Apple A8X vs Intel Core i9-12900K

Let's find out which one of Apple A8X and Intel Core i9-12900K is of a more recent generation, and what segment it belongs to.

• Name
  Apple A8X Intel Core i9-12900K
• Segment
  Mobile Desktop / Server
• Family
  Apple A series Intel Core i9
• Generation
  8 12
• CPU group
  Apple A8/A8X Intel Core i 12000
• Predecessor
  -- Intel Core i9-11900K
• Successor
  Apple A9X --

In this block we are going to compare Apple A8X vs Intel Core i9-12900K by main technical specifications: number of cores and threads, base and maximum frequencies, process technology and cache size. The higher these specifications are, the more powerful your CPU will be.

• Frequency
  1.50 GHz 3.70 GHz
• CPU Cores
  3 16
• Turbo (1 Core)
  No turbo 5.30 GHz
• CPU Threads
  3 24
• Hyperthreading
  No Yes
• Overclocking
  No Yes
• Core architecture
  normal hybrid (big.LITTLE)
• A core
  3x Typhoon 8x Golden Cove
• B core
  -- 8x Gracemont

Common specifications for integrated graphics cards in Apple A8X and Intel Core i9-12900K along with supported interfaces and connection options. This block has no effect on the final efficiency of the CPU.

• GPU name
  Apple A8X Intel Iris Xe Graphics 32 (Alder Lake S)
• GPU frequency
  0.45 GHz 0.40 GHz
• GPU (Turbo)
  No turbo 1.45 GHz
• Execution units
  8 32
• Shader
  256 256
• Max. GPU Memory
  4 GB 16 GB
• Max. displays
  1 4
• Generation
  5 12
• DirectX Version
  12
• Technology
  20 nm 10 nm
• Release date
  Q3/2014 Q4/2021

Let's compare the support of video codecs between Apple A8X and Intel Core i9-12900K. Hardware support of video decoding by embedded graphics cards directly affects the speed and quality of rendering videos.

• h265 / HEVC (8 bit)
  No Decode / Encode
• h265 / HEVC (10 bit)
  No Decode / Encode
• h264
  Decode Decode / Encode
• VP9
  No Decode / Encode
• VP8
  No Decode
• AV1
  No Decode
• AVC
  Decode Decode / Encode
• VC-1
  Decode Decode
• JPEG
  Decode / Encode Decode / Encode

To choose the best model between Apple A8X and Intel Core i9-12900K you need to pay special attention to memory type, clock frequency, multi-channel features, and PCIe version. The higher these numbers are, the better your CPU will be. Keep in mind that the maximum memory and frequency may also depend on the model of the motherboard.

• Memory type
  LPDDR3-1600 DDR4-3200DDR5-4800
• Max. Memory
  4 GB 256 GB
• ECC
  No No
• Memory channels
  2 2
• PCIe version
  5.0
• PCIe lanes
  20

AES-NI encryption support for CPUs Apple A8X and Intel Core i9-12900K.

• AES-NI
  No Yes

Let's find out what TDP value would be better for Apple A8X or Intel Core i9-12900K? The Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the maximum amount of heat that should be dissipated by the chip cooling system. However, the value of TDP gives only a rough indication of the real power consumption of the CPU.

• TDP (PL1)
  8 W 125 W
• TDP (PL2)
  -- 228 W / 56 s
• Tjunction max.
  -- 100 °C

Here you can find a comparison of 2nd and 3rd level cache sizes for Apple A8X and Intel Core i9-12900K CPUs along with a list of ISA extensions.

• Instruction set (ISA)
  x86-64 (64 bit) x86-64 (64 bit)
• Virtualization
  None VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
• ISA extensions
  SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+
• L2-Cache
  2.00 MB 3.75 MB
• L3-Cache
  4.00 MB 30.00 MB
• Architecture
  A8 Alder Lake S
• Technology
  20 nm 10 nm
• Socket
  N/A LGA 1700
• Release date
  Q3/2014 Q4/2021
• Part Number
  -- BX8071512900K

List of devices based on Apple A8X and Intel Core i9-12900K.

• Used in
  Apple iPad Air 2 Unknown