Core i7-6700HQ vs Apple M3 Pro 12-Core
Aggregate performance score
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms i7-6700HQ by a whopping 260% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 429 | 1310 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Apple M3 | Intel Core i7 |
| Architecture codename | no data | Skylake (2015−2016) |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (less than a year ago) | 1 September 2015 (8 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $378 |
| Current price | no data | $604 (1.6x MSRP) |
Detailed specifications
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ 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 | 2.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | no data | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | no data | 6 MB |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 122 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Number of transistors | 37000 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ 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 | FCBGA1440 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 45 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ. 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 | + |
| My WiFi | 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 | + |
| Flex Memory Access | no data | + |
| SIPP | no data | - |
| Smart Response | no data | + |
| Status | no data | Discontinued |
Security technologies
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | - |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| MPX | no data | + |
| Identity Protection | no data | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® ME |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
| 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 i7-6700HQ. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3, DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 34.1 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 530 |
| Max video memory | no data | 64 GB |
| Quick Sync Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.05 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
| eDP | no data | + |
| DisplayPort | no data | + |
| HDMI | no data | + |
| DVI | no data | + |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| 4K resolution support | no data | + |
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096x2304@24Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 4096x2304@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 4096x2304@60Hz |
| Max resolution over VGA | no data | N/A |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ 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 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ.
| PCIe version | no data | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 16 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms Core i7-6700HQ by 260% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Benchmark coverage: 15%
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms Core i7-6700HQ by 220% in Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 15.21 | 4.22 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 1 September 2015 |
| 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 | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 45 Watt |
The Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-6700HQ in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6700HQ, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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