Core i7-2600 vs Apple M3 Pro 12-Core
Aggregate performance score
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms i7-2600 by a whopping 340% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 429 | 1473 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | 43 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 1.39 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple M3 | no data |
| Architecture codename | no data | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (less than a year ago) | 9 January 2011 (13 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $247 |
| Current price | no data | $91 (0.4x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600 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 | 12 (Dodeca-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 126 x 4.1 GHz Apple M3 P-Core6 x 2.7 GHz Apple M3 E-Core | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.748 GHz | 3.4 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 3.8 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 256 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | no data | 8192 KB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | no data | 216 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 73 °C |
| Number of transistors | 37000 Million | 1,160 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600 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 | LGA1155 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 95 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX |
| AES-NI | no data | + |
| AVX | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | no data | + |
| Flex Memory Access | no data | + |
| FDI | no data | + |
| Fast Memory Access | no data | + |
| Status | no data | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600 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 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 32 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 21 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | no data | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU | Intel HD Graphics 2000 |
| Quick Sync Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.35 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 2 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600.
| PCIe version | no data | 2.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 16 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 15.21 | 3.46 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 9 January 2011 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 4 |
| Threads | 126 x 4.1 GHz Apple M3 P-Core6 x 2.7 GHz Apple M3 E-Core | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 95 Watt |
The Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-2600 in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is a notebook processor while Core i7-2600 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-2600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
