Intel Core i9 12900E vs Apple M3 Ultra
We compared two desktop CPUs: Intel Core i9 12900E with 16 cores 2.3GHz and Apple M3 Ultra with 32 cores 4.5GHz . You will find out which processor performs better in benchmark tests, key specifications, power consumption and more.
Main Differences
Intel Core i9 12900E 's Advantages
Lower TDP (35W vs 140W)
Apple M3 Ultra 's Advantages
Released 3 years and 2 months late
Higher specification of memory (6400 vs 4800)
Larger memory bandwidth (819.2GB/s vs 76.8GB/s)
Higher base frequency (4.5GHz vs 2.3GHz)
More modern manufacturing process (3nm vs 10nm)
Score
Benchmark
Geekbench 6 Single Core
Intel Core i9 12900E
1735
Apple M3 Ultra
+87%
3247
Geekbench 6 Multi Core
Intel Core i9 12900E
10366
Apple M3 Ultra
+171%
28107
General Parameters
Jan 2022
Release Date
Mar 2025
Intel
Manufacturer
Apple
Desktop
Type
Desktop
-
Instruction Set
ARMv8
Alder Lake-S
Core Architecture
Apple M3
Intel Socket 1700
Socket
Apple M-Socket
UHD Graphics 770
Integrated Graphics
Apple M3 Ultra GPU (80-core)
Core i9 (Alder Lake-S)
Generation
-
Package
-
Transistor Count
184 billions
10 nm
Manufacturing Process
3 nm
35 W
Power Consumption
140 W
72 °C
Peak Operating Temperature
100 °C
Intel
Foundry
-
215 mm²
Die Size
-
CPU Performance
8
Performance Cores
24
16
Performance Core Threads
24
2.3 GHz
Performance Core Base Frequency
4.5 GHz
5.0 GHz
Performance Core Turbo Frequency
-
8
Efficiency Cores
8
8
Efficiency Core Threads
8
1.7 GHz
Efficiency Core Base Frequency
-
3.8 GHz
Efficiency Core Turbo Frequency
-
16
Total Core Count
32
24
Total Thread Count
32
100 MHz
Bus Frequency
-
23
Multiplier
45
80 KB per core
L1 Cache
-
14 MB
L2 Cache
-
30 MB
L3 Cache
-
Yes
Unlocked Multiplier
No
1
SMP
-
Memory Parameters
DDR4-3200, DDR5-4800
Memory Types
LPDDR5-6400
-
Max Memory Size
512 GB
2
Max Memory Channels
8
76.8 GB/s
Max Memory Bandwidth
819.2 GB/s
Yes
ECC Memory Support
No
Graphics Card Parameters
true
Integrated Graphics
true
300 MHz
GPU Base Frequency
-
1550 MHz
GPU Max Dynamic Frequency
-
-
Shader Units
10240
-
Texture Units
640
-
Raster Operation Units
320
32
Execution Units
1280
-
Power Consumption
140
