Apple A12Z Bionic vs Intel Core i7-3930K

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple A12Z Bionic CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i7-3930K
Apple A12Z Bionic Intel Core i7-3930K

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple A12Z Bionic and the Intel Core i7-3930K and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Apple A12Z Bionic 8 core processor released in Q1/2020 with the Intel Core i7-3930K which has 6 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2011.
Apple A series (22) Family Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition (24)
Apple A12/A12X/A12Z (3) CPU group Intel Core i 3000X (4)
12 Generation 3
A12 Architecture Sandy Bridge E
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple A10X Fusion Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple A12Z Bionic is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 2.49 GHz. The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i7-3930K clocks with 3.20 GHz (3.80 GHz), has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Intel Core i7-3930K
8 Cores 6
8 Threads 12
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? Yes
2.49 GHz
4x Vortex
A-Core 3.20 GHz (3.80 GHz)
1.59 GHz
4x Tempest
B-Core --

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 A12Z Bionic Characteristic Intel Core i7-3930K
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
8 Neural cores @ 5 TOPS AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

Apple A12Z GPU no iGPU
1.13 GHz GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
9 GPU Generation --
7 nm Technology
1 Max. displays
32 Compute units --
512 Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
6 GB Max. GPU Memory --
-- 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 A12Z GPU no iGPU
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
Decode / Encode Codec h264 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 No
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC No
Decode Codec VC-1 No
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

Up to 6 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Apple A12Z Bionic, while the Intel Core i7-3930K supports a maximum of 64 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s enabled.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Intel Core i7-3930K
LPDDR4X-4266 Memory DDR3-1600
6 GB Max. Memory 64 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
68.2 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No ECC No
8.00 MB L2 Cache --
-- L3 Cache 12.00 MB
-- PCIe version --
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Apple A12Z Bionic has a TDP of 15 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i7-3930K is 130 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Intel Core i7-3930K
15 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 130 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Apple A12Z Bionic has 8.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 7 nm. The cache of Intel Core i7-3930K is at 12.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 32 nm.

Apple A12Z Bionic Characteristic Intel Core i7-3930K
7 nm Technology 32 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
Armv8-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX
-- Socket LGA 2011
None Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d (C2 Stepping)
No AES-NI Yes
iOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q1/2020 Release date Q4/2011
-- Release price 480 $
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Apple A12Z Bionic (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K (62%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Apple A12Z Bionic (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K (82%)

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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
1124 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
778 (69%)

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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4718 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
4576 (97%)

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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
1351 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
731 (54%)

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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4798 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
3201 (67%)

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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
991 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
4539 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
269 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
1986 (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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
Apple A12Z @ 1.13 GHz
1152 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)

AnTuTu 9 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 9 benchmark is very well suited to measuring the performance of a smartphone. AnTuTu 9 is quite heavy on 3D graphics and can now also use the "Metal" graphics interface. In AnTuTu, memory and UX (user experience) are also tested by simulating browser and app usage. AnTuTu version 9 can compare any ARM CPU running on Android or iOS. Devices may not be directly comparable when benchmarked on different operating systems.

In the AnTuTu 9 benchmark, the single-core performance of a processor is only slightly weighted. The rating is made up of the multi-core performance of the processor, the speed of the working memory, and the performance of the internal graphics.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
779044 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
717401 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
8254 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
427.7 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Apple A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
2588 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
129 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.80 GHz
915 (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 A12Z Bionic Apple A12Z Bionic
8C 8T @ 2.49 GHz
5 (100%)
Intel Core i7-3930K Intel Core i7-3930K
6C 12T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple A12Z Bionic Intel Core i7-3930K
Apple iPad Pro 2020 Unknown

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