Intel Core i7-12700K
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
Select video card 1
Select video card 2

Intel Core i7-12700K vs Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU). Specifications

User rating
star star star star star
Released
Q4/2021
Intel Core i7-12700K
Intel Core i7-12700K
Released
Q3/2021
User rating
star star star star star
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)

What's the best choice Intel Core i7-12700K or Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)? Which processor is faster?

Compare the available specifications of these models.

Intel Core i7-12700K has a base frequency of 3.60 GHz. 12 / 20 CPU Cores / Threads. Stated TDP / base power 125 W. Released in Q4/2021.

Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) has a base frequency of 3.20 GHz. 10 / 10 CPU Cores / Threads. Stated TDP / base power 30 W. Released in Q3/2021.

Differences

  • Higher clock speed

    Around 13% better clock speed

    3.60 GHz left arrow 3.20 GHz
  • More number of cores

    2 more cores

    12 left arrow 10

Positions in all rankings

Common positions Intel Core i7-12700K CPU in popular benchmarks, for comparison with other models.

No data
  • Place in the overall ranking

    (based on several benchmarks)

    63 left arrow place
  • Lower stated TDP / base power

    Power limits alone do not measure performance per watt.

    30 W left arrow 125 W

Positions in all rankings

Common positions Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) CPU in popular benchmarks, for comparison with other models.

  • Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)
    78 place
  • Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)
    111 place
  • Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)
    70 place
  • Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)
    74 place
  • iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)
    10 place

Specifications

Technical data
Intel Core i7-12700K Intel Core i7-12700K
Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)
CPU family and group

Background information about the processors being compared, series, generation and market segment.

  • CPU group
    Intel Core i 12000 left arrow Apple M1
  • Family
    12th Generation Intel Core i7 Processors left arrow Apple M series
  • Generation
    12 left arrow 1
  • Predecessor
    Intel Core i7-11700K left arrow -
  • Processor Number
    i7-12700K left arrow -
  • Segment
    Desktop left arrow Mobile
CPU Technical specs

Core counts, threads, cache and clock modes describe the CPU configuration. Performance depends on the workload and comparable measured results.

  • A-Core
    8x Golden Cove left arrow 8x Firestorm
  • B-Core
    4x Gracemont left arrow 2x Icestorm
  • Base Frequency
    3.6 GHz left arrow 3.2 GHz
  • Core architecture
    hybrid (big.LITTLE) left arrow hybrid (big.LITTLE)
  • CPU Cores
    12 left arrow 10
  • CPU Threads
    20 left arrow 10
  • E-core Base Clock
    2.7 GHz left arrow -
  • E-core Max Turbo
    3.8 GHz left arrow -
  • Efficient Cores
    4 left arrow -
  • Hyperthreading / SMT
    Yes left arrow No
  • Max. Boost Clock
    5 GHz left arrow -
  • Overclocking
    Yes left arrow No
  • P-core Base Clock
    3.6 GHz left arrow -
  • P-core Max Turbo
    4.9 GHz left arrow -
  • Performance Cores
    8 left arrow -
  • Turbo Frequency (1 Core)
    5 GHz left arrow No turbo
  • Turbo Frequency (12 Cores)
    4.7 GHz left arrow -
  • Turbo Frequency (10 Cores)
    - left arrow No turbo
IGPU

Internal Graphics does not affect the performance of the CPU, performs the work of the graphics card in its absence or on mobile devices.

  • DirectX Version
    12 left arrow -
  • Execution units
    32 left arrow 256
  • Generation
    12 left arrow 1
  • GPU Frequency
    400 MHz left arrow 1300 MHz
  • GPU name
    Intel UHD Graphics 770 left arrow Apple M1 Pro (16 Core)
  • GPU Turbo
    1500 MHz left arrow No turbo
  • Graphics Base Frequency
    300 MHz left arrow -
  • Graphics Output
    eDP 1.4b, DP 1.4a, HDMI 2.1 left arrow -
  • Max. displays
    4 left arrow 3
  • Max. GPU Memory
    16 GB left arrow 16 GB
  • Release date
    Q4/2021 left arrow Q3/2021
  • Shader
    256 left arrow 2048
  • Technology
    10 nm left arrow 5 nm
Hardware codec support

Built-in codecs used to encode and decode content. Significantly speeds up the required operations.

