Two weeks ago, Apple introduced two new chips as a little surprise; The M1 Pro and M1 Max chips received very positive comments with their performance. In a statement, the company claimed that its new processors exhibited high-level performance and graphics features. In addition, the results of the performance test, in which the M1 Max presented head-to-head results with the NVIDIA 3080 Mobile, attracted a lot of attention.
Recently, Intel launched the first batch of its latest 12th generation “Aider Lake” processors; Six new desktop-specific processors were introduced, including the high-end Core i9-12900K, a 16-core chip with 8 performance cores and 8 energy efficiency cores. Well, is it possible to compare this new processor of Intel with Apple’s new processors? Even if the first Intel 12th generation processors were at the desktop level, it still seems possible to compare them to Apple’s M1 Pro and M1 Max chips in the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
Intel is ahead in speed
Apple first announced in June 2020 that it would use its own Silicon chip for the Mac; but he never claimed that his chip would be the fastest on the market. Still, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max aren’t successful. The performance of these chips exceeds that of the Intel-based 12-core Mac Pro, and fan noise is virtually non-existent thanks to their impressive energy efficiency.
The Intel Core i9-12900K’s preliminary GeekBench 5 benchmark results show that the processor’s multi-core performance is approximately 1.5 times faster than the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Specifically, the Core i9 processor’s average multi-core score so far is around 18,500; M1 Pro and M1 Max scores are around 12,500. In this context, in order to understand the performance difference, AnandTech;
“CPU cores go up to 3228 MHz max, but their frequency changes depending on how many cores are active in a cluster, dropping to 3132 on 2 and 3036 MHz on 3 and 4 cores. I say “per cluster” because M1 Pro and the 8 performance cores in the M1 Max consist of two 4-core clusters, each with its own 12MB L2 cache and each capable of tuning their CPUs independently, i.e. four active cores at 3036MHz and 3.23GHz in one cluster. It’s actually possible to have an active core in the other cluster running at the same time.”
In terms of energy efficiency, Apple outperforms Intel.
The Core i9 processor can be much faster than the M1 Pro and M1 Max; but that also means it consumes much more power than Apple’s chips. Intel states that the chip consumes up to 125W at base frequency and 241W at turbo frequency. In the results of the GeekBench 5 quality test, Intel’s 12th generation Core i7-12700K also appears to be faster than the M1 Pro and M1 Max; but like the Core i9, this one eats more power.
Intel is expected to launch its 12th generation Core processor for laptops in early 2022. There are also rumors that Apple plans to launch a new 27-inch iMac computer with the same M1 Pro and M1 Max chips in the first half of next year.