Apple M4 Max (14 cores) vs i3-8121U

Primary details

Comparing Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores) processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1695	not rated
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i3	Apple M4
Power efficiency	9.28	no data
Architecture codename	Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)	no data
Release date	5 May 2018 (6 years ago)	30 November 2024 (recently)

Detailed specifications

Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores) 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	2 (Dual-core)	14 (Tetradeca-Core)
Threads	4	14
Base clock speed	2.2 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	3.2 GHz	4.51 GHz
Bus type	OPI	no data
Bus rate	4 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	22	no data
L1 cache	64K (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256K (per core)	no data
L3 cache	4 MB (shared)	no data
Chip lithography	10 nm	3 nm
Die size	123 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	no data

Compatibility

Information on Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores) 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	1 (Uniprocessor)	no data
Socket	Intel BGA1440	no data
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	80 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores). You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512	no data
AES-NI	+	-
AVX	+	-
vPro	-	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
QuickAssist	-	no data
Speed Shift	+	no data
My WiFi	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
Smart Response	+	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
HD Audio	+	no data
RST	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores) technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	-
SGX	-	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores) are enumerated here.

VT-d	+	no data
VT-x	+	no data
VT-i	-	no data
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores). Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR4	no data
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	38.397 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

Iris Pro Plus

Apple M4 32-core GPU

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores).

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

Pros & cons summary

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Recency	5 May 2018	30 November 2024
Physical cores	2	14
Threads	4	14
Chip lithography	10 nm	3 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	15 Watt	80 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i3-8121U and Apple M4 Max (14 cores), ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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