  • AV1
    Decode left arrow No
  • H.264 / AVC
    Decode / Encode left arrow Conflicting source values: Decode | Decode / Encode
  • h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
    Decode / Encode left arrow Decode / Encode
  • h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
    Decode / Encode left arrow Decode / Encode
  • JPEG
    Decode / Encode left arrow Decode / Encode
  • VC-1
    Decode left arrow Decode
  • VP8
    Decode left arrow Decode
  • VP9
    Decode / Encode left arrow Decode / Encode
Memory specs & PCI

Types, channel quantity of RAM supported by Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) and Intel Core i7-12700K. Depending on the motherboards, higher or lower memory frequencies may be supported.

  • ECC
    Yes left arrow No
  • Max. Memory
    128 GB left arrow 32 GB
  • Memory channels
    2 left arrow 2
  • Memory type
    Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s left arrow LPDDR5-6400
  • PCIe lanes
    20 left arrow -
  • PCIe version
    5.0 and 4.0 left arrow -
  • PCIe
    - left arrow 4.0
Encryption
  • AES-NI
    Yes left arrow Yes
Thermal Management

Compare the TDP requirements of TDP Intel Core i7-12700K and Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU) Power specifications describe different manufacturer limits. TDP, base power and maximum turbo power are separate values; they do not establish measured system consumption.

  • Maximum Operating Temperature
    100 °C left arrow -
  • Maximum Turbo Power
    190 W left arrow -
  • Processor Base Power (PBP)
    125 W left arrow -
  • TDP (PL1, legacy label)
    125 W left arrow 30 W
  • TDP (PL2)
    228 W / 56 s left arrow -
  • TDP up
    - left arrow 40 W
Technologies and extensions

Architecture, interfaces, additional instructions supported by Intel Core i7-12700K and Apple M1 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU), virtual machine technologies and process technology.

  • Architecture
    Alder Lake S left arrow M1
  • Cache (manufacturer label)
    25 MB Intel Smart Cache left arrow -
  • Codename
    Products formerly Alder Lake left arrow -
  • Instruction set (ISA)
    x86-64 (64 bit) left arrow ARMv8-A64 (64 bit)
  • ISA extensions
    SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+ left arrow Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
  • L2-Cache
    Conflicting source values: 12 MB (Total cache capacity) | 2.5 MB left arrow 28 MB
  • L3-Cache
    25 MB left arrow -
  • Marketing Status (manufacturer label)
    Launched left arrow -
  • Official source
    https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/134594/intel-core-i712700k-processor-25m-cache-up-to-5-00-ghz/specifications.html left arrow -
  • Part Number
    BX8071512700K left arrow APL 1103
  • Release date
    Q4/2021 left arrow Q3/2021
  • Socket
    FCLGA1700 left arrow -
  • Technology
    Conflicting source values: 10 nm | Intel 7 (Manufacturer process designation) left arrow 5 nm
  • Use Conditions
    PC/Client/Tablet, Workstation left arrow -
  • Verification scope
    Explicit manufacturer fields refreshed; other original historical fields retained, not all reverified. Partial composite conflicts are preserved. left arrow -
  • Verified on
    2026-09-30 left arrow -
  • Virtualization
    VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d left arrow None

Benchmarks

Performance tests CPUs

No comparable benchmark results are available yet. Specifications alone do not determine which model is faster.

These are saved results from the earlier catalog. Measurement dates and test configurations were not recorded. Models with no comparable results are omitted.

Recent models: test results with identified primary sources — Cinebench R23 · Cinebench R20 · Cinebench R15 · Cinebench 2026 · RandomX benchmark

Latest comparisons