i3-7100 vs Apple M2
Aggregate performance score
Apple M2 outperforms Core i3-7100 by a whopping 246% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing M2 and Core i3-7100 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 814 | 1707 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | 85 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.85 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple Apple M-Series | Intel Core i3 |
| Power efficiency | 44.48 | 5.05 |
| Architecture codename | no data | Kaby Lake (2016−2019) |
| Release date | 10 June 2022 (2 years ago) | 3 January 2017 (7 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $117 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
M2 and Core i3-7100 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 8 (Octa-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.424 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.48 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | DMI 3.0 |
| Bus rate | no data | 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | no data | 39 |
| L1 cache | 2 MB | 128 KB |
| L2 cache | 20 MB | 512 KB |
| L3 cache | no data | 3 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 5 nm | 14 nm |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 100 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 65 °C |
| Number of transistors | 20000 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
Compatibility
Information on M2 and Core i3-7100 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | no data | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA1151 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 20 Watt | 51 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M2 and Core i3-7100. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | - |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
Security technologies
M2 and Core i3-7100 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | - |
| EDB | no data | + |
| Secure Key | no data | + |
| MPX | - | + |
| Identity Protection | - | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® ME |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by M2 and Core i3-7100 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M2 and Core i3-7100. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 64 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 38.397 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M2 10-Core GPU ( - 1398 MHz) | Intel HD Graphics 630 |
| Max video memory | no data | 64 GB |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Clear Video | no data | + |
| Clear Video HD | no data | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.1 GHz |
| InTru 3D | no data | + |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of M2 and Core i3-7100 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 3 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by M2 and Core i3-7100 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| 4K resolution support | no data | + |
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096x2304@24Hz |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 4096x2304@60Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 4096x2304@60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by M2 and Core i3-7100 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M2 and Core i3-7100.
| PCIe version | no data | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 16 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 9.40 | 2.72 |
| Recency | 10 June 2022 | 3 January 2017 |
| Physical cores | 8 | 2 |
| Threads | 8 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 5 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 20 Watt | 51 Watt |
Apple M2 has a 245.6% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, 300% more physical cores and 100% more threads, a 180% more advanced lithography process, and 155% lower power consumption.
The M2 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-7100 in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M2 is a notebook processor while Core i3-7100 is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M2 and Core i3-7100, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
