Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) vs Intel Core i7-8700K
—Single-core37.3
—Multi-core34.7
52.5Gamingspec-based38.5
7 spec wins — Apple M5 Ultra (36-core)1 spec wins — Intel Core i7-8700K
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
- 200% higher threads: 36 vs 12
- 100% higher Performance cores: 12 vs 6
- 79% lower process: 3 nm vs 14 nm
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i7-8700K
- Lower launch price: $359 vs $12,299
General
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i7-8700K |
|---|---|---|
| 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 i7-8700K |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 36+500% | 6 |
| Performance cores | 12+100% | 6 |
| Efficiency cores | 24 | 0 |
| Threads | 36+200% | 12 |
| Base clock | — | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz | 4.7 GHz+2% |
| L2 cache | — | 2 MB |
| L3 cache | — | 12 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i7-8700K |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 80-core GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,200 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i7-8700K |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | — | DDR4-2666 |
| Max memory | 512 GB+700% | 64 GB |
| Memory channels | — | 2 |
Platform
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i7-8700K |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe version | — | 3 |
| CPU PCIe lanes | — | 16 |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i7-8700K |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | — | 1,560Bottom 34% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | — | 6,800Bottom 36% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 1,270Bottom 30% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 9,200Bottom 32% |
| PassMark | — | 13,900Bottom 23% |
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