Apple M1 vs Intel Core i9-12900E

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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 i9-12900E features 16 processor cores and has the capability to manage 24 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 i9-12900E, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1700 socket.
Apple M1 Group Intel Core i 12000
1 Generation 12
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple M1 Name Intel Core i9-12900E
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 i9-12900E has 16 CPU cores and can calculate 24 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 2.3 GHz.
8 Threads 24
2.06 GHz B-Core Frequency 1.7 GHz
8 CPU Cores 16
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
4x Firestorm Cores A 8x Golden Cove
No Hyperthreading Yes
3.2 GHz A-Core Frequency 2.3 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 i9-12900E has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i9-12900E uses the Intel UHD Graphics 770, which has 256 texture shaders
and 32 execution units.
1024 Shaders 256
Q4/2020 Release date Q4/2021
5 nm Technology 10 nm
-- Direct X 12
8.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 64.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
128 Execution units 32
1.3 GHz GPU frequency 0.3 GHz
1 Generation 11
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.55 GHz
Apple M1 (8 Core) GPU name Intel UHD Graphics 770
 
 

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 / Encode
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 128.0 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, DDR5-4800
No ECC Yes
16.0 GB Max. Memory 128.0 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 65 W watts.
None TDP (PL2) 202 W
10 W TDP down None
20 W TDP up None
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 65 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 i9-12900E is manufactured using a 10 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 30.0 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 494 $
M1 Architecture Alder Lake S
0 bytes L3-Cache 30.0 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 LGA 1700
16.0 MB L2-Cache 14.0 MB