Apple M5 (10-core) vs Intel Core i5-8250U
93.6Single-core31.5
56.3Multi-core24
93.3Efficiencyspec-based66.4
—iGPU25.8
40Platformspec-based35
10 spec wins — Apple M5 (10-core)0 spec wins — Intel Core i5-8250U
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M5 (10-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 70.1 to 34.1, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+62) and multi-core (+32). Intel Core i5-8250U 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 32
- Stronger multi-core score: 56 vs 24
- 411% higher Cinebench R23 (multi): 15,893 vs 3,108
- 363% higher PassMark: 26,757 vs 5,777
- 181% higher Cinebench R23 (single): 2,459 vs 874
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i5-8250U
No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.
General
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2025 | 2017 |
| Process | 3 nm+79% | 14 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 15 W |
| Max TDP | — | 25 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 10+150% | 4 |
| Performance cores | 4 | 4 |
| Efficiency cores | 6 | 0 |
| Threads | 10+25% | 8 |
| Base clock | 3.1 GHz+91% | 1.6 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz+36% | 3.4 GHz |
| L3 cache | — | 6 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 10-core GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 620 |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,100 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X-9600 | DDR4-2400 / LPDDR3-2133 |
| Max memory | 32 GB | 32 GB |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 (10-core) | Intel Core i5-8250U |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,228Top 5% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 17,314Top 17% | — |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | 2,459+181%Top 2% | 874Bottom 6% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | 15,893+411%Top 32% | 3,108Bottom 7% |
| PassMark | 26,757+363%Top 29% | 5,777Bottom 7% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | — | 389Bottom 8% |
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