryzen 7 achieving 30 fps. Apple M2 chip accomplished all of this while using 48% less power than the Ryzen 7.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the new M2 marked the beginning of a new era of gaming for MacBooks. He explained at WWDC 2022 that Apple was courting AAA developers with the new Metal 3 framework so they could take advantage of the M2. This year, Mac users can expect to see games like No Man Sky and Resident Evil Village.
Apple technology have historically been ignored by gamers and game developers, while Windows PC machines have dominated the gaming market for decades. The M2 demonstrates that Apple is ready for gaming.
However, gaming is the only area where the M2 chip excels. In all other CPU benchmarks, both Intel Alder Lake and Ryzen 6000-series chips outperformed the M2. In Cinebench multi-threaded tests, for example, the 12th Gen Intel i7 and i9 outperformed the M2. The Ryzen 7 6800U also outperformed the M2 and consumed less power.
In Handbrake tests, both Intel and AMD outperformed Apple in multi-threaded tests. In single-core tests, the M2 outperformed the Ryzen 7, but Intel Alder Lake chips were the fastest.
Apple claims that the M2 has a 25% increase in processing power over the M1, as well as an 18% increase in multi-core performance. These tests, however, call Apple claims into question.
Part of the issue could be that Apple is still using the same 5nm processor as the M1 chip. The M2 was supposed to be a new 3nm chip, but supply issues and Chinese lockdowns have slowed production.
Despite its slightly slower processing speed, the M2 provides excellent gaming performance. The question is whether it is worthwhile to upgrade from the M1.
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