Apple M5 Max (18-core) vs Intel Pentium Silver N6000
92Single-core22.9
96.6Multi-core20.9
93.3Efficiencyspec-based82.2
—iGPU22
61.9Platformspec-based24.4
10 spec wins — Apple M5 Max (18-core)0 spec wins — Intel Pentium Silver N6000
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M5 Max (18-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 89 to 31.2, pulling ahead mainly in multi-core (+76) and single-core (+69). Intel Pentium Silver N6000 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 23
- Stronger multi-core score: 97 vs 21
- 1883% higher PassMark: 57,677 vs 2,908
- 700% higher Max memory: 128 GB vs 16 GB
- 500% higher L3 cache: 24 MB vs 4 MB
Reasons to pick the Intel Pentium Silver N6000
No decisive spec advantages — this side competes on price and preference.
General
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Pentium Silver N6000 |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2021 |
| Process | 3 nm+70% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 6 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Pentium Silver N6000 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 18+350% | 4 |
| Performance cores | 6 | 0 |
| Efficiency cores | 12+200% | 4 |
| Threads | 18+350% | 4 |
| Base clock | — | 1.1 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz+39% | 3.3 GHz |
| L3 cache | 24 MB+500% | 4 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Pentium Silver N6000 |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 40-core GPU | Intel UHD Graphics (32 EU) |
| iGPU clock | — | 850 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Pentium Silver N6000 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X-9600 | DDR4-2933, LPDDR4x-2933 |
| Max memory | 128 GB+700% | 16 GB |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 Max (18-core) | Intel Pentium Silver N6000 |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,322Top 3% | — |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 29,256Top 2% | — |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 669Bottom 4% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 1,730Bottom 4% |
| PassMark | 57,677+1883%Top 2% | 2,908Bottom 3% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | — | 329Bottom 6% |
Related comparisons
Apple M5 Max (18-core)vs Apple M5 Pro (18-core)VSApple M5 Max (18-core)vs Apple M4 Max (16-core)VSApple M5 Max (18-core)vs Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite ExtremeVSApple M5 Max (18-core)vs Apple M6 (12-core)VSIntel Pentium Silver N6000vs AMD Ryzen 7 3700UVSIntel Pentium Silver N6000vs Intel Celeron N4500VSIntel Pentium Silver N6000vs Intel Core i5-8250UVSIntel Pentium Silver N6000vs Intel Processor N150VS

