Apple M2 vs Apple M3 Pro 12-Core
Aggregate performance score
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms Apple M2 by an impressive 70% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing M3 Pro 12-Core and M2 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 427 | 824 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Series | Apple M3 | Apple Apple M-Series |
| Power efficiency | 56.01 | 44.44 |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (1 year ago) | 10 June 2022 (2 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
M3 Pro 12-Core and M2 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 | 12 (Dodeca-Core) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.748 GHz | 2.424 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 3.48 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 2 MB |
| L2 cache | no data | 20 MB |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 5 nm |
| Number of transistors | 37000 Million | 20000 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on M3 Pro 12-Core and M2 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.
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 20 Watt |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU | Apple M2 10-Core GPU ( - 1398 MHz) |
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.
Cinebench 15 64-bit multi-core
Cinebench Release 15 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R15 which uses all the processor threads.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 15.86 | 9.32 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 10 June 2022 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 8 |
| Threads | 12 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 20 Watt |
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core has a 70.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads, and a 66.7% more advanced lithography process.
Apple M2, on the other hand, has 35% lower power consumption.
The M3 Pro 12-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the M2 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Apple M2, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Other comparisons
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