Intel Core i9-12900KF vs Apple M3 (8-GPU)

Last updated: 2024-03-11

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-12900KF		Apple M3 (8-GPU)
CPU comparison In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i9-12900KF and the Apple M3 (8-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 M3 (8-GPU) which has 8 CPU cores and was introduced in Q4/2023.

Intel Core i9 (78)	Family	Apple M series (25)
Intel Core i 12000 (34)	CPU group	Apple M3 (6)
12	Generation	3
Alder Lake S	Architecture	M3
Desktop / Server	Segment	Mobile
Intel Core i9-11900KF	Predecessor	Apple M2 (8-GPU)
Intel Core i9-13900KF	Successor	--

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 M3 (8-GPU) clocks with 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz), has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
Intel Core i9-12900KF	Characteristic	Apple M3 (8-GPU)
16	Cores	8
24	Threads	8
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	0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) 4x P-Core
2.40 GHz (3.90 GHz) 8x Gracemont	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 i9-12900KF	Characteristic	Apple M3 (8-GPU)
--	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.
no iGPU	GPU	Apple M3 (8 Core)
	GPU frequency	0.39 GHz
--	GPU (Turbo)	1.40 GHz
--	GPU Generation	--
	Technology	3 nm
	Max. displays	2
--	Compute units	128
--	Shader	1024
No	Hardware Raytracing	Yes
No	Frame Generation	No
--	Max. GPU Memory	24 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 M3 (8 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	Decode
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 M3 (8-GPU) supports a maximum of 24 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s enabled.
Intel Core i9-12900KF	Characteristic	Apple M3 (8-GPU)
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200	Memory	LPDDR5-6400
128 GB	Max. Memory	24 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	20.00 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 M3 (8-GPU) is 22 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.
Intel Core i9-12900KF	Characteristic	Apple M3 (8-GPU)
125 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	22 W
241 W	TDP (PL2)	--
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	10 W
100 °C	Tjunction max.	100 °C
Technical details The Intel Core i9-12900KF has 44.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 10 nm. The cache of Apple M3 (8-GPU) is at 20.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 3 nm.
Intel Core i9-12900KF	Characteristic	Apple M3 (8-GPU)
10 nm	Technology	3 nm
Monolithic	Chip design	Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	Armv8-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, iPadOS
Q4/2021	Release date	Q4/2023
564 $	Release price	--

show more data		show more data

Intel Core i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!

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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i9-12900KF (92%)

Apple M3 (8-GPU) (100%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks

Intel Core i9-12900KF (100%)

Apple M3 (8-GPU) (53%)

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 16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz	124 (91%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 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 i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz	1564 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz	659 (42%)

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 16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz	1997 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz	1965 (98%)

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 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	27472 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz	10437 (38%)

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 16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz	1990 (93%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 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 i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	17595 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz	10450 (59%)

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 16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz	2664 (85%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 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 i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	15986 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 4.06 GHz	11863 (74%)

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 27,472 CB R23 MC @ 240 W	114 (24%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 10,437 CB R23 MC @ 22 W	474 (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 16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz	779 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 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 i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	10511 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 4.06 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 @ 0.00 GHz	0 (0%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) Apple M3 (8 Core) @ 1.40 GHz	2840 (100%)

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 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	364 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 4.06 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.


	Intel Core i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	41207 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 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 i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	819 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 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 i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 3.20 GHz	11365 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 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 i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz	294 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 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 i9-12900KF 16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz	4111 (100%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 4.06 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 16C 24T @ 3.20 GHz	0 (0%)
	Apple M3 (8-GPU) 8C 8T @ 0.70 GHz	35 (100%)

Devices using this processor
Intel Core i9-12900KF	Apple M3 (8-GPU)
Unknown	Apple iMac 24 (2023)

News and articles for the Intel Core i9-12900KF and the Apple M3 (8-GPU)

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.

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