Apple M2 vs i5-12600K

Place in the ranking	364	814
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	44.03	no data
Market segment	Desktop processor	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i5	Apple Apple M-Series
Power efficiency	13.20	44.51
Architecture codename	Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021)	no data
Release date	4 November 2021 (3 years ago)	10 June 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$289	no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i5-12600K and Apple M2 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	10 (Deca-Core)	8 (Octa-Core)
Threads	16	8
Base clock speed	3.7 GHz	2.424 GHz
Boost clock speed	4.9 GHz	3.48 GHz
Bus type	DMI 4.0	no data
Bus rate	8 × 16 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	37	no data
L1 cache	80K (per core)	2 MB
L2 cache	1.25 MB (per core)	20 MB
L3 cache	20 MB (shared)	no data
Chip lithography	Intel 7 nm	5 nm
Die size	215.25 mm²	no data
Maximum core temperature	100 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	20000 Million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	+	no data
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-12600K and Apple M2 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)	125 Watt	20 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-12600K and Apple M2. 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	+	-
FMA	+	-
AVX	+	-
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Speed Shift	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
SIPP	+	-
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	-	no data
Deep Learning Boost	+	-

Security technologies

Core i5-12600K and Apple M2 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 i5-12600K and Apple M2 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 i5-12600K and Apple M2. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4, DDR5	no data
Maximum memory size	128 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	76.805 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	+	-

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel UHD Graphics 770	Apple M2 10-Core GPU ( - 1398 MHz)
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 i5-12600K and Apple M2 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-12600K and Apple M2 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 i5-12600K and Apple M2 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 i5-12600K and Apple M2.

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.

i5-12600K 17.43
+85.4%

Apple M2 9.40

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.

i5-12600K 27683
+85.4%

Apple M2 14933

Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.

i5-12600K 2555
+110%

Apple M2 1215

Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core

Cinebench R15 (standing for Release 15) is a benchmark made by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. It was superseded by later versions of Cinebench, which use more modern variants of Cinema 4D engine. The Single Core version (sometimes called Single-Thread) only uses a single processor thread to render a room full of reflective spheres and light sources.

i5-12600K 275
+23.3%

Apple M2 223