Apple M3 (8-core) vs Intel Core i9-12900HK
69.8Single-core60.5
43.3Multi-core51
93.3Efficiencyspec-based40.5
—iGPU55.7
35Platformspec-based59
4 spec wins — Apple M3 (8-core)9 spec wins — Intel Core i9-12900HK
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M3 (8-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 57.6 to 53.5, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+9). Intel Core i9-12900HK 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 61
- 70% lower process: 3 nm vs 10 nm
- 26% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 3,090 vs 2,450
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i9-12900HK
- Stronger multi-core score: 51 vs 43
- 167% higher Max memory: 64 GB vs 24 GB
- 150% higher threads: 20 vs 8
- 100% higher Efficiency cores: 8 vs 4
- 75% higher cores: 14 vs 8
General
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core i9-12900HK |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2023 | 2022 |
| Process | 3 nm+70% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 45 W |
| Max TDP | — | 115 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core i9-12900HK |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 8 | 14+75% |
| Performance cores | 4 | 6+50% |
| Efficiency cores | 4 | 8+100% |
| Threads | 8 | 20+150% |
| Base clock | — | 2.5 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.1 GHz | 5 GHz+23% |
| L3 cache | — | 24 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core i9-12900HK |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 10-core GPU | Intel Iris Xe (96 EU) |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,450 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core i9-12900HK |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5-6400 | DDR5-4800 / LPDDR5-5200 / DDR4-3200 |
| Max memory | 24 GB | 64 GB+167% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M3 (8-core) | Intel Core i9-12900HK |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 3,090+26%Top 13% | 2,450Bottom 44% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 11,700Top 49% | 12,700+9%Top 38% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 1,900+5%Top 29% | 1,810Top 38% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 10,400Bottom 41% | 17,600+69%Top 25% |
| PassMark | 19,056Bottom 46% | 24,954+31%Top 35% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | — | 1,496Top 43% |
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