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Head-to-head

Apple - M5 vs Intel - Core Ultra 9 285H

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M5APPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M5
46.0/ 100D
Cores47· 40%
Benchmarks45· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Core Ultra 9 285HINTELRENDER
Probe B
Intel
Core Ultra 9 285H
51.2/ 100D
Cores53· 40%
Benchmarks50· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M5 and Core Ultra 9 285H, the M5 comes out ahead in tdp, while the Core Ultra 9 285H wins on cores and cinebench r23 (multi). Overall, the M5 scores 46 and the Core Ultra 9 285H scores 51.2 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The Core Ultra 9 285H edges ahead on the Mars Score (46 vs 51.2), but the 5.2-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.

Pick the M5 if you care most about tdp. The biggest gaps in its favor are tdp.

Pick the Core Ultra 9 285H 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 cores, cinebench r23 (multi), l3 cache, among others.

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

Bottom line: the Core Ultra 9 285H is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.

Why Apple - M5 wins

  • ▲TDP — 23.00 W less. 22 vs 45.

Why Intel - Core Ultra 9 285H wins

  • ▲Cores — 60.00% more. 16 vs 10.
  • ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 37.82% more. 21500 vs 15600.
  • ▲L3 cache — 20.00% more. 24 MB vs 20 MB.
  • ▲Boost clock — 17.39% more. 5.4 GHz vs 4.6 GHz.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M5Intel - Core Ultra 9 285H
Coresⓘ1016lead
Threadsⓘ1016lead
Base clockⓘ0 GHz2.9 GHzlead
Boost clockⓘ4.6 GHz5.4 GHzlead
L3 cacheⓘ20 MB24 MBlead

Platform

SpecApple - M5Intel - Core Ultra 9 285H
SocketⓘSolderedBGA
TDPⓘ22 Wlead45 W
Integrated graphicsⓘtruetrue
DDR5ⓘtruetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M5Intel - Core Ultra 9 285H
Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ1560021500lead
Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ2150lead2050
Reader questions

Frequently asked

Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

Cores→Threads→Base clock→Boost clock→L3 cache→Socket→TDP→Integrated graphics→DDR5→Cinebench R23 (multi)→Cinebench R23 (single)→
By manufacturer

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