Intel
Core Ultra 9 285K
Arrow Lake · 24C · 5.7 GHz · LGA1851
90
/ 100
From $589
VS
Apple M5 Max wins by 8
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 9 285K lands at 90 and Apple M5 Max at 98. That puts Apple M5 Max ahead by 8 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 M5 Max if…
- ✓Leads the industry in perf-per-watt
- ✓128 GB unified memory option
- ✓Best-in-class ML acceleration
Score breakdown
Core Ultra 9 285K
90 single 92
multi 94
gaming 85
efficiency 90
Apple M5 Max
98 single 99
multi 98
gaming 85
efficiency 100
Specs side-by-side
Spec
Core Ultra 9 285K
Apple M5 Max
Cores
24 (8P+16E)
16 (12P+4E)
Threads
24
—
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
—
iGPU
Intel Graphics (Xe-LPG)
—
GPU cores
—
40
Memory bandwidth
—
570 GB/s
Neural engine
—
16-core, 60 TOPS
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 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 9 285K vs Apple M5 Max
Which is better, Core Ultra 9 285K or Apple M5 Max? +
Apple M5 Max scores 98 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 8. 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 M5 Max worth the price? +
At $3,499, Apple M5 Max delivers a Specdex score of 98 — strongest in efficiency.
Does Core Ultra 9 285K 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.