Intel Core i7-7700K vs Apple M3

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i7-7700K CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M3
Intel Core i7-7700K Apple M3

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i7-7700K and the Apple M3 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i7-7700K 4 core processor released in Q1/2017 with the Apple M3 which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2023.
Intel Core i7 (298) Family Apple M series (25)
Intel Core i 7000 (17) CPU group Apple M3 (6)
7 Generation 3
Kaby Lake S Architecture M3
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
Intel Core i7-6700K Predecessor Apple M2
Intel Core i7-8700K Successor Apple M4

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-7700K is a 4 core processor with a clock frequency of 4.20 GHz (4.50 GHz). The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The Apple M3 clocks with 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz), has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i7-7700K Characteristic Apple M3
4 Cores 8
8 Threads 8
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Yes Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
4.20 GHz (4.50 GHz) A-Core 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz)
4x P-Core
-- B-Core 0.74 GHz (2.75 GHz)
4x E-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.

Intel Core i7-7700K Characteristic Apple M3
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
-- AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 35 TOPS

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.

Intel HD Graphics 630 GPU Apple M3 (10 Core)
0.35 GHz GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
1.15 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.40 GHz
9.5 GPU Generation 3
14 nm Technology 3 nm
3 Max. displays 2
24 Compute units 160
192 Shader 1280
No Hardware Raytracing Yes
No Frame Generation No
64 GB Max. GPU Memory 24 GB
12 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.

Intel HD Graphics 630 GPU Apple M3 (10 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 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 64 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i7-7700K, while the Apple M3 supports a maximum of 24 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i7-7700K Characteristic Apple M3
DDR4-2400, DDR3-1600 Memory LPDDR5-6400
64 GB Max. Memory 24 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
38.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 102.4 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache 20.00 MB
8.00 MB L3 Cache --
3.0 PCIe version 4.0
16 PCIe lanes --
15.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i7-7700K has a TDP of 91 W. The TDP of the Apple M3 is 22 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i7-7700K Characteristic Apple M3
91 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 22 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down 15 W
-- Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-7700K has 8.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 14 nm. The cache of Apple M3 is at 20.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 3 nm.

Intel Core i7-7700K Characteristic Apple M3
14 nm Technology 3 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8-A (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2 ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
LGA 1151 Socket --
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems macOS, iPadOS
Q1/2017 Release date Q4/2023
350 $ Release price --
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Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Intel Core i7-7700K to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.2 stars (14 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple M3 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.9 stars (1217 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-7700K (55%)
Apple M3 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i7-7700K (49%)
Apple M3 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.50 GHz
1216 (62%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
1965 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
6055 (58%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
10437 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.50 GHz
1229 (57%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
2150 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
4719 (45%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
10450 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.50 GHz
1463 (47%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
3125 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
5149 (43%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
11863 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
Intel HD Graphics 630 @ 1.15 GHz
442 (12%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
Apple M3 (10 Core) @ 1.40 GHz
3550 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
9666 (51%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
18951 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
137 (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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
659 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.50 GHz
466 (100%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
2257 (100%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
97 (100%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
335.8 (100%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
500 (100%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.20 GHz
2523 (100%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 0.70 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.50 GHz
200 (100%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.40 GHz
995 (100%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
10,437 CB R23 MC @ 22 W
474 (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).
Intel Core i7-7700K Intel Core i7-7700K
4C 8T @ 4.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M3 Apple M3
8C 8T @ 0.70 GHz
35 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i7-7700K Apple M3
Unknown Apple iMac 24 (2023)

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