Apple M3 Max 16-Core vs Core i9-12900HX

Place in performance ranking	201	214
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	no data	Apple M3
Architecture codename	Alder Lake-HX	no data
Release date	10 May 2022 (1 year ago)	30 October 2023 (less than a year ago)

Detailed Specifications

Core i9-12900HX 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	1612 x 4.1 GHz Apple M3 P-Core4 x 2.7 GHz Apple M3 E-Core
Base clock speed	2.3 GHz	2.748 GHz
Boost clock speed	5 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	Yes	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i9-12900HX 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	FCBGA1964	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	78 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-12900HX 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	+	no data
FMA	+	no data
AVX	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Speed Shift	+	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
TSX	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	+	no data
Status	Launched	no data

Security technologies

Core i9-12900HX 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 i9-12900HX 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 i9-12900HX 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	-	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel® UHD Graphics for 12th Gen Intel® Processors	Apple M3 Max 40-Core GPU
Quick Sync Video	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	1.55 GHz	no data
Execution Units	32	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i9-12900HX and Apple M3 Max 16-Core integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i9-12900HX and Apple M3 Max 16-Core integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096 x 2304 @ 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 i9-12900HX and Apple M3 Max 16-Core integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12.1	no data
OpenGL	4.6	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-12900HX 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.

i9-12900HX 22.38
+2.2%

Apple M3 Max 16-Core 21.90

Core i9-12900HX outperforms Apple M3 Max 16-Core by 2% based on our aggregated 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%

i9-12900HX 3566
+9.3%

Apple M3 Max 16-Core 3264

Core i9-12900HX outperforms Apple M3 Max 16-Core by 9% in Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core.

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.

Benchmark coverage: 15%

i9-12900HX 278
+2.6%

Apple M3 Max 16-Core 271

Core i9-12900HX outperforms Apple M3 Max 16-Core by 3% in Cinebench 15 64-bit single-core.

Gaming performance

Pros & Cons Summary

Performance score	22.38	21.90
Recency	10 May 2022	30 October 2023
Threads	24	1612 x 4.1 GHz Apple M3 P-Core4 x 2.7 GHz Apple M3 E-Core
Power consumption (TDP)	55 Watt	78 Watt