Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) vs Intel Core i9-10900K
—Single-core41.9
—Multi-core48.2
52.5Gamingspec-based54.6
7 spec wins — Apple M5 Ultra (36-core)1 spec wins — Intel Core i9-10900K
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)
- 300% higher Max memory: 512 GB vs 128 GB
- 260% higher cores: 36 vs 10
- 80% higher threads: 36 vs 20
- 79% lower process: 3 nm vs 14 nm
- 20% higher Performance cores: 12 vs 10
Reasons to pick the Intel Core i9-10900K
- 15% higher Boost clock: 5.3 GHz vs 4.6 GHz
- Lower launch price: $488 vs $12,299
General
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i9-10900K |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2026 | 2020 |
| Socket | — | LGA1200 |
| Process | 3 nm+79% | 14 nm |
| Base TDP | — | 125 W |
| Max turbo power | — | 250 W |
| Unlocked multiplier | — | Yes |
| Cooler included | — | No |
Cores & Clocks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i9-10900K |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | 36+260% | 10 |
| Performance cores | 12+20% | 10 |
| Efficiency cores | 24 | 0 |
| Threads | 36+80% | 20 |
| Base clock | — | 3.7 GHz |
| Boost clock | 4.6 GHz | 5.3 GHz+15% |
| L2 cache | — | 3 MB |
| L3 cache | — | 20 MB |
Integrated GPU
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i9-10900K |
|---|---|---|
| iGPU | Apple 80-core GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| iGPU clock | — | 1,200 MHz |
Memory
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i9-10900K |
|---|---|---|
| Memory support | — | DDR4-2933 |
| Max memory | 512 GB+300% | 128 GB |
| Memory channels | — | 2 |
Platform
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i9-10900K |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe version | — | 3 |
| CPU PCIe lanes | — | 16 |
Benchmarks
| Spec | Apple M5 Ultra (36-core) | Intel Core i9-10900K |
|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single) | — | 1,730Bottom 43% |
| Geekbench 6 (multi) | — | 10,400Top 49% |
| Cinebench R23 (single) | — | 1,340Bottom 39% |
| Cinebench R23 (multi) | — | 16,300Top 39% |
| PassMark | — | 23,700Bottom 43% |
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