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Head-to-head

Apple - M3 Max vs Intel - Core i7-14700K

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M3 MaxAPPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M3 Max
50.0/ 100D
Cores46· 40%
Benchmarks54· 40%
Platform· 20%
Core i7-14700KINTELRENDER
Probe B
Intel
Core i7-14700K
57.8/ 100D
Cores56· 40%
Benchmarks60· 40%
Platform· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M3 Max and Core i7-14700K, the M3 Max comes out ahead in tdp, while the Core i7-14700K wins on boost clock and cinebench r23 (multi). Overall, the M3 Max scores 50 and the Core i7-14700K scores 57.8 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The Core i7-14700K edges ahead on the Mars Score (50 vs 57.8), but the 7.8-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 tdp. The biggest gaps in its favor are tdp.

Pick the Core i7-14700K 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, among others.

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

Bottom line: the Core i7-14700K is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.

Why Apple - M3 Max wins

  • TDP — 65.00 W less. 60 vs 125.

Why Intel - Core i7-14700K wins

  • Boost clock — 38.27% more. 5.6 GHz vs 4.05 GHz.
  • Cinebench R23 (multi) — 31.34% more. 35200 vs 26800.
  • Cores — 25.00% more. 20 vs 16.
  • L3 cache — 3.13% more. 33 MB vs 32 MB.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M3 MaxIntel - Core i7-14700K
Cores1620lead
Threads1628lead
Base clock0 GHz3.4 GHzlead
Boost clock4.05 GHz5.6 GHzlead
L3 cache32 MB33 MBlead

Platform

SpecApple - M3 MaxIntel - Core i7-14700K
SocketSolderedLGA1700
TDP60 Wlead125 W
Integrated graphicstruetrue
DDR5truetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M3 MaxIntel - Core i7-14700K
Cinebench R23 (multi)2680035200lead
Cinebench R23 (single)21002120lead
Reader questions

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