Apple A12 Bionic vs Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A12 Bionic CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
Apple A12 Bionic Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)

CPU comparison

Apple A12 Bionic or Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The Apple A12 Bionic has 6 cores with 6 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.49 GHz. Up to 4 GB of memory is supported in 1 memory channels. The Apple A12 Bionic was released in Q3/2018.

The Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) has 20 cores with 20 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 8 memory channels. The Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) was released in Q1/2022.
Apple A series (22) Family Apple M series (25)
Apple A12/A12X/A12Z (3) CPU group Apple M1 (9)
12 Generation 1
A12 Architecture M1
Mobile Segment Mobile
Apple A11 Bionic Predecessor --
Apple A13 Bionic Successor Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A12 Bionic has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 6 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple A12 Bionic is 2.49 GHz while the Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) has 20 CPU cores and 20 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) is at 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz).

Apple A12 Bionic Characteristic Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
6 Cores 20
6 Threads 20
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading No
No Overclocking ? No
2.49 GHz
2x Vortex
A-Core 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
16x Firestorm
1.59 GHz
4x Tempest
B-Core 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
4x Icestorm

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Apple A12 Bionic Characteristic Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS AI specifications 32 Neural cores @ 22 TOPS

Internal Graphics

The Apple A12 Bionic or Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

Apple A12 GPU Apple M1 Ultra (64 Core)
1.13 GHz GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.30 GHz
9 GPU Generation 1
7 nm Technology 5 nm
1 Max. displays 5
16 Compute units 1024
256 Shader 8192
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
4 GB Max. GPU Memory 64 GB
-- DirectX Version --

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.

Apple A12 GPU Apple M1 Ultra (64 Core)
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The Apple A12 Bionic can use up to 4 GB of memory in 1 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 34.1 GB/s. The Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) supports up to 128 GB of memory in 8 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 819.2 GB/s.

Apple A12 Bionic Characteristic Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory LPDDR5-6400
4 GB Max. Memory 128 GB
1 (Single Channel) Memory channels 8 (Octa Channel)
34.1 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 819.2 GB/s
No ECC No
8.00 MB L2 Cache 52.00 MB
-- L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version 4.0
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple A12 Bionic is 6 W, while the Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) has a TDP of 60 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

Apple A12 Bionic Characteristic Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
6 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 60 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up 120 W
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple A12 Bionic is manufactured in 7 nm and has 8.00 MB cache. The Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) is manufactured in 5 nm and has a 52.00 MB cache.

Apple A12 Bionic Characteristic Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
7 nm Technology 5 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
-- Socket --
None Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
No AES-NI Yes
iOS Operating systems macOS
Q3/2018 Release date Q1/2022
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple A12 Bionic to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.0 stars (20 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.7 stars (3 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Apple A12 Bionic (58%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Apple A12 Bionic (11%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
1116 (62%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
1793 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
2731 (11%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
24055 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
1286 (54%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
2397 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
2353 (10%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
23970 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
Apple A12 @ 1.13 GHz
576 (3%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
Apple M1 Ultra (64 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
21200 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
4846 (12%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
41059 (100%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
5 (23%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 0.60 GHz
22 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
114 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
1624 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
1534 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
24189 (100%)

AnTuTu 8 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 8 Benchmark measures the performance of a SoC. AnTuTu benchmarks the CPU, GPU, Memory as well as the UX (User Experience) by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu can benchmark any ARM CPU that runs under Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly compareable if the benchmark has been performed under different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 8 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The evaluation consists of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the RAM and the performance of the internal graphics.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
425605 (100%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 0.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
Apple A12 Bionic Apple A12 Bionic
6C 6T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU) Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
20C 20T @ 3.20 GHz
379 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A12 Bionic Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
Apple iPhone XR
Apple iPhone XS
Apple iPhone XS Max
Apple iPad mini (5. Gen)
Apple iPad Air (3. Gen)
Apple Mac Studio (2022)

News and articles for the Apple A12 Bionic and the Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)

Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-28
After Apple surprisingly presented the normal Apple M2 processor as the first successor to the Apple M1 already in June 2022, the Apple M2 Pro and the Apple M2 Max may follow in autumn. The difference in performance compared to the basic version could be even greater this time and range from 25 to 40 percent.

In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Cinebench R23 Benchmark projection
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Cinebench R23 Benchmark projection
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-10
We give you a preview of AMD's new Zen 4 desktop processors and calculate the performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X top model for the new AM5 socket. The performance data and other technical details come directly from the press kit that AMD released as part of its Financial Analyst Day on June 9, 2022.

Up to 15 percent more single-core performance and 35 percent more multi-core performance of the 16-core model are realistic !
Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?
Apple M2 vs Apple M1 - What are the differences?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-09
During WWDC 2022 on June 6th, 2022 Apple surprisingly presented its new Apple M2 processor. This will initially be installed in a completely revised Apple MacBook Air with 13.6 inches, a even thinner form factor and new colors. Apple also updated the already known (old) Apple MacBook Pro 13.3 with touch bar.

Many leakers had counted on Apple not presenting its new second-generation M processor until the fall. But things turned out differently. And there is very likely a reason for that: the improvements in the Apple M2 are limited compared to the predecessor.

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