Intel Core i3-12300 vs Apple M1

Processor comparisons 11-01-2022

   For example you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the full tests Intel Core i3-12300 vs Apple M1 and decide which is better for games or normal use for rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as WPrime, RealBench, 3DMark, PCMark 10, SuperPi, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, Handbrake, MATLAB, Prime95, Blender, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, VeraCrypt.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

Cyberpunk 2077
Borderlands 3
Fortnite
Halo Infinite
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Valheim
Overwatch
Grand Theft Auto V
Apex Legends
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Watch Dogs Legion
DOOM: Eternal
Valorant
Rainbow Six Siege
Last Man Standing
Death Stranding
Fallout 76
Red Dead Redemption 2

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming Apple M1 or Intel Core i3-12300.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i3-12300

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i3-12300

54%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Forza Horizon 4, Hitman 3, Ghostrunner, Control, Battlefield V, NBA 2K20, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	96.2	95.8
Valorant	109.3	108.9
Cyberpunk 2077	61.2	61.0
Apex Legends	102.7	102.4
Call of Duty Warzone	82.0	81.7
Overwatch	88.5	88.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.4	75.1
DOOM Eternal	54.6	54.5
Warzone	85.2	84.9
Assassin's Creed	91.8	91.5
Valheim	90.7	90.4

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i3-12300

98%

388%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 is more energy efficient than the Core i3-12300 since it has less power consumption: 60W vs. 15W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, video rendering or video editing, programming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i3-12300	Apple M1
Cinbench 15 Single-core	271	209
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1993	1163
Cinbench 20 Single-core	653	402
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	4525	1987
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1530	1512
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	14916	7782

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-12300	Apple M1
Single-Core	3578	3413
Multi-Core	20882	22028

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i3-12300	Apple M1
Single-Core	1770	1746
Multi-Core	7998	7683

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i3-12300	Apple M1
Announcement date	January 07, 2022	October 01, 2020
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Socket	FCBGA1744	M1
Core name	Alder Lake	4x Firestorm;4x Icestorm
Architecture	x86	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Generation	12	1
Turbo Frequency	4.4 MHz
Frequency	1 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	4	8
Threads	8	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	9800 millions	16000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	60 W	15 W
Memory type	Up to DDR5 4800 MT/s Up to DDR4 3200 MT/s	LPDDR4 - Up to 4266MHz
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		4266
Memory bandwidth	76.8 GB/s
L1 cache		2MB
L2 cache	5 MB	16MB
L3 cache	12 MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		APL1102

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 is 68% better than Core i3-12300 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 has 4 more core than Core i3-12300. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i3-12300 is better: 28
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 is better: 9
All the data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Intel Core i3-12300 and Apple M1 before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i3-12300 - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i3-12300 specs and review.

• Apple M1 specs and review.