i7-3820 vs Apple M3 Pro 12-Core

Aggregate performance score

Apple M3 Pro 12-Core
2023
12 cores / 12 threads, 27 Watt
16.57
+348%
Core i7-3820
2012
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
3.70

Apple M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms Core i7-3820 by a whopping 348% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking4051488
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data2.32
Market segmentLaptopDesktop processor
SeriesApple M3no data
Power efficiency57.002.64
Architecture codenameno dataSandy Bridge-E (2011−2013)
Release date30 October 2023 (1 year ago)February 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$400

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820 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 cores12 (Dodeca-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads128
Base clock speed2.748 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed4.06 GHz3.8 GHz
Bus rateno data5 GT/s
L1 cacheno data64 KB (per core)
L2 cacheno data256 KB (per core)
L3 cacheno data10240 KB (shared)
Chip lithography3 nm32 nm
Die sizeno data294 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data67 °C
Number of transistors37000 Million1270 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibilityno data-

Compatibility

Information on Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820 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 configurationno data1
Socketno dataFCLGA2011
Power consumption (TDP)27 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI-+
AVX-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data2.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
Smart Responseno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-

Security technologies

Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data-
EDBno data+
Identity Protection-+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820 are enumerated here.

VT-dno data+
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data64.23 GB
Max memory channelsno data4
Maximum memory bandwidthno data51.2 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardApple M3 Pro 18-Core GPUno data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820.

PCIe versionno data2.0
PCI Express lanesno data40

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.

Apple M3 Pro 12-Core 16.57
+348%
i7-3820 3.70

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.

Apple M3 Pro 12-Core 25836
+348%
i7-3820 5769

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 16.57 3.70
Physical cores 12 4
Threads 12 8
Chip lithography 3 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 27 Watt 130 Watt

Apple M3 Pro 12-Core has a 347.8% higher aggregate performance score, 200% more physical cores and 50% more threads, a 966.7% more advanced lithography process, and 381.5% lower power consumption.

The Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3820 in performance tests.

Be aware that Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is a notebook processor while Core i7-3820 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-3820, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


Apple M3 Pro 12-Core
M3 Pro 12-Core
Intel Core i7-3820
Core i7-3820

Similar processor comparisons

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.7 99 votes

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3.7 326 votes

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Questions & comments

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