Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) vs Intel Core i5-12600KF
—Single-core66.5
—Multi-core52.4
52.5Gamingspec-based52.1
7 spec wins — Apple M5 Ultra (36-core)1 spec wins — Intel Core i5-12600KF
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)
- 500% higher Efficiency cores: 24 vs 4
- 300% higher Max memory: 512 GB vs 128 GB
- 260% higher cores: 36 vs 10
- 125% higher threads: 36 vs 16
- 100% higher Performance cores: 12 vs 6
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i5-12600KF
- Lower launch price: $264 vs $12,299
General
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-12600KF |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2021 |
| Socket | — | LGA1700 |
| Process | 3 nm+70% | 10 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 125 W |
| Max turbo power | — | 150 W |
| Unlocked multiplier | — | Yes |
| Cooler included | — | No |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-12600KF |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 36+260% | 10 |
| Performance cores | 12+100% | 6 |
| Efficiency cores | 24+500% | 4 |
| Threads | 36+125% | 16 |
| Base clock | — | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz | 4.9 GHz+7% |
| L2 cache | — | 10 MB |
| L3 cache | — | 20 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-12600KF |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 80-core GPU | — |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-12600KF |
|---|---|---|
| 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 i5-12600KF |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe version | — | 5 |
| CPU PCIe lanes | — | 20 |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-12600KF |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | — | 2,400Top 41% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | — | 12,500Top 41% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 1,900Top 31% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 17,300Top 34% |
| PassMark | — | 27,300Top 48% |
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