Intel
Core Ultra 7 265K
Arrow Lake · 20C/20T · 125 W · LGA1851
85
/ 100
From $399
VS
Apple M5 Max wins by 13
Apple
Apple M5 Max
16C CPU · 40C GPU · 570 GB/s
98
/ 100
From $3,499
Specdex verdict
Apple M5 Max takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Core Ultra 7 265K lands at 85 and Apple M5 Max at 98. That puts Apple M5 Max ahead by 13 points — a decisive margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Core Ultra 7 265K if…
- ✓Strong per-core performance
- ✓Hybrid P/E cores (12th gen+)
- ✓Wide platform availability
Pick Apple M5 Max if…
- ✓Leads the industry in perf-per-watt
- ✓128 GB unified memory option
- ✓Best-in-class ML acceleration
Score breakdown
Core Ultra 7 265K
85 single 87
multi 85
gaming 84
efficiency 83
Apple M5 Max
98 single 99
multi 98
gaming 85
efficiency 100
Specs side-by-side
Spec
Core Ultra 7 265K
Apple M5 Max
Architecture
Arrow Lake
—
Cores
20
16 (12P+4E)
Threads
20
—
TDP
125 W
—
Socket
LGA1851
—
Release year
2024
—
GPU cores
—
40
Memory bandwidth
—
570 GB/s
Neural engine
—
16-core, 60 TOPS
Core Ultra 7 265K
Pros
- +Strong per-core performance
- +Hybrid P/E cores (12th gen+)
- +Wide platform availability
Cons
- −Power draw on top SKUs
- −Frequent socket changes
- −Arrow Lake gaming regressions
Apple M5 Max
Pros
- +Leads the industry in perf-per-watt
- +128 GB unified memory option
- +Best-in-class ML acceleration
Cons
- −Macs only, no DIY
- −Expensive
- −Gaming library still limited
FAQ: Core Ultra 7 265K vs Apple M5 Max
Which is better, Core Ultra 7 265K or Apple M5 Max? +
Apple M5 Max scores 98 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 13. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Core Ultra 7 265K worth the price? +
At $399, Core Ultra 7 265K delivers a Specdex score of 85 — strongest in single.
Is Apple M5 Max worth the price? +
At $3,499, Apple M5 Max delivers a Specdex score of 98 — strongest in efficiency.
Does Core Ultra 7 265K or Apple M5 Max last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.