First Apple M2 benchmark pops up online, shows performance rivaling Intel i9-12900K

Following Apple’s WWDC 2022 event and the subsequent reveal of its latest silicon, the Apple M2, new benchmarks for the chip are popping up -- and packing a punch. 

As seen on the Geekbench Database, and reported by 9to5mac, this is the first benchmark yet of the new silicon. It appears to back up Apple’s claimed M1 vs M2 comparison: Apple says the M2 CPU is 18% faster than the M1 CPU, and the M2 GPU is 35% faster than the one in the M1.

The benchmark shows the M2’s speed clocking in at 3.49GHz compared to the M1's 3.2GHz, which is a roughly 9% increase. The M2’s single-core performance is about 11.56% faster than the M1, and the multi-core performance for the M2 is 19.45% faster than the M1.

When TechRadar is able to test the M2 ourselves, we'll be better able to assess these performance scores and whether they are legit, but it looks like Apple has produced a seriously impressive chip.

Analysis: Apple's decision to ditch Intel looks better with every release

Apple's decision to drop Intel in favor of its own silicon becomes even more of a prescient move with every chip Apple puts out. 

If the Geekbench scores are to be believed, Apple's M2 chip is beat only in single core performance by Intel Alder Lake's Core i9 12900-K and i9 12900-KF chips, which is a stunning result if true considering that these are desktop-class processors, not the mobile Alder Lake variants.

Apple's jump away from Intel was a major blow to Team Blue, without question. But the past year has been a great one for Intel thanks to the phenomenal performance of its new Alder Lake processors. If Apple M2 starts putting up the same kind of numbers we're seeing in these leaked benchmarks, Alder Lake might not be the talk of the town for long.

• The Apple M2 won't be as powerful as the M1 Pro or M1 Max, but that's OK