Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) vs Intel Core i5-12500

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i5-12500
Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) Intel Core i5-12500

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) and the Intel Core i5-12500 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) 8 core processor released in Q3/2021 with the Intel Core i5-12500 which has 6 CPU cores and was introduced in Q1/2022.
Apple M series (23) Family Intel Core i5 (331)
Apple M1 (9) CPU group Intel Core i 12000 (34)
1 Generation 12
M1 Architecture Alder Lake S
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor Intel Core i5-11500
-- Successor Intel Core i5-13500

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The Intel Core i5-12500 clocks with 3.00 GHz (4.60 GHz), has 6 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel.

Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) Characteristic Intel Core i5-12500
8 Cores 6
8 Threads 12
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
6x Firestorm
A-Core 3.00 GHz (4.60 GHz)
6x Golden Cove
0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
2x Icestorm
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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Characteristic Intel Core i5-12500
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware --
16 Neural cores @ 11 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 M1 Pro (14 Core) GPU Intel UHD Graphics 770
0.39 GHz GPU frequency 0.30 GHz
1.30 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.45 GHz
1 GPU Generation 11
5 nm Technology 10 nm
3 Max. displays 3
224 Compute units 32
1792 Shader 256
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
32 GB Max. GPU Memory 64 GB
-- DirectX Version 12

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 M1 Pro (14 Core) GPU Intel UHD Graphics 770
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 Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 Decode
Decode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 32 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU), while the Intel Core i5-12500 supports a maximum of 128 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s enabled.

Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) Characteristic Intel Core i5-12500
LPDDR5-6400 Memory DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
32 GB Max. Memory 128 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
102.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s
No ECC Yes
24.00 MB L2 Cache 7.50 MB
-- L3 Cache 18.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version 5.0
-- PCIe lanes 20
-- PCIe Bandwidth 78.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) has a TDP of 35 W. The TDP of the Intel Core i5-12500 is 65 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) Characteristic Intel Core i5-12500
35 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 65 W
-- TDP (PL2) 117 W
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) has 24.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 5 nm. The cache of Intel Core i5-12500 is at 25.50 MB. The processor is manufactured in 10 nm.

Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) Characteristic Intel Core i5-12500
5 nm Technology 10 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
Armv8.5-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+
-- Socket LGA 1700
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes AES-NI Yes
macOS Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q3/2021 Release date Q1/2022
-- Release price 202 $
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Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (186 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Core i5-12500 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.4 stars (7 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) (96%)
Intel Core i5-12500 (96%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks
Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) (94%)
Intel Core i5-12500 (98%)

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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
113 (100%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.60 GHz
96 (85%)

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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
628 (95%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.60 GHz
659 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1534 (85%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.60 GHz
1804 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
9569 (74%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
12974 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
1768 (98%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.60 GHz
1804 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
9996 (100%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
8973 (90%)

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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
2397 (100%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.60 GHz
2365 (99%)

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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
10412 (100%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
10401 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
Apple M1 Pro (14 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
4580 (100%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
Intel UHD Graphics 770 @ 1.45 GHz
742 (16%)

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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
181 (100%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
178 (98%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
9,569 CB R23 MC @ 35 W
273 (100%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
12,974 CB R23 MC @ 94 W
138 (50%)

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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.60 GHz
688 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
4960 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 4.00 GHz
20002 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 3.00 GHz
4732 (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 M1 Pro (8-CPU) Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU)
8C 8T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (100%)
Intel Core i5-12500 Intel Core i5-12500
6C 12T @ 3.00 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) Intel Core i5-12500
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)
Unknown

News and articles for the Apple M1 Pro (8-CPU) and the Intel Core i5-12500


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