Intel
Core Ultra 9 285K
Arrow Lake · 24C · 5.7 GHz · LGA1851
90
/ 100
From $589
VS
Apple M4 Max wins by 7
Apple
Apple M4 Max
16C CPU · 40C GPU · 16-core Neural Engine
97
/ 100
From $1,299
Specdex verdict
Apple M4 Max takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Core Ultra 9 285K lands at 90 and Apple M4 Max at 97. That puts Apple M4 Max ahead by 7 points — a decisive margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Core Ultra 9 285K if…
- ✓Much lower power than 14900K
- ✓Strong productivity
- ✓New LGA1851 platform
Pick Apple M4 Max if…
- ✓Industry-best perf-per-watt
- ✓128 GB unified memory option
- ✓Hardware ray-tracing
Core Ultra 9 285K 90
vs 97 Apple M4 Max
Score breakdown
Core Ultra 9 285K
90 single 92
multi 94
gaming 85
efficiency 90
Apple M4 Max
97 single 98
multi 96
gaming 82
efficiency 100
Specs side-by-side
| Spec | Core Ultra 9 285K | Apple M4 Max |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | ▲ 24 (8P+16E) | 16 (12P+4E) |
| Threads | ▲ 24 | 16 |
| Base clock | 3.7 GHz | — |
| Boost clock | 5.7 GHz | — |
| L3 cache | 36 MB | — |
| TDP | 125 W (PL1) / 250 W (PL2) | — |
| Socket | LGA1851 | — |
| Process | TSMC N3B | TSMC N3E |
| iGPU | Intel Graphics (Xe-LPG) | — |
| Memory bandwidth | — | 546 GB/s |
| Neural engine | — | 16-core, 38 TOPS |
| Max memory | — | 128 GB unified |
Core Ultra 9 285K
Pros
- +Much lower power than 14900K
- +Strong productivity
- +New LGA1851 platform
Cons
- −Gaming regresses vs 14900K in some titles
- −No hyper-threading
- −DDR5 only
Apple M4 Max
Pros
- +Industry-best perf-per-watt
- +128 GB unified memory option
- +Hardware ray-tracing
Cons
- −Apple ecosystem lock-in
- −Not user-replaceable
- −Limited Windows gaming
FAQ: Core Ultra 9 285K vs Apple M4 Max
Which is better, Core Ultra 9 285K or Apple M4 Max? +
Apple M4 Max scores 97 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 7. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Core Ultra 9 285K worth the price? +
At $589, Core Ultra 9 285K delivers a Specdex score of 90 — strongest in multi.
Is Apple M4 Max worth the price? +
At $1,299, Apple M4 Max delivers a Specdex score of 97 — strongest in efficiency.
Does Core Ultra 9 285K or Apple M4 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.