Home > CPU Comparison > Core i9 12900K or M1 Max: what's better?

Intel Core i9 12900K vs Apple M1 Max

68 out of 100
Intel Core i9 12900K
VS
57 out of 100
Apple M1 Max
Intel Core i9 12900K
Apple M1 Max

We compared two CPUs: the 3,2 GHz Intel Core i9 12900K (desktop) with 16-cores against the 3.2 GHz Apple M1 Max (laptop) with 10-cores. On this page, you'll find out which processor has better performance in benchmarks, games and other useful information.

  1. Review
  2. Differences
  3. Performance
  4. Specs
  5. Comments (17)

Review

General overview and comparison of the processors
Single-Core Performance
Performance in single-threaded apps and benchmarks
Multi-Core Performance
Measure performance when all cores are involved
Power Efficiency
The efficiency score of power consumption
Integrated Graphics
iGPU capabilities for gaming and 3D-intensive tasks
The "iGPU" and "Power Efficiency" have a minor impact on the NanoReview Score for desktop CPU.
NanoReview Final Score
Choose your main usage scenario to recalculate the Final Score and see which CPU suits your needs.
๐Ÿ”Œ Usage Scenario:

Value for money (Beta)

Global average CPU prices are used by default! For better accuracy, enter your current prices and click โ€œCalculate".
Currency
VS

Key Differences

What are the key differences between Max and 12900K
Advantages of Intel Core i9 12900K
  • Unlocked multiplier
  • Supports up to 128 GB DDR5-4800 RAM
  • Has 6 more physical cores
Advantages of Apple M1 Max
  • More powerful Apple M1 Max GPU (32-core) integrated graphics: 10.6 vs 0.8 TFLOPS
  • Around 332.8 GB/s (433%) higher theoretical memory bandwidth
  • More modern manufacturing process โ€“ 5 versus 10 nanometers
  • Supports quad-channel memory

Test in Benchmarks

Comparing the performance of CPUs across various tasks
CPU:
Core i9 12900K
vs
M1 Max

Cinebench

Reputable cross-platform benchmark for high-performance processors
Cinebench 2024 (Single)
Core i9 12900K
109
M1 Max +2%
111
Cinebench 2024 (Multi)
Core i9 12900K +93%
1526
M1 Max
789
Cinebench Scores (#63rd place)
Submit your benchmark results

GeekBench v6

The new version of this benchmark emulates common operations often used in real-world apps
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Core i9 12900K +8%
2633
M1 Max
2431
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Core i9 12900K +34%
17003
M1 Max
12673
File compression 1260 MB/sec 1450 MB/sec
Clang compilation 146.1 Klines/sec 105.1 Klines/sec
HTML 5 Browser 414.2 pages/sec 329.2 pages/sec
PDF Renderer 480.2 Mpixels/sec 317 Mpixels/sec
Text processing 273.2 pages/sec 249.6 pages/sec
Background blur 69.4 images/sec 42.2 images/sec
Photo processing 147.8 images/sec 122.8 images/sec
Ray tracing 34.4 Mpixels/sec 14.9 Mpixels/sec
Sources: GeekBench [1], [2] โ€“ 461 & 447 samples

PassMark

Synthetic test that focuses on raw computational performance for low-level functions
Passmark CPU (Single-Core)
Core i9 12900K +8%
4128
M1 Max
3831
Passmark CPU (Multi-Core)
Core i9 12900K +86%
41115
M1 Max
22162
Integer math 139.2 GOps/sec 46.1 GOps/sec
Floating point math 105.4 GOps/sec 64.5 GOps/sec
Find prime numbers 145M Primes/sec 278M Primes/sec
Random string sorting 57.1M Strings/sec 32.7M Strings/sec
Data encryption 29.5 GBytes/sec 12.2 GBytes/sec
Data compression 536.7 MBytes/sec 274.4 MBytes/sec
Physics 2203 Frames/sec 2833 Frames/sec
Extended instructions 33.6B Matrices/sec 12.8B Matrices/sec
Sources: PassMark [3], [4] โ€“ 11364 & 2398 samples

Blender

3D rendering test that measures CPU performance in 3D modeling tasks (uses all cores)
Blender CPU
Core i9 12900K +84%
366.86
M1 Max
199.2

Performance Per Watt

Shows the score you get per each watt of PL1 TDP
Cinebench 2024 / Watt 12.2 PPW 15.8 PPW
Geekbench 6 Multi / Watt 136 PPW 253.5 PPW
Passmark CPU Mark / Watt 328.9 PPW 443.2 PPW
Blender / Watt 2.93 PPW 3.98 PPW
These are rough calculations, as most CPUs surpass PL1 TDP wattage even in multicore workloads.

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Intel Core i9 12900K
DateBenchmarkResult
๐Ÿ“˜ 2025-11-12 (ElNils)Cinebench 2024114 / 1497
๐Ÿ“˜ 2025-09-20 (Jarx)GeekBench2811 / 18033
๐Ÿ“˜ 2025-05-24 (unsorted)Cinebench 2024109 / 1339
๐Ÿ“˜ 2025-04-03 (AdKraemer)Cinebench 2024113 / 1414
๐Ÿ“˜ 2025-03-20 (Lethal)Cinebench 2024116 / 1571
Add View all (8)
Apple M1 Max
DateBenchmarkResult
๐Ÿ“˜ 2025-07-04 (Daniel)GeekBench2459 / 13052
Add View all (1)

Specifications

Full technical specification of Intel Core i9 12900K and Apple M1 Max

General

Vendor Intel Apple
Released October 27, 2021 October 18, 2021
Type Desktop Laptop
Instruction Set x86-64 ARMv8
Codename Alder Lake Apple M1
Model number i9-12900K -
Integrated GPU UHD Graphics 770 Apple M1 Max GPU (32-core)
Rival Equivalent - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X -
Successor - Intel Core Ultra 9 285K - Apple M5 Max (40-ัore GPU)
Intel CPU rating (#53rd place)

CPU

Performance Cores
P-Cores 8 8
P-Threads 16 8
Base Frequency (P) 3,2 GHz 3.2 GHz
Turbo Boost Frequency (P) 5.1 GHz -
Efficient Cores
E-Cores 8 2
E-Threads 8 2
Base Frequency (E) 2.4 GHz 2.1 GHz
Turbo Boost Frequency (E) 3.9 GHz -
Total
Total Cores 16 10
Total Threads 24 10
Bus Frequency 100 MHz -
Multiplier 32x -
L1 Cache 64K (per core) 192K (per core)
L2 Cache 14MB (shared) 24MB (shared)
L3 Cache 30MB (shared) -
Unlocked Multiplier Yes No

Package

Transistors - 57 billions
Fabrication Process 10 nm 5 nm
TDP (PL1) 125 W 50 W
Max. Boost TDP (PL2) 241 W -
Socket LGA-1700 Apple M-Socket
Peak Temperature 100ยฐC -
Desktop CPU ranking (#54th place)

iGPU

Integrated Graphics Intel UHD Graphics 770 Apple M1 Max GPU (32-core)
GPU Base Clock 300 MHz 450 MHz
GPU Boost Clock 1550 MHz 1296 MHz
Shading Units 256 4096
TMUs 16 256
ROPs 8 128
Execution Units 32 512
TGP 15 W -
iGPU FLOPS
Core i9 12900K
0.8 TFLOPS
M1 Max +1225%
10.6 TFLOPS
More info: Apple M1 Max GPU (32-core) compared to UHD Graphics 770

Memory Support

Memory Types - DDR5-4800
- DDR4-3200		 - LPDDR5-6400
Max. Memory Size 128 GB 64 GB
Memory Channels 2 4
Max. Memory Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s 409.6 GB/s
ECC Support Yes No

Misc

Official Site Intel Core i9 12900K official page -
PCI Express Version 5.0 -
PCI Express Lanes 20 -

Cast your vote

Choose between two processors
1783 (55.7%)
1416 (44.3%)
Total votes: 3199

Competitors

1. Intel Core i9 12900K vs Intel Core i7 13700K (9)
2. Intel Core i9 12900K vs AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
3. Intel Core i9 12900K vs Intel Core i5 13600K (1)
4. Intel Core i9 12900K vs Intel Core i7 14700K
5. Apple M1 Max vs Apple M3 Pro
6. Apple M1 Max vs Apple M2 Pro
7. Apple M1 Max vs Apple M4 Max (14-Core)
8. Apple M1 Max vs Apple M4 (10-Core) (13)
9. Apple M1 Max vs Apple M3 (4)
10. Apple M1 Max vs Apple M4 Pro (12-Core)
Compare other CPUs (460+)

