Apple M3 (8-core) vs Intel Core 5 120U
69.8Single-core59.8
43.3Multi-core36.2
93.3Efficiencyspec-based75.3
35Platformspec-based50.3
7 spec wins — Apple M3 (8-core)6 spec wins — Intel Core 5 120U
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M3 (8-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 57.6 to 51.6, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+10) and multi-core (+7). Intel Core 5 120U still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple M3 (8-core)
- Stronger single-core score: 70 vs 60
- Stronger multi-core score: 43 vs 36
- 100% higher Performance cores: 4 vs 2
- 70% lower process: 3 nm vs 10 nm
- 56% higher Cinebench R23 (multi): 10,400 vs 6,659
Reasons to pick the Intel Core 5 120U
- 300% higher Max memory: 96 GB vs 24 GB
- 100% higher Efficiency cores: 8 vs 4
- 50% higher threads: 12 vs 8
- 25% higher cores: 10 vs 8
- 23% higher Boost clock: 5 GHz vs 4.1 GHz
General
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023 | 2024 |
| Process | 3 nm+70% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 15 W |
| Max TDP | — | 55 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 8 | 10+25% |
| Performance cores | 4+100% | 2 |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | 8+100% |
| Threads | 8 | 12+50% |
| Base clock | — | 1.4 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.1 GHz | 5 GHz+23% |
| L3 cache | — | 12 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 10-core GPU | Intel Iris Xe (80 EU) |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,300 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5-6400 | LPDDR5X-5200 / DDR5-5200 / DDR4-3200 / LPDDR4X-4267 |
| Max memory | 24 GB | 96 GB+300% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,090+25%Top 16% | 2,469Bottom 50% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 11,700+29%Top 48% | 9,070Bottom 33% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 1,900+8%Top 29% | 1,757Top 45% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 10,400+56%Bottom 42% | 6,659Bottom 19% |
| PassMark | 19,056+28%Bottom 48% | 14,877Bottom 30% |
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