Benchmarks Confirm Intel's Latest Core i9 Chip Outperforms Apple's M1 Max With Several Caveats

One of the first laptops to be powered by Intel's new 12th- generation Core i9 processor is the GE 76 Raider fromMSI.

According to Macworld, early Geekbench 5 results show that the new Core i9 processor from Intel is faster than the M1 Max chip from Apple in the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max chip has an average multi-core score of 12,000, while the GE 76 Raider with the Core i9-12900HK processor has an average multi-core score of 12,000. The Core i9 processor is 4% faster than the M1 Max chip.

Power efficiency is one of the biggest issues. PCWorld measured the power draw from the wall and found the Core i9 was consistently in the 100 watt range and briefly spiked to 140 watt. The power draw from the wall of the M1 Max chip was around 40 watt when compared to the Cinebench R23 benchmark on the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

With the Core i9 consuming much more power, battery life takes a hit, with PCWorld finding the new GE 76 Raider achieved nearly six hours of offline video play. The latest MacBook Pro from Apple has up to 21 hours of battery life. The 16-inch MacBook Pro runs longer on the battery even if there are differences in display brightness.

The GE76 Raider is a 17-inch gaming laptop that is just over an inch thick and weighs over 6 pounds. The new MacBook Pro is thinner and heavier than the old one.

It appears that Intel's claim that its new Core i9 processor is faster than the M1 Max chip holds up, but Apple likely has no regrets with its own power-efficient chips for thin-and-light notebooks like the MacBook Air and MacBook. Apple is just getting started with the M2 chip expected later this year.