i7-6950X vs Apple M3 Pro 12-Core
Aggregate performance score
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core outperforms Core i7-6950X by a considerable 47% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 418 | 718 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 0.89 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple M3 | Intel Core i7 (Desktop) |
| Power efficiency | 56.40 | 7.38 |
| Architecture codename | no data | Broadwell-E (2016) |
| Release date | 30 October 2023 (1 year ago) | 31 May 2016 (8 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $1,723 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X 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) | 10 (Deca-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 20 |
| Base clock speed | 2.748 GHz | 3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.06 GHz | 4 GHz |
| Bus rate | no data | 9.6 GT/s / QPI |
| L1 cache | no data | 32K (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 256K (per core) |
| L3 cache | no data | 25 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 246 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 72 °C |
| Number of transistors | 37000 Million | 3,800 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X 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 |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA2011 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 140 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Smart Response | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | + |
Security technologies
M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X 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 M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 4 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M3 Pro 18-Core GPU | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X.
| PCIe version | no data | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 40 |
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 | 16.10 | 10.92 |
| Recency | 30 October 2023 | 31 May 2016 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 10 |
| Threads | 12 | 20 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 27 Watt | 140 Watt |
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core has a 47.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, 20% more physical cores, a 366.7% more advanced lithography process, and 418.5% lower power consumption.
i7-6950X, on the other hand, has 66.7% more threads.
The M3 Pro 12-Core is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-6950X in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M3 Pro 12-Core is a notebook processor while Core i7-6950X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M3 Pro 12-Core and Core i7-6950X, 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.
