Intel Core i9 12900K vs Apple M3 Ultra
We compared two desktop CPUs: Intel Core i9 12900K with 16 cores 32GHz 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 12900K 's Advantages
Higher base frequency (32GHz vs 4.5GHz)
Lower TDP (125W vs 140W)
Apple M3 Ultra 's Advantages
Released 3 years and 5 months late
Higher specification of memory (6400 vs 4800)
Larger memory bandwidth (819.2GB/s vs 76.8GB/s)
More modern manufacturing process (3nm vs 10nm)
Score
Benchmark
Geekbench 6 Single Core
Intel Core i9 12900K
2631
Apple M3 Ultra
+23%
3247
Geekbench 6 Multi Core
Intel Core i9 12900K
17004
Apple M3 Ultra
+65%
28107
General Parameters
Oct 2021
Release Date
Mar 2025
Intel
Manufacturer
Apple
Desktop
Type
Desktop
x86-64
Instruction Set
ARMv8
Alder Lake
Core Architecture
Apple M3
i9-12900K
Processor Number
-
LGA-1700
Socket
Apple M-Socket
UHD Graphics 770
Integrated Graphics
Apple M3 Ultra GPU (80-core)
Package
-
Transistor Count
184 billions
10 nm
Manufacturing Process
3 nm
125 W
Power Consumption
140 W
100°C
Peak Operating Temperature
100 °C
CPU Performance
8
Performance Cores
24
16
Performance Core Threads
24
3,2 GHz
Performance Core Base Frequency
4.5 GHz
5.1 GHz
Performance Core Turbo Frequency
-
8
Efficiency Cores
8
8
Efficiency Core Threads
8
2.4 GHz
Efficiency Core Base Frequency
-
3.9 GHz
Efficiency Core Turbo Frequency
-
16
Total Core Count
32
24
Total Thread Count
32
100 MHz
Bus Frequency
-
32x
Multiplier
45
64 K per core
L1 Cache
-
14 MB shared
L2 Cache
-
30 MB shared
L3 Cache
-
Yes
Unlocked Multiplier
No
Memory Parameters
DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
Memory Types
LPDDR5-6400
128 GB
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
-
256
Shader Units
10240
16
Texture Units
640
8
Raster Operation Units
320
32
Execution Units
1280
15 W
Power Consumption
140
0.78 TFLOPS
Graphics Performance
-
