Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) vs Intel Core i3-2120
—Single-core20
—Multi-core20
52.5Gamingspec-based20
8 spec wins — Apple M5 Ultra (36-core)0 spec wins — Intel Core i3-2120
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)
- 1700% higher cores: 36 vs 2
- 1500% higher Max memory: 512 GB vs 32 GB
- 800% higher threads: 36 vs 4
- 500% higher Performance cores: 12 vs 2
- 91% lower process: 3 nm vs 32 nm
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i3-2120
- Lower launch price: $138 vs $12,299
General
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-2120 |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026+1% | 2011 |
| Socket | — | LGA1155 |
| Process | 3 nm+91% | 32 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 65 W |
| Unlocked multiplier | — | No |
| Cooler included | — | Yes |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-2120 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 36+1700% | 2 |
| Performance cores | 12+500% | 2 |
| Efficiency cores | 24 | 0 |
| Threads | 36+800% | 4 |
| Base clock | — | 3.3 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz+39% | 3.3 GHz |
| L2 cache | — | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | — | 3 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-2120 |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 80-core GPU | Intel HD Graphics 2000 |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,100 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-2120 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | — | DDR3-1333 |
| Max memory | 512 GB+1500% | 32 GB |
| Memory channels | — | 2 |
Platform
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-2120 |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe version | — | 2 |
| CPU PCIe lanes | — | 16 |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i3-2120 |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | — | 780Bottom 1% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | — | 1,600Bottom 1% |
| PassMark | — | 2,400Bottom 1% |
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