Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) vs Intel Core i3-12100
—Single-core55.3
—Multi-core34.2
52.5Gamingspec-based36
8 spec wins — Apple M5 Ultra (36-core)0 spec wins — Intel Core i3-12100
InnoReviews verdict
No overall winner yet: Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) lacks the published benchmark results an Inno Score requires, so there is no Inno Score to compare — we don't rank chips on their spec sheet alone. The spec table below still shows every difference we track.
Which would you pick?
Key differences
Reasons to pick the Apple M5 Ultra (36-core)
- 800% higher cores: 36 vs 4
- 350% higher threads: 36 vs 8
- 300% higher Max memory: 512 GB vs 128 GB
- 200% higher Performance cores: 12 vs 4
- 70% lower process: 3 nm vs 10 nm
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i3-12100
- Lower launch price: $122 vs $12,299
General
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-12100 |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2022 |
| Socket | — | LGA1700 |
| Process | 3 nm+70% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 60 W |
| Max turbo power | — | 89 W |
| Unlocked multiplier | — | No |
| Cooler included | — | Yes |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-12100 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 36+800% | 4 |
| Performance cores | 12+200% | 4 |
| Efficiency cores | 24 | 0 |
| Threads | 36+350% | 8 |
| Base clock | — | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz+7% | 4.3 GHz |
| L2 cache | — | 5 MB |
| L3 cache | — | 12 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-12100 |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 80-core GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 730 |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,400 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-12100 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | — | DDR5-4800 / DDR4-3200 |
| Max memory | 512 GB+300% | 128 GB |
| Memory channels | — | 2 |
Platform
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-12100 |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe version | — | 5 |
| CPU PCIe lanes | — | 20 |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-12100 |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | — | 2,050Top 48% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | — | 6,700Bottom 34% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 1,680Top 45% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 8,700Bottom 29% |
| PassMark | — | 14,000Bottom 24% |
Related comparisons
Apple M5 Ultra (36-core)vs Intel Core Ultra 7 270K PlusVSApple M5 Ultra (36-core)vs Intel Core i9-14900KSVSApple M5 Ultra (36-core)vs Intel Core i9-14900KVSApple M5 Ultra (36-core)vs Intel Core Ultra 9 285VSIntel Core i3-12100vs AMD Ryzen 5 5500VSIntel Core i3-12100vs Intel Core i3-12100FVSIntel Core i3-12100vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600VSIntel Core i3-12100vs Intel Core i3-13100FVS