Apple M2 Max vs Intel Core 2 Duo P9700 vs Intel Core 2 Duo P9500
Apple M2 Max
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The Apple M2 Max is a System on a Chip (SoC) from Apple that is found in the early 2023 MacBook Pro 14 and 16-inch models. It offers all 12 CPU cores available in the chip divided in eight performance cores (P-cores) and four power-efficiency cores (E-cores). The E-cores clock with up to 3.4 GHz, the P-Cores up to 3.7 GHz (mostly 3.3 GHz in multi-threaded workloads and 3.4 GHz in single threaded).
The big cores (codename Avalanche) offer 192 KB instruction cache, 128 KB data cache, and 36 MB shared L2 cache (up from 24 MB in the M1 Pro). The four efficiency cores (codename Blizzard) are a lot smaller and offer only 128 KB instruction cache, 64 KB data cache, and 4 MB shared cache. CPU and GPU can both use the 49 MB SLC (System Level Cache).
The unified memory (32, 64, or 96 GB LPDDR5-6400) next to the chip is connected by a 512 Bit memory controller (400 GB/s bandwidth) and can be used by the GPU and CPU.
The CPU performance should be quite similar to the M2 Pro as only the higher memory bandwidth and bigger L3 cache could make a difference for some workloads.
The integrated graphics card in the M1 Max offers a 30-core GPU or a GPU with all 38 cores.
Furthermore, the SoC integrates a fast 16 core neural engine (faster than M1 Max), a secure enclave (e.g., for encryption), a unified memory architecture, Thunderbolt 4 controller, an ISP, and media de- and encoders (including ProRes).
The M2 Max is manufactured in 5 nm at TSMC (second generation) and integrates 40 billion transistors. The power consumption of the CPU part is up to 36 Watt according to powermetrics. When fully loading the CPU and GPU cores, the chip uses up to 89 Watt and the CPU part is limited to 25 Watt.
Intel Core 2 Duo P9700
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The Intel Core 2 Duo P9700 is a high end dual core CPU for laptops (at the time of introduction). It is the fastest Core 2 Duo P-model and the performance is comparable to the Core 2 Duo T9600. Still the TDP rating is considerably better (28 versus 35 Watt).
Due to the high clock speed, the P9700 offers enough performance for demanding games (in 2009) and applications.
The P9700 uses a Penryn core that features 2 integer units, 1 floating point unit, 1 load unit, and 1 store unit in a 14-stages long pipeline. Due to the Wide Dynamic Execution Technology, the core is able to simultaneously execute up to four instructions.
The integrated Enhanced Speedstep is able to downclock the core dynamically (in idle mode).
The Core 2 Duo P9700 can be used in a Socket P socket with 479 pins.
Intel Core 2 Duo P9500
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The Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 was a upper middle class dual core CPU for laptops, at the time of introduction. It is similar to the Core 2 Duo T9400 except for the lower TDP of 25 versus 35 Watt).
Due to the relatively high clock speed and 6MB Level 2 cache, the P9500 offers enough performance for most demanding games (in 2009) and applications.
The P9500 uses a Penryn (Montevina Update) core that features 2 integer units, 1 floating point unit, 1 load unit, and 1 store unit in a 14-stages long pipeline. Due to the Wide Dynamic Execution Technology, the core is able to simultaneously execute up to four instructions.
The integrated Enhanced Speedstep is able to downclock the core dynamically to save power (in idle mode).
| Model | Apple M2 Max | Intel Core 2 Duo P9700 | Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 | ||||||||||||||||
| Series | Apple M2 | Intel Core 2 Duo | Intel Core 2 Duo | ||||||||||||||||
| Series: Core 2 Duo Penryn |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Clock | 2424 - 3696 MHz | 2800 MHz | 2530 MHz | ||||||||||||||||
| L1 Cache | 3.3 MB | 128 KB | 128 KB | ||||||||||||||||
| L2 Cache | 36 MB | 6 MB | 6 MB | ||||||||||||||||
| L3 Cache | 48 MB | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cores / Threads | 12 / 12 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| TDP | 79 Watt | 28 Watt | 25 Watt | ||||||||||||||||
| Transistors | 67000 Million | 410 Million | 410 Million | ||||||||||||||||
| Technology | 5 nm | 45 nm | 45 nm | ||||||||||||||||
| Features | ARMv8 Instruction Set | Virtualization (VT-x), Trusted Execution, Intel 64, Enhanced Speedstep, Execute Disable Bit | Virtualization Technology (VT-x), Trusted Execution, Intel 64, Enhanced Speedstep, Execute Disable Bit | ||||||||||||||||
| iGPU | Apple M2 Max 38-Core GPU | ||||||||||||||||||
| Architecture | ARM | x86 | x86 | ||||||||||||||||
| Announced | |||||||||||||||||||
| Codename | Penryn | Penryn | |||||||||||||||||
| FSB | 1066 | 1066 | |||||||||||||||||
| Voltage | 1.012-1.175V V | ||||||||||||||||||
| Die Size | 107 mm2 | 107 mm2 | |||||||||||||||||
| max. Temp. | 105 °C | 105 °C | |||||||||||||||||
| Socket | PGA478 | BGA479, PGA478 | |||||||||||||||||
| $348 U.S. | $348 U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | ark.intel.com | ark.intel.com |
Benchmarks
Average Benchmarks Apple M2 Max → 0% n=0
Average Benchmarks Intel Core 2 Duo P9700 → 0% n=0
Average Benchmarks Intel Core 2 Duo P9500 → 0% n=0
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