Comments

So which CPU will you choose: Apple M1 Max or Intel Core i9 12900K?
๐ŸŒ Register your profile and become part of NanoReview community!
Avatar
Robert June 29, 2022 at 11:51 AM
I'm missing the impact of the videocard used in the comparison. What videocard is used in combination with the intel chip? And also: what power did it draw? People do not realize that the cinebench is standing or falling with the videocard used. So, this comparison can't be made until apple releases the Mx-based Mac Pro that is focused on Cinebench tasks and not a Desktop CPU vs. laptop-designed CPU comparison.
+2 Reply
Avatar
Mark April 28, 2022 at 04:03 PM
Always rooting for Intel! Intel keeps many jobs in the US and provides livable wages for domestic families. AMD and Apple outsource their integrated products to TMSC which are mainly based in Taiwan.
+29 Reply
Avatar
Karl September 5, 2022 at 07:20 AM
Intel's primary headquarters are in Israel.
+12 Reply
Avatar
latters March 14, 2022 at 10:41 AM
hmm, I still think that the M1 Max is a better option since it's using less power and also less heat, I think M1 Max is the best option... the biggest issue with intel core is it heats up, which is not good, and also you get enough performance with M1 Max
+16 Reply
Avatar
Users April 28, 2022 at 02:42 PM
The M1 is great for heavy work like editing or rendering. Intel is still good for gaming.
+15 Reply
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Heat and Noise February 27, 2022 at 06:51 PM
Heat and Noise is missing in the comparison :)
+14 Reply
Avatar
anonymous April 27, 2022 at 07:13 PM
usually wattage = heat higher wattage = more heat they mentioned wattage, so we know the m1 has less heat. but measuring noise from a CPU is literally impossible. because the CPU doesn't make noise. the CPU fan. the 2 cpus use different fans so it's unfair to compare noise.
+8 Reply
Avatar
Wait... February 10, 2022 at 08:47 AM
Everyone: Intel vs Apple this and that AMD: *waiting to make a dramatic entrance* Remember AMD blazed past Intel processors for 2 years in a row and they are bout to announce their upcoming lineup in a few months, I'll be happy if Intel still leads because it will give AMD some blow so they will work even harder, Remember competition among companies is best for consumers. Sadly I'll never endorse or support Apple for its pathetic ecosystem.
+19 Reply
Avatar
Tilak singh January 29, 2022 at 12:11 PM
Apple M1 was not for any heavy gaming and heavy task it's only for the office and shows off nothing more I have both apple M1 and gaming computer with Intel i9 12900k buts it's pc MacBook was laptops. Didn't compare apple M1 vs Intel i9 it's very different when you use it then you know as well who is the best. My vote for Intel i9.
+28 Reply
Avatar
Myat December 17, 2021 at 03:56 AM
M1 Max is extremely powerful but my stupid elder brother bought an M1 Max MacBook Pro for gaming and it was a complete disaster. So I bought a laptop with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX which is a bit faster in Cinebench R23. It seems Apple's ARM architecture still can't handle complicated tasks compared to the x86. So, in conclusion, if u are into gaming buy Intel or AMD, or for maximum productivity buy the M1 series.
+42 Reply
Avatar
Richard Graham December 14, 2021 at 10:46 AM
If I was buying a desktop, Intel might be in the running. As it is, I bought a MacBook Pro with an M1 Max. The CPU and graphical performance of a desktop, plus portability, an outstanding monitor built-in, and 10+ hours of use away from the mains.
+20 Reply
Avatar
Roger S Rotor November 5, 2021 at 09:11 PM
Kudos to Apple for the power and efficiency of the M1 Max. But my new system will be powered by the Intel I9-12900K, which is more powerful, and will be way faster with a new Intel mobo, an Intel ARC or nVidia 3080 graphics card, and will be built by me.
+48 Reply
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Aaron November 1, 2021 at 02:32 PM
Was going to buy a Macbook pro. No intel - no chance. cheers, Aaron
+44 Reply
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Eugene November 26, 2021 at 08:32 AM
it is not fair u are comparing a laptop CPU against a desktop one.
+22 Reply
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yes it is fair. December 4, 2021 at 07:15 PM
Eugene, People are comparing them because that's all there is to compare from apple right now.
+10 Reply
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Aaron December 15, 2021 at 04:11 AM
You've been able to buy Intel MacBook Pros for years. Buy one if you must, but there's a reason why Apple switched to the M1 chips: power and efficiency, heat and performance. OK, that's lots of reasons, but it boils down to the M1 being a much better design for mobile devices.
+6 Reply
Avatar
Feyi January 29, 2022 at 03:10 PM
Eugene, Exactly, I don't think the i9 12900k is a fair comparison to Apple's M1.
0 Reply
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