Apple M1 vs Intel Core i9-12900HK

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple M1 or Apple M1 – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The Apple M1 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2020 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Apple M series series.
The Intel Core i9-12900HK features 14 processor cores and has the capability to manage 20 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2022 and belongs to the 12 generation of the Intel Core i9 series.
To use the Intel Core i9-12900HK, you'll need a motherboard with a BGA 1744 socket.
Apple M1 Group Intel Core i 12000H
1 Generation 12
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple M1 Name Intel Core i9-12900HK
Apple M series Family Intel Core i9
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.2 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
The Intel Core i9-12900HK has 14 CPU cores and can calculate 20 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.5 GHz.
8 Threads 20
2.06 GHz B-Core Frequency 1.8 GHz
8 CPU Cores 14
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
4x Firestorm Cores A 6x Golden Cove
No Hyperthreading Yes
3.2 GHz A-Core Frequency 2.5 GHz
None None 5.0 GHz
No Overclocking No
4x Icestorm Cores B 8x Gracemont
None None 3.8 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple M1 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M1 uses the Apple M1 (8 Core), which has 1024 texture shaders
and 128 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Intel Core i9-12900HK has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i9-12900HK uses the Intel Iris Xe Graphics 96 (Alder Lake), which has 768 texture shaders
and 96 execution units.
1024 Shaders 768
Q4/2020 Release date Q1/2022
5 nm Technology 10 nm
-- Direct X 12.1
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 32.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
128 Execution units 96
1.3 GHz GPU frequency 0.4 GHz
1 Generation 13
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.45 GHz
Apple M1 (8 Core) GPU name Intel Iris Xe Graphics 96 (Alder Lake)
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS AI specifications --
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Decode VP8 Decode
Decode VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode JPEG Decode / Encode
No AV1 Decode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode AVC Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 68.2 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 64.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI Yes
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory type DDR4-3200, LPDDR4X-4266, DDR5-4800, LPDDR5-5200
No ECC No
16.0 GB Max. Memory 64.0 GB
2 Memory channels 2
68.2 GB/s Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 15 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 45 W watts.
None TDP (PL2) 115 W
10 W TDP down None
20 W TDP up None
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
-- Tjunction max 100 °C
 
 

Technical details

The Apple M1 is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i9-12900HK is manufactured using a 10 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 24.0 MB cache.
Q4/2020 Release date Q1/2022
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+
5 nm Technology 10 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
-- Release price 635 $
M1 Architecture Alder Lake H
0 bytes L3-Cache 24.0 MB
macOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
APL 1102 Part Number --
Socket BGA 1744
16.0 MB L2-Cache 11.5 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
28632
28632
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
14463
14463

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
18197
18197
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
7759
7759

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
12662
12662
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
7650
7650

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
11894
11894
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
8576
8576

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
2426
2426
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
2369
2369

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
1938
1938
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
1503
1503

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
1754
1754
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
1742
1742

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
314
314
Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
182
182

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

Intel Core i9-12900HK
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
260
260
Apple M1
8C 8T @ 3.2 GHz
117
117

Apple M1 and Intel Core i9-12900HK in leaderboards