Ultra 5 250K Plus vs Apple M5 Max
Aggregate performance score
M5 Max outperforms Core Ultra 5 250K Plus by a moderate 12% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 171 | 217 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 96.28 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | no data | 9.87 |
| Designer | Apple | Intel |
| Manufacturer | no data | TSMC |
| Architecture codename | no data | Arrow Lake Refresh (2026) |
| Release date | 3 March 2026 (less than a year ago) | 11 March 2026 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $199 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Performance to price scatter graph
Currently popular graphics cards are shown for comparison.
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus: number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 18 (Octadeca-Core) | 18 (Octadeca-Core) |
| Performance-cores | no data | 6 |
| Efficient-cores | no data | 12 |
| Threads | 18 | 18 |
| Base clock speed | 3.048 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.61 GHz | 5.3 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 192 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 32 MB | 3 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 24 MB | 30 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 3 nm |
| Die size | no data | 243 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | no data | 17,800 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | no data | 1 |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA1851 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | no data | 125 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2 |
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | - |
| Idle States | no data | + |
| Thermal Monitoring | - | + |
| SIPP | - | + |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
| Supported AI Software Frameworks | - | OpenVINO™, WindowsML, DirectML, ONNX RT, WebNN |
Security technologies
M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5-7200 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 256 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Intel® Graphics |
| Quick Sync Video | - | + |
| Graphics max frequency | no data | 1.9 GHz |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | no data | 4 |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.
| Max resolution over HDMI 1.4 | no data | 4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 TMDS)7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz (HDMI 2.1 FRL) |
| Max resolution over eDP | no data | 3840 x 2400 @ 120Hz |
| Max resolution over DisplayPort | no data | 7680 x 4320 @ 60Hz |
Graphics API support
APIs supported by M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.
| DirectX | no data | 12 |
| OpenGL | no data | 4.5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M5 Max and Core Ultra 5 250K Plus.
| PCIe version | no data | 5.0 and 4.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 24 |
Synthetic benchmarks
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 33.58 | 30.06 |
Apple M5 Max has a 12% higher aggregate performance score.
The Apple M5 Max is our recommended choice as it beats the Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M5 Max is a notebook processor while Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is a desktop one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
