Apple M6 (12-core) vs Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
98.1Single-core79
70.6Multi-core86.8
100Efficiencyspec-based44.4
—iGPU60.5
42.2Platformspec-based73.9
3 spec wins — Apple M6 (12-core)8 spec wins — Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
InnoReviews verdict
Apple M6 (12-core) wins this laptop processor face-off, 78.4 to 73.9, pulling ahead mainly in single-core (+19). Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus still makes sense if its price or standout specs fit your needs better.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple M6 (12-core)
- Stronger single-core score: 98 vs 79
- 44% higher Geekbench 6 (single): 4,610 vs 3,198
- 33% lower process: 2 nm vs 3 nm
- 30% higher PassMark (single thread): 6,406 vs 4,920
Reasons to pick the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus
- Stronger multi-core score: 87 vs 71
- 700% higher Max memory: 256 GB vs 32 GB
- 167% higher Efficiency cores: 16 vs 6
- 100% higher cores: 24 vs 12
- 100% higher threads: 24 vs 12
General
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2026 |
| Process | 2 nm+33% | 3 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 55 W |
| Max TDP | — | 160 W |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 12 | 24+100% |
| Performance cores | 6 | 8+33% |
| Efficiency cores | 6 | 16+167% |
| Threads | 12 | 24+100% |
| Base clock | — | 2.7 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.8 GHz | 5.5 GHz+15% |
| L3 cache | — | 36 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 12-core GPU | Intel Graphics (4 Xe-cores) |
| iGPU clock | — | 2,000 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | LPDDR5X | DDR5-6400 |
| Max memory | 32 GB | 256 GB+700% |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M6 (12-core) | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | 4,610+44%Top 1% | 3,198Top 10% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | 20,676Top 7% | 21,581+4%Top 6% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 2,340Top 2% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 39,617Top 1% |
| PassMark | 36,310Top 15% | 58,672+62%Top 1% |
| PassMark (single thread) | 6,406+30%Top 1% | 4,920Top 4% |
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics (iGPU) | — | 1,855Top 41% |
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