Intel Core i9-12900K vs Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Intel Core i9-12900K or Intel Core i9-12900K – 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 i9-12900K features 16 processor cores and has the capability to manage 24 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2021 and belongs to the 12 generation of the Intel Core i9 series.
To use the Intel Core i9-12900K, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1700 socket.
The Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) features 20 processor cores and has the capability to manage 20 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2022 and belongs to the 1 generation of the Apple M series series.
Intel Core i 12000 Group Apple M1
12 Generation 1
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
Intel Core i9-12900K Name Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
Intel Core i9 Family Apple M series
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 CPU cores and can calculate 24 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 Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) has 20 CPU cores and can calculate 20 threads in parallel.
24 Threads 20
2.4 GHz B-Core Frequency 2.06 GHz
16 CPU Cores 20
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
8x Golden Cove Cores A 16x Firestorm
Yes Hyperthreading No
3.2 GHz A-Core Frequency 3.2 GHz
5.2 GHz A-Core Frequency Turbo None
Yes Overclocking No
8x Gracemont Cores B 4x Icestorm
3.9 GHz B-Core Frequency Turbo None
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i9-12900K has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i9-12900K uses the Intel UHD Graphics 770, which has 256 texture shaders
and 32 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) uses the Apple M1 Ultra (48 Core), which has 6144 texture shaders
and 768 execution units.
256 Shaders 6144
Q4/2021 Release date Q1/2022
10 nm Technology 5 nm
12 Direct X --
64.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 64.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
32 Execution units 768
0.3 GHz GPU frequency 1.3 GHz
11 Generation 1
1.55 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
Intel UHD Graphics 770 GPU name Apple M1 Ultra (48 Core)
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications 32 Neural cores @ 22 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 / Encode 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 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.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 128.0 GB distributed across 8 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 819.2 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, DDR5-4800 Memory type LPDDR5-6400
Yes ECC No
128.0 GB Max. Memory 128.0 GB
2 Memory channels 8
76.8 GB/s Bandwidth 819.2 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 125 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 60 W watts.
241 W TDP (PL2) None
None TDP up 120 W
125 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 60 W
100 °C Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-12900K 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 30.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU) is manufactured using a 5 nm process.
Q4/2021 Release date Q1/2022
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
589 $ Release price --
Alder Lake S Architecture M1
30.0 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)
BX8071512900K Part Number --
LGA 1700 Socket
14.0 MB L2-Cache 52.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
27472
27472
Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.2 GHz
24189
24189

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.2 GHz
24055
24055
Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
17595
17595

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.2 GHz
23970
23970
Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
16244
16244

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
2560
2560
Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.2 GHz
2397
2397

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
1997
1997
Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.2 GHz
1534
1534

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
1990
1990
Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.2 GHz
1793
1793

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

Apple M1 Ultra (48-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.2 GHz
379
379
Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.2 GHz
364
364