Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-12900KF CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
Intel Core i9-12900KF Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i9-12900KF and the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i9-12900KF 16 core processor released in Q4/2021 with the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) which has 10 CPU cores and was introduced in Q3/2021.
Intel Core i9 (78) Family Apple M series (23)
Intel Core i 12000 (34) CPU group Apple M1 (9)
12 Generation 1
Alder Lake S Architecture M1
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
Intel Core i9-11900KF Predecessor --
Intel Core i9-13900KF Successor Apple M2 Pro (12-CPU 19-GPU)

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i9-12900KF is a 16 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz). The processor can compute 24 threads at the same time. The Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) clocks with 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz), has 10 CPU cores and can calculate 10 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i9-12900KF Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
16 Cores 10
24 Threads 10
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Yes Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz)
8x Golden Cove
A-Core 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
8x Firestorm
2.40 GHz (3.90 GHz)
8x Gracemont
B-Core 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
2x 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.

Intel Core i9-12900KF Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
-- AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 11 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.

no iGPU GPU Apple M1 Pro (16 Core)
GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.30 GHz
-- GPU Generation 1
Technology 5 nm
Max. displays 3
-- Compute units 256
-- Shader 2048
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 16 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.

no iGPU GPU Apple M1 Pro (16 Core)
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
No Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 128 GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i9-12900KF, while the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) supports a maximum of 32 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i9-12900KF Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200 Memory LPDDR5-6400
128 GB Max. Memory 32 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
76.8 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 102.4 GB/s
No ECC No
14.00 MB L2 Cache 28.00 MB
30.00 MB L3 Cache --
5.0 PCIe version 4.0
20 PCIe lanes --
78.8 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i9-12900KF has a TDP of 125 W. The TDP of the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) is 45 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i9-12900KF Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
125 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
241 W TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
100 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-12900KF has 44.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 10 nm. The cache of Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) is at 28.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 5 nm.

Intel Core i9-12900KF Characteristic Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10 nm Technology 5 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+ ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
LGA 1700 Socket --
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems macOS
Q4/2021 Release date Q3/2021
564 $ Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
124 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
113 (91%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1564 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
802 (51%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1997 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1534 (77%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
27472 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12390 (45%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1990 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1768 (89%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
17595 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12574 (71%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
2664 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
2397 (90%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
15986 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12407 (78%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
364 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
192 (53%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
27,472 CB R23 MC @ 240 W
114 (42%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
12,390 CB R23 MC @ 45 W
275 (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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
779 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
10511 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
Apple M1 Pro (16 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
5300 (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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
41207 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
819 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 3.20 GHz
11365 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
294 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
4111 (100%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

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 i9-12900KF Intel Core i9-12900KF
16C 24T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i9-12900KF Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
Unknown Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)

News and articles for the Intel Core i9-12900KF and the Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-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.
Intel Core i9-13900 benchmark of engineering sample
Intel Core i9-13900 benchmark of engineering sample
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-15
Intels 13th generation of the Intel Core i series (Raptor Lake) is about to be released and a lot of information is already known from the official side. This information includes e.g. the number of CPU cores, the expected increase in performance and the manufacturing technology of the new CPUs.

We compare the technical data of the Intel Core i9-13900 with its predecessor and look at benchmarks that have already been published.
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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