Intel Core i9-12900K
VS
Apple M2
Intel Core i9-12900K
VS
Apple M2

Which to select

What to choose and what is the difference between Intel Core i9-12900K and Apple M2? Which processor is more powerful and faster to accomplish your task? The processor with the best specifications and a winner in benchmarks is your choice!

CPU generation and family

Processor nomenclature, family, group and segment.

Intel Core i9-12900K
Name
Apple M2
Desktop / Server
Segment
Mobile
Intel Core i 12000
CPU group
Apple M2
Intel Core i9
Family
Apple M series
12
Generation
2
Intel Core i9-11900K
Predecessor
--
--
Successor
--

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

What to choose Intel Core i9-12900K or Apple M2? The greater the value of the characteristic (highlighted in green), the better.

3.70 GHz
Frequency
3.50 GHz
16
CPU Cores
8
5.30 GHz
Turbo (1 Core)
No turbo
24
CPU Threads
8
Yes
Hyperthreading
No
Yes
Overclocking
No
Turbo (8 Cores)
No turbo
5.00 GHz
Turbo (16 Cores)
no data
hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core architecture
hybrid (big.LITTLE)
8x Golden Cove
A core
4x Unknown
8x Gracemont
B core
4x Unknown
--
C core
--

Internal Graphics

The graphics chip allows the processor to perform complex calculation and display tasks. The more memory and the higher the clock frequency, the better. Determine the winner, who has the better chip? Intel Core i9-12900K or Apple M2. 

Intel Iris Xe Graphics 32 (Alder Lake S)
GPU name
Apple M2 (8 Core)
0.40 GHz
GPU frequency
3.50 GHz
1.45 GHz
GPU (Turbo)
No turbo
12
Generation
2
12
DirectX Version
32
Execution units
128
256
Shader
0
3
Max. displays
3
10 nm
Technology
5 nm
Q4/2021
Release date
Q1/2022
16 GB
Max. GPU Memory
16 GB

Hardware codec support

Technical information that will be of interest to specialists and does not affect the performance of the processor. It can be skipped in the comparison.

Decode / Encode
h264
Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode
JPEG
Decode / Encode
Decode
VP8
Decode
Decode / Encode
VP9
Decode / Encode
Decode
VC-1
Decode
Decode / Encode
AVC
Decode
Decode / Encode
h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode
h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
Decode / Encode
Decode
AV1
Decode

Memory & PCIe

The interfaces and standards of RAM that the processor supports. The more modern the standard and the larger the memory capacity, the better.

DDR4-3200DDR5-4800
Memory type
LPDDR5-5500
256 GB
Max. Memory
16 GB
2
Memory channels
2
No
ECC
No
5.0
PCIe version
4.0
20
PCIe lanes

Memory & PCIe

Encryption

Data encryption standards supported by CPUs

Yes
AES-NI
Yes

Thermal Management

TDP is the maximum amount of heat generated by the processor. It is used when selecting a cooling system. The higher the TDP, the more heat the cooling system will have to dissipate.

100 °C
Tjunction max.
--
--
TDP up
20 W
--
TDP down
10 W
125 W
TDP (PL1)
15 W
228 W / 56 s
TDP (PL2)
--

Technical details

These are key parameters that will help you determine which CPU is better. Pay special attention to the release date, technological aspects of the manufacturing process (measured in nanometers), and the third-level cache (L3).

30.00 MB
L3-Cache
--
10 nm
Technology
5 nm
Alder Lake S
Architecture
M2
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Virtualization
None
LGA 1700
Socket
N/A
Q4/2021
Release date
Q1/2022
x86-64 (64 bit)
Instruction set (ISA)
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
--
L2-Cache
16.00 MB
--
Part Number
--
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512
ISA extensions
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation

Devices using this processor

Devices that can use this type of processor, desktop or laptop.

Unknown
Used in
Apple MacBook Air 14 (2022)

User rating

0.0 Out of 0 CpusData Score Intel Core i9-12900K
0.0 Out of 0 CpusData Score Apple M2