Core i5-12500 vs Apple M3 Max 16-Core
Aggregate performance score
Apple M3 Max 16-Core outperforms i5-12500 by an impressive 70% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 224 | 554 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 51.86 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple M3 | no data |
| Architecture codename | no data | Alder Lake-S (2022) |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (less than a year ago) | 4 January 2022 (2 years ago) |
| Current price | no data | $185 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 1612 x 4.1 GHz Apple M3 P-Core4 x 2.7 GHz Apple M3 E-Core | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2.748 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 4.6 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 80K (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 1.25 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | no data | 18 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | no data | 163 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Number of transistors | 92000 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | no data | 1 |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA1700 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 78 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | no data | + |
| AVX | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | no data | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | no data | + |
| SIPP | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | - |
| Status | no data | Launched |
Security technologies
Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 76.8 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | no data | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Apple M3 Max 40-Core GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
| Quick Sync Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.45 GHz |
| Execution Units | no data | 32 |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 4 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500.
| PCIe version | no data | 5.0 and 4.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 20 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 21.83 | 12.87 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 4 January 2022 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 6 |
| Threads | 1612 x 4.1 GHz Apple M3 P-Core4 x 2.7 GHz Apple M3 E-Core | 12 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 78 Watt | 65 Watt |
The Apple M3 Max 16-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i5-12500 in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M3 Max 16-Core is a notebook processor while Core i5-12500 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Max 16-Core and Core i5-12500, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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