Xeon 6980E+ vs Apple M5 Max
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 167 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Server |
| Designer | Apple | Intel |
| Manufacturer | no data | Intel |
| Architecture codename | no data | Clearwater Forest (2026) |
| Release date | 3 March 2026 (less than a year ago) | 31 May 2026 (less than a year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of M5 Max and Xeon 6980E+: 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) | 264 |
| Threads | 18 | 264 |
| Base clock speed | 3.048 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.61 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 96 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 32 MB | 4 MB (per module) |
| L3 cache | 24 MB | 528 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 3 nm |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 79 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on M5 Max and Xeon 6980E+ 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 | 2 |
| Socket | no data | 7529 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | no data | 400 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M5 Max and Xeon 6980E+. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
Security technologies
M5 Max and Xeon 6980E+ technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by M5 Max and Xeon 6980E+ are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M5 Max and Xeon 6980E+. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M5 Max and Xeon 6980E+.
| PCIe version | no data | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 96 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 3 March 2026 | 31 May 2026 |
| Physical cores | 18 | 264 |
| Threads | 18 | 264 |
Xeon 6980E+ has an age advantage of 2 months, and 1367% more physical cores and 1367% more threads.
We couldn't decide between Apple M5 Max and Intel Xeon 6980E+. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Apple M5 Max is a notebook processor while Xeon 6980E+ is a server/workstation one.
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