Apple M3 Max 16-Core vs i9-12900
Aggregate performance score
Apple M3 Max 16-Core outperforms Core i9-12900 by a significant 20% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 245 | 189 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 33.30 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | no data | Apple M3 |
| Power efficiency | 31.42 | 31.33 |
| Architecture codename | Alder Lake-S (2022) | no data |
| Release date | 4 January 2022 (2 years ago) | 30 October 2023 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $489 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core 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 | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 24 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | 2.4 GHz | 2.748 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 5.1 GHz | 4.06 GHz |
| L1 cache | 80K (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 1.25 MB (per core) | no data |
| L3 cache | 30 MB (shared) | no data |
| Chip lithography | Intel 7 nm | 3 nm |
| Die size | 215 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | 100 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | no data | 92000 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core 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 | 78 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core. 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 i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core 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 i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core 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 i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core. 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 | 76.8 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 M3 Max 40-Core GPU |
| Quick Sync Video | + | - |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.55 GHz | no data |
| Execution Units | 32 | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 4 | no data |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core 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 i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core 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 i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core.
| 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.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
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.
Geekbench 5.5 Multi-Core
Geekbench 5.5 Single-Core
WebXPRT 3
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 21.58 | 25.82 |
| Recency | 4 January 2022 | 30 October 2023 |
| Threads | 24 | 16 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 78 Watt |
i9-12900 has 50% more threads, and 20% lower power consumption.
Apple M3 Max 16-Core, on the other hand, has a 19.6% higher aggregate performance score, and an age advantage of 1 year.
The Apple M3 Max 16-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i9-12900 in performance tests.
Note that Core i9-12900 is a desktop processor while Apple M3 Max 16-Core is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-12900 and Apple M3 Max 16-Core, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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