Apple M2 (8-GPU) Benchmark, Test and specs

Last updated: 2024-03-12

The Apple M2 (8-GPU) has 8 cores with 8 threads and is based on the 2. gen of the Apple M series series. The processor was released in Q2/2022. The Apple M2 (8-GPU) scores 1,874 points in the Geekbench 5 single-core benchmark. In the Geekbench 5 multi-core benchmark, the result is 8,853 points.

CPU lineage
The segment in which we have classified the Apple M2 (8-GPU). Here you can see if it is a desktop processor or a mobile processor or which processor may be the successor of the Apple M2 (8-GPU).
Name:	Apple M2 (8-GPU)
Family:	Apple M series (23)
CPU group:	Apple M2 (8)
Architecture:	M2
Segment:	Mobile
Generation:	2
Predecessor:	Apple M1
Successor:	Apple M3 (8-GPU)

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M2 (8-GPU) has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple M2 (8-GPU) is 0.66 GHz (3.50 GHz). The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.

CPU Cores / Threads:	8 / 8
Core architecture:	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
A-Core:	4x Avalanche
B-Core:	4x Blizzard

Hyperthreading / SMT:	No
Overclocking:	No
A-Core Frequency:	0.66 GHz (3.50 GHz)
B-Core Frequency:	0.60 GHz (2.42 GHz)

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

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

Internal Graphics

The Apple M2 (8-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. Specifically, the Apple M2 (8-GPU) uses the Apple M2 (8 Core), which has 1024 texture shaders and 128 execution units. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

GPU name:	Apple M2 (8 Core)
GPU frequency:	0.45 GHz
GPU (Turbo):	1.40 GHz
Compute units:	128
Shader:	1024
Hardware Raytracing:	No
Release date:	Q2/2022

Max. displays:	2
Generation:	2
Direct X:	--
Technology:	5 nm
Max. GPU Memory:	24 GB
Frame Generation:	No

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.

h265 / HEVC (8 bit):	Decode / Encode
h265 / HEVC (10 bit):	Decode / Encode
h264:	Decode / Encode
VP8:	Decode
VP9:	Decode / Encode

AV1:	No
AVC:	Decode
VC-1:	Decode
JPEG:	Decode / Encode

Memory type:	Memory bandwidth:
Memory & PCIe The processor can use up to 24 GB memory in 2 (Dual Channel) memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 102.4 GB/s. The memory type as well as the amount of memory can greatly affect the speed of the system.

LPDDR5-6400	102.4 GB/s
Max. Memory:	24 GB
Memory channels:	2 (Dual Channel)
ECC:	No
PCIe:	4.0
PCIe Bandwidth:	--

Thermal Management The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the processor is 20 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently. The TDP usually gives a rough idea of the actual power consumption of the CPU.

TDP (PL1 / PBP):	20 W
TDP (PL2):	--
TDP up:	25 W
TDP down:	10 W
Tjunction max.:	100 °C

Technical details

The Apple M2 (8-GPU) is made in 5 nm. The smaller the manufacturing process of a CPU, the more modern and energy-efficient it is. Overall, the processor has 20.00 MB cache. A large cache can greatly speed up the processor's speed in some cases such as games.

Technology:	5 nm
Chip design:	Chiplet
Socket:	--
L2-Cache:	20.00 MB
L3-Cache:	--
AES-NI:	Yes
Operating systems:	macOS, iPadOS

Virtualization:	Apple Virtualization Framework
Instruction set (ISA):	Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
ISA extensions:	Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
Release date:	Q2/2022
Release price:	--
Part Number:	--
Documents:	Technical data sheet

Apple M2 (8-GPU)
8C 8T @ 0.66 GHz (3.50 GHz)

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Benchmark results

The benchmark results for the Apple M2 (8-GPU) have been carefully checked by us. We only publish benchmark results that have been created by us or that have been submitted by a visitor and then checked by a team member. All results are based on and fullfill our benchmark guidelines.

Screenshots:

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.


	Apple M2 Max (38-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	121
	Intel Core i9-13900 24C 32T @ 5.60 GHz	121
	Intel Core i9-13900F 24C 32T @ 5.60 GHz	121
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	120
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	120
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7970X 32C 64T @ 5.30 GHz	119
	AMD Ryzen 7 7700X 8C 16T @ 5.40 GHz	119

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.


	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz	568
	AMD Ryzen 5 5600H 6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz	559
	AMD Ryzen 5 5600HS 6C 12T @ 4.20 GHz	559
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	555
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	555
	Intel Core i5-12500H 12C 16T @ 4.50 GHz	546
	AMD Ryzen 7 1800X 8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz	545

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6860Z 8C 16T @ 4.73 GHz	1613
	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6C 12T @ 4.60 GHz	1593
	AMD Ryzen 7 5800 8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz	1593
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	1592
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	1592
	AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U 8C 16T @ 4.70 GHz	1587
	AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS 8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz	1579

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	AMD Ryzen 7 1700X 8C 16T @ 3.60 GHz	8805
	AMD Ryzen 5 4600HS 6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz	8765
	Intel Core i9-9880H 8C 16T @ 3.40 GHz	8657
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	8558
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	8558
	Intel Core i7-9700F 8C 8T @ 3.80 GHz	8540
	Intel Core i7-9700 8C 8T @ 3.80 GHz	8540

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	Intel Core i9-11900K 8C 16T @ 5.30 GHz	1878
	Intel Core i9-11900KF 8C 16T @ 5.30 GHz	1878
	Intel Core i5-14500 14C 20T @ 5.00 GHz	1877
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	1874
	Apple M2 Max (30-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	1874
	Apple M2 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) 10C 10T @ 3.50 GHz	1874
	Apple M2 Max (38-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	1874

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6860Z 8C 16T @ 2.70 GHz	8883
	AMD EPYC 7301 16C 32T @ 2.70 GHz	8864
	Intel Xeon Gold 5117 14C 28T @ 2.40 GHz	8856
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	8853
	AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	8853
	AMD Ryzen 5 8640U 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	8853
	AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7640U 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	8853

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.


	Intel Core i9-12900E 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	2611
	Intel Core i9-13900E 24C 32T @ 5.20 GHz	2606
	AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7985WX 64C 128T @ 5.10 GHz	2599
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	2596
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	2596
	Intel Core i5-14500T 14C 20T @ 4.80 GHz	2561
	Intel Core i9-12900K 16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz	2560

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.


	AMD Ryzen 7 6800H 8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz	10110
	Intel Xeon W-2255 10C 20T @ 4.40 GHz	10109
	Intel Core i7-1370P 14C 20T @ 1.90 GHz	10095
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	10062
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	10062
	Intel Core i7-11700B 8C 16T @ 4.00 GHz	10050
	Intel Core i9-11900F 8C 16T @ 3.80 GHz	10040

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.


	AMD Ryzen 5 8600G AMD Radeon 760M @ 2.80 GHz	2868
	AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8600G AMD Radeon 760M @ 2.80 GHz	2868
	AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8600GE AMD Radeon 760M @ 2.80 GHz	2868
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) Apple M2 (8 Core) @ 1.40 GHz	2840
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) Apple M3 (8 Core) @ 1.40 GHz	2840
	AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U AMD Radeon 760M @ 2.60 GHz	2663
	AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640HS AMD Radeon 760M @ 2.60 GHz	2663

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.


	AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 1700X 8C 16T @ 3.60 GHz	15627
	Intel Xeon Gold 5215 10C 20T @ 2.50 GHz	15622
	Intel Xeon D-1726 6C 12T @ 3.30 GHz	15528
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	15472
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	15472
	AMD Ryzen 5 5600U 6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz	15456
	Intel Xeon Gold 5217 8C 16T @ 3.50 GHz	15439

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.


	Intel Core i9-9880H 8C 16T @ 3.40 GHz	242.2
	Intel Core i9-9980HK 8C 16T @ 3.40 GHz	251.2
	Intel Core i7-5960X 8C 16T @ 3.20 GHz	254.1
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	277
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 3.50 GHz	277
	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X 6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz	278.4
	Intel Core i7-6850K 6C 12T @ 3.60 GHz	279.7

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.


	AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640U 10,675 CB R23 MC @ 24 W	445
	Apple M1 7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W	431
	Apple M1 (7-GPU) 7,759 CB R23 MC @ 18 W	431
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8,558 CB R23 MC @ 20 W	428
	Apple M2 8,558 CB R23 MC @ 20 W	428
	Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) 24,028 CB R23 MC @ 57 W	422
	Apple M2 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) 12,125 CB R23 MC @ 30 W	404

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).


	Apple A15 Bionic (4-GPU) 6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz	15.8
	Apple A15 Bionic (5-GPU) 6C 6T @ 3.23 GHz	15.8
	Apple M2 8C 8T @ 0.66 GHz	15.8
	Apple M2 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 0.66 GHz	15.8
	Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz	15
	Samsung Exynos 990 8C 8T @ 2.73 GHz	15
	Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ 8C 8T @ 3.10 GHz	15

Benchmarks

Cinebench 2024 (SC)
272 entries

Cinebench 2024 (MC)
271 entries

Cinebench R23 (SC)
586 entries

Cinebench R23 (MC)
565 entries

Geekbench 5 (SC)
2,488 entries

Geekbench 5 (MC)
2,461 entries

Geekbench 6 (SC)
1,755 entries

Geekbench 6 (MC)
1,703 entries

FP32 SP (iGPU)
2,042 entries

PassMark CPU-Mark
2,392 entries

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)
190 entries

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)
109 entries

AI / ML Performance
119 entries

News and articles for the Apple M2 (8-GPU)

Most popular processors in the first half of 2022

Posted by Stefan on 2022-07-05

In the past we had repeatedly written about our most popular processors. Since this format was quiet popular, I would like to continue this today and introduce you the most popular processors in the first half of 2022.

With more than 2 million page views per month, CPU-Monkey is one of the biggest comparison sites for processors and is currently available in 16 languages.

Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?

Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-28

After Apple surprisingly presented the normal Apple M2 processor as the first successor to the Apple M1 already in June 2022, the Apple M2 Pro and the Apple M2 Max may follow in autumn. The difference in performance compared to the basic version could be even greater this time and range from 25 to 40 percent.

In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.

Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?

Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-09

During WWDC 2022 on June 6th, 2022 Apple surprisingly presented its new Apple M2 processor. This will initially be installed in a completely revised Apple MacBook Air with 13.6 inches, a even thinner form factor and new colors. Apple also updated the already known (old) Apple MacBook Pro 13.3 with touch bar.

Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.

Description of the processor

The Apple M2 processor was released in the second quarter of 2022 and came on the market in 2 variants. Once with 8 GPU cores and then another variant with 10 GPU cores. As our name suggests, this is the variant with 8 GPU cores. This variant was actually only used in one device, namely the 13-inch MacBook Air from 2022. The Apple M2 (8-GPU) is the direct successor to the Apple M1 from 2020.

The Apple M2 (8-GPU) is built in a hybrid big.LITTLE core architecture; in addition to 4 performance cores of the Avalanche type, there are also 4 efficiency cores of the Blizzard type. The Avalanche processor cores clock at 660 megahertz and can increase their clock speed to up to 3.50 gigahertz. The four Blizzard processor cores clock at 600 megahertz and the maximum turbo clock is 2.42 gigahertz. None of the processor cores support hyperthreading technology and there is no option to overclock the processor.

The processor is not able to be equipped with a dedicated graphics card, but it is equipped with an internal graphics unit. This graphics unit consists of 128 execution units with 1024 shaders and can operate a maximum of 2 screens with it. The base clock of the iGPU is 450 megahertz and in turbo mode the clock can be increased to up to 1.40 gigahertz. This means that the graphics unit achieves an FP32 computing power of a very strong 2840 GigaFLOPS, with single precision.

The Apple M2 (8-GPU) is equipped with 2 memory channels and can be equipped with up to 24 gigabytes of LPDDR5-6400 RAM. Here, however, you have to decide when you buy the device how much RAM you want to have, because it is not possible to upgrade it later.

Both the processor and the internal graphics unit are manufactured with a structure width of 5 nanometers.

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