Apple M4 (10 cores) vs i9-12900KF
Aggregate performance score
Core i9-12900KF outperforms Apple M4 (10 cores) by a moderate 17% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i9-12900KF and M4 (10 cores) processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 192 | 239 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 38.48 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Series | Intel Core i9 | Apple Apple M4 |
| Power efficiency | 19.59 | 52.24 |
| Architecture codename | Alder Lake, Golden Cove, Gracemont (2021) | no data |
| Release date | 4 November 2021 (3 years ago) | 7 May 2024 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $564 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i9-12900KF and M4 (10 cores) 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) | 10 (Deca-Core) |
| Performance-cores | 8 | no data |
| Efficient-cores | 8 | no data |
| Threads | 24 | 10 |
| Base clock speed | 3.2 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 5.2 GHz | 4.4 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 4.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 8 × 16 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 32 | no data |
| L1 cache | 80K (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 1.25 MB (per core) | 4 MB |
| L3 cache | 30 MB (shared) | no data |
| Chip lithography | Intel 7 nm | 3 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 | 28 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i9-12900KF and M4 (10 cores) 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 | 40 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i9-12900KF and M4 (10 cores). 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 | + | - |
| 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 | + | - |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | + | no data |
| Deep Learning Boost | + | - |
Security technologies
Core i9-12900KF and M4 (10 cores) technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| EDB | + | no data |
| Secure Key | + | no data |
| OS Guard | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i9-12900KF and M4 (10 cores) 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 i9-12900KF and M4 (10 cores). 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 | 76.805 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Apple M4 10-core GPU |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i9-12900KF and M4 (10 cores).
| PCIe version | 5.0 and 4.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 20 | no data |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 25.88 | 22.08 |
| Recency | 4 November 2021 | 7 May 2024 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 10 |
| Threads | 24 | 10 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 125 Watt | 40 Watt |
i9-12900KF has a 17.2% higher aggregate performance score, and 60% more physical cores and 140% more threads.
Apple M4 (10 cores), on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, and 212.5% lower power consumption.
The Core i9-12900KF is our recommended choice as it beats the M4 (10 cores) in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i9-12900KF and Apple M4 (10 cores), ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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