Apple M5 Max (18-core) vs Intel Core i7-1260P
92Single-core58.1
96.6Multi-core39.2
93.3Efficiencyspec-based60.2
61.9Platformspec-based53.8
11 spec wins — Apple M5 Max (18-core)1 spec wins — Intel Core i7-1260P
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M5 Max (18-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 89 to 50.4, pulling ahead mainly in multi-core (+57) and single-core (+34). Intel Core i7-1260P 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 Max (18-core)
- Stronger single-core score: 92 vs 58
- Stronger multi-core score: 97 vs 39
- 251% higher PassMark: 57,677 vs 16,411
- 207% higher Geekbench 6 (multi): 29,256 vs 9,532
- 100% higher Max memory: 128 GB vs 64 GB
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i7-1260P
No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.
General
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Core i7-1260P |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2022 |
| Process | 3 nm+70% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 28 W |
| Max TDP | — | 64 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Core i7-1260P |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 18+50% | 12 |
| Performance cores | 6+50% | 4 |
| Efficiency cores | 12+50% | 8 |
| Threads | 18+13% | 16 |
| Base clock | — | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz | 4.7 GHz+2% |
| L3 cache | 24 MB+33% | 18 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Core i7-1260P |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 40-core GPU | Intel Iris Xe (96 EU) |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,400 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Core i7-1260P |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X-9600 | LPDDR5-5200 / DDR5-4800 / LPDDR4x-4267 / DDR4-3200 |
| Max memory | 128 GB+100% | 64 GB |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Core i7-1260P |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,322+78%Top 3% | 2,424Bottom 46% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 29,256+207%Top 2% | 9,532Bottom 36% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 1,695Bottom 51% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 9,551Bottom 33% |
| PassMark | 57,677+251%Top 2% | 16,411Bottom 37% |
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