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Apple - M4 Ultra vs Apple - M5

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M4 UltraAPPