FX-6120 vs Apple M3 Pro 12-Core
Aggregate performance score
M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms FX-6120 by a whopping 519% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 640 | 2074 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple M3 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 21.39 | 0.98 |
| Designer | Apple | AMD |
| Architecture codename | no data | Zambezi (2011−2012) |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (2 years ago) | 23 October 2012 (13 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of M3 Pro 12-Core and FX-6120: 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) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 6 |
| Base clock speed | 2.748 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 288 KB |
| L2 cache | no data | 6 MB |
| L3 cache | no data | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | no data | 315 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 37000 Million | 1,200 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on M3 Pro 12-Core and FX-6120 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 | AM3+ |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 95 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M3 Pro 12-Core and FX-6120. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| FMA | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by M3 Pro 12-Core and FX-6120 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M3 Pro 12-Core and FX-6120. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR3 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M3 Pro 12-Core and FX-6120.
| PCIe version | no data | 2.0 |
Synthetic benchmarks
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.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 13.69 | 2.21 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 23 October 2012 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 6 |
| Threads | 12 | 6 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 95 Watt |
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core has a 519% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 11 years, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, a 967% more advanced lithography process, and 252% lower power consumption.
The Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the AMD FX-6120 in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is a notebook processor while FX-6120 is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
