Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) vs Intel Core i5-8600K
—Single-core34.5
—Multi-core30
52.5Gamingspec-based29.1
8 spec wins — Apple M5 Ultra (36-core)0 spec wins — Intel Core i5-8600K
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)
- 700% higher Max memory: 512 GB vs 64 GB
- 500% higher cores: 36 vs 6
- 500% higher threads: 36 vs 6
- 100% higher Performance cores: 12 vs 6
- 79% lower process: 3 nm vs 14 nm
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i5-8600K
- Lower launch price: $257 vs $12,299
General
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-8600K |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2017 |
| Socket | — | LGA1151-v2 |
| Process | 3 nm+79% | 14 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 95 W |
| Unlocked multiplier | — | Yes |
| Cooler included | — | No |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-8600K |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 36+500% | 6 |
| Performance cores | 12+100% | 6 |
| Efficiency cores | 24 | 0 |
| Threads | 36+500% | 6 |
| Base clock | — | 3.6 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz+7% | 4.3 GHz |
| L2 cache | — | 2 MB |
| L3 cache | — | 9 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-8600K |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 80-core GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,150 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-8600K |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | — | DDR4-2666 |
| Max memory | 512 GB+700% | 64 GB |
| Memory channels | — | 2 |
Platform
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-8600K |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe version | — | 3 |
| CPU PCIe lanes | — | 16 |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i5-8600K |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | — | 1,480Bottom 27% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | — | 5,400Bottom 26% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 1,210Bottom 25% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 6,800Bottom 22% |
| PassMark | — | 10,600Bottom 16% |
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