Apple M2 Pro vs i5-12600
Aggregate performance score
Apple M2 Pro outperforms Core i5-12600 by a minimal 1% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 550 | 544 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | no data | Apple Apple M-Series |
| Power efficiency | 19.83 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Alder Lake-S (2022) | no data |
| Release date | January 2022 (2 years ago) | 17 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 2.424 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.8 GHz | 3.5 GHz |
| L1 cache | 80K (per core) | 3.3 MB |
| L2 cache | 1.25 MB (per core) | 36 MB |
| L3 cache | 18 MB (shared) | 24 MB |
| Chip lithography | Intel 7 nm | 5 nm |
| Die size | 163 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 100 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 40000 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro 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 | 1 | no data |
| Socket | FCLGA1700 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | no data |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 | no data |
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Speed Shift | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | + | no data |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| SIPP | + | - |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | - | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | + | - |
Security technologies
Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro 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 Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro 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 Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 2 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 76.8 GB/s | no data |
| ECC memory support | + | - |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card Compare | Intel UHD Graphics 770 | Apple M2 Pro 19-Core GPU |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.45 GHz | no data |
| Execution Units | 32 | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 4 | no data |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over eDP | 5120 x 3200 @ 120Hz | no data |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz | no data |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | 12 | no data |
| OpenGL | 4.5 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro.
| PCIe version | 5.0 and 4.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 20 | no data |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 13.62 | 13.73 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 12 |
Apple M2 Pro has a 0.8% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more physical cores.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i5-12600 and M2 Pro.
Note that Core i5-12600 is a desktop processor while Apple M2 Pro is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-12600 and Apple M2 Pro, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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