Intel Core i9-12900H vs Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Intel Core i9-12900H or Intel Core i9-12900H – 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 Intel Core i9-12900H 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 i9-12900H, you'll need a motherboard with a BGA 1744 socket.
The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) features 10 processor cores and has the capability to manage 10 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2021 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Apple M series series.
Intel Core i 12000H Group Apple M1
12 Generation 1
Mobile Segment Mobile
Intel Core i9-12900H Name Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
Intel Core i9 Family Apple M series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i9-12900H has 14 CPU cores and can calculate 20 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.5 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 Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has 10 CPU cores and can calculate 10 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.2 GHz.
20 Threads 10
1.8 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.06 GHz
14 CPU Cores 10
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
6x Golden Cove Cores A 8x Firestorm
Yes Hyperthreading No
2.5 GHz A-Core Frequency 3.2 GHz
5.0 GHz A-Core Frequency Turbo None
No Overclocking No
8x Gracemont Cores B 2x Icestorm
3.8 GHz B-Core Frequency Turbo None
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i9-12900H has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i9-12900H uses the Intel Iris Xe Graphics 96 (Alder Lake), which has 768 texture shaders
and 96 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) uses the Apple M1 Max (32 Core), which has 4096 texture shaders
and 512 execution units.
768 Shaders 4096
Q1/2022 Release date Q3/2021
10 nm Technology 5 nm
12.1 Direct X --
32.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 32.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
96 Execution units 512
0.4 GHz GPU frequency 1.3 GHz
13 Generation 1
1.45 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
Intel Iris Xe Graphics 96 (Alder Lake) GPU name Apple M1 Max (32 Core)
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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

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
Decode AV1 No
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode AVC Decode
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 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.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 64.0 GB distributed across 4 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 409.6 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
DDR4-3200, LPDDR4X-4266, DDR5-4800, LPDDR5-5200 Memory type LPDDR5-6400
No ECC No
64.0 GB Max. Memory 64.0 GB
2 Memory channels 4
76.8 GB/s Bandwidth 409.6 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 45 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 30 W watts.
115 W TDP (PL2) None
None TDP up 60 W
45 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 30 W
100 °C Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-12900H is manufactured using a 10 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 24.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
Q1/2022 Release date Q3/2021
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+ ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
10 nm Technology 5 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
617 $ Release price --
Alder Lake H Architecture M1
24.0 MB L3-Cache 0 bytes
Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11 Operating systems macOS
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number APL 1104
BGA 1744 Socket
11.5 MB L2-Cache 28.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Intel Core i9-12900H
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
27130
27130
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.2 GHz
22255
22255

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900H
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
16555
16555
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.2 GHz
12402
12402

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.2 GHz
12693
12693
Intel Core i9-12900H
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
12662
12662

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.2 GHz
12439
12439
Intel Core i9-12900H
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
11894
11894

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900H
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
2426
2426
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.2 GHz
2397
2397

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900H
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
1917
1917
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.2 GHz
1534
1534

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.2 GHz
1783
1783
Intel Core i9-12900H
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
1754
1754

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

Intel Core i9-12900H
14C 20T @ 2.5 GHz
251
251
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.2 GHz
192
192