Apple M5 (10-core) vs Intel Core 5 120U
93.6Single-core59.8
56.3Multi-core36.2
93.3Efficiencyspec-based75.3
40Platformspec-based50.3
9 spec wins — Apple M5 (10-core)4 spec wins — Intel Core 5 120U
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M5 (10-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 70.1 to 51.6, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+34) and multi-core (+20). Intel Core 5 120U still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple M5 (10-core)
- Stronger single-core score: 94 vs 60
- Stronger multi-core score: 56 vs 36
- 139% higher Cinebench R23 (multi): 15,893 vs 6,659
- 118% higher Base clock: 3.1 GHz vs 1.4 GHz
- 100% higher Performance cores: 4 vs 2
Reasons to pick the Intel Core 5 120U
- 200% higher Max memory: 96 GB vs 32 GB
- 33% higher Efficiency cores: 8 vs 6
- 20% higher threads: 12 vs 10
General
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2025 | 2024 |
| Process | 3 nm+70% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 15 W |
| Max TDP | — | 55 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 10 | 10 |
| Performance cores | 4+100% | 2 |
| Efficiency cores | 6 | 8+33% |
| Threads | 10 | 12+20% |
| Base clock | 3.1 GHz+118% | 1.4 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz | 5 GHz+8% |
| L3 cache | — | 12 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 10-core GPU | Intel Iris Xe (80 EU) |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,300 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X-9600 | LPDDR5X-5200 / DDR5-5200 / DDR4-3200 / LPDDR4X-4267 |
| Max memory | 32 GB | 96 GB+200% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core 5 120U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,228+71%Top 5% | 2,469Bottom 50% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 17,314+91%Top 17% | 9,070Bottom 33% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 2,459+40%Top 2% | 1,757Top 45% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 15,893+139%Top 32% | 6,659Bottom 19% |
| PassMark | 26,757+80%Top 29% | 14,877Bottom 30% |
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