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Head-to-head

Apple - M4 Ultra vs Intel - Core Ultra 9 285K

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M4 UltraAPPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M4 Ultra
63.1/ 100C
Cores54· 40%
Benchmarks72· 40%
Platform· 20%
Core Ultra 9 285KINTELRENDER
Probe B
Intel
Core Ultra 9 285K
60.9/ 100C
Cores57· 40%
Benchmarks65· 40%
Platform· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M4 Ultra and Core Ultra 9 285K, the M4 Ultra comes out ahead in l3 cache and cores, while the Core Ultra 9 285K wins on boost clock. Overall, the M4 Ultra scores 63.1 and the Core Ultra 9 285K scores 60.9 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (63.1 vs 60.9). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.

Pick the M4 Ultra if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. The biggest gaps in its favor are l3 cache, cores, cinebench r23 (multi), among others.

Pick the Core Ultra 9 285K if you care most about boost clock. Its strongest claims are boost clock.

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

Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.

Why Apple - M4 Ultra wins

  • L3 cache — 77.78% more. 64 MB vs 36 MB.
  • Cores — 33.33% more. 32 vs 24.
  • Cinebench R23 (multi) — 22.90% more. 52600 vs 42800.
  • TDP — 5.00 W less. 120 vs 125.

Why Intel - Core Ultra 9 285K wins

  • Boost clock — 26.67% more. 5.7 GHz vs 4.5 GHz.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M4 UltraIntel - Core Ultra 9 285K
Cores32lead24
Threads32lead24
Base clock0 GHz3.7 GHzlead
Boost clock4.5 GHz5.7 GHzlead
L3 cache64 MBlead36 MB

Platform

SpecApple - M4 UltraIntel - Core Ultra 9 285K
SocketSolderedLGA1851
TDP120 Wlead125 W
Integrated graphicstruetrue
DDR5truetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M4 UltraIntel - Core Ultra 9 285K
Cinebench R23 (multi)52600lead42800
Cinebench R23 (single)2290lead2230
Reader questions

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