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Apple M2 Max (12-core) vs Intel Core Ultra 9 386H

Apple M2 Max (12-core)
51.5Inno Score
VS
WINNER
Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
54.5Inno Score
47.6Single-core
41.5Multi-core
80Efficiency58.3
52.8Platform50.7
1 spec wins — Apple M2 Max (12-core)6 spec wins — Intel Core Ultra 9 386H

InnoReviews verdict

Intel Core Ultra 9 386H wins this laptop processor face-off, 54.5 to 51.5. Apple M2 Max (12-core) still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.

Which would you pick?

Key differences

Reasons to pick the Apple M2 Max (12-core)

  • Stronger efficiency score: 80 vs 58
  • 100% higher Performance cores: 8 vs 4

Reasons to pick the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H

  • 200% higher Efficiency cores: 12 vs 4
  • 60% lower process: 2 nm vs 5 nm
  • 33% higher cores: 16 vs 12
  • 33% higher threads: 16 vs 12
  • 33% higher Boost clock: 4.9 GHz vs 3.7 GHz

General

General comparison: Apple M2 Max (12-core) versus Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
SpecApple M2 Max (12-core)Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
Announced20232026
Process5 nm2 nm+60%
Base TDP45 W

Cores & Clocks

Cores & Clocks comparison: Apple M2 Max (12-core) versus Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
SpecApple M2 Max (12-core)Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
Cores1216+33%
Performance cores8+100%4
Efficiency cores412+200%
Threads1216+33%
Base clock2.1 GHz
Boost clock3.7 GHz4.9 GHz+33%
L3 cache18 MB

Integrated GPU

Integrated GPU comparison: Apple M2 Max (12-core) versus Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
SpecApple M2 Max (12-core)Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
iGPUApple 38-core GPUIntel Arc Xe3 Graphics

Memory

Memory comparison: Apple M2 Max (12-core) versus Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
SpecApple M2 Max (12-core)Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
Memory supportLPDDR5-6400LPDDR5X, DDR5
Max memory96 GB

Benchmarks

Benchmarks comparison: Apple M2 Max (12-core) versus Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
SpecApple M2 Max (12-core)Intel Core Ultra 9 386H
Geekbench 6 (single)2,760Top 42%
Geekbench 6 (multi)14,500Top 36%
Cinebench R23 (single)1,600Top 79%
Cinebench R23 (multi)14,600Top 56%

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