Apple - M3 Max vs Intel - Core Ultra 7 265

The Core Ultra 7 265 edges ahead on the Mars Score (50 vs 56.2), but the 6.2-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.

Pick the M3 Max if you care most about l3 cache and tdp. The biggest gaps in its favor are l3 cache, tdp.

Pick the Core Ultra 7 265 if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are boost clock, cinebench r23 (multi), cores.

There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.

Bottom line: the Core Ultra 7 265 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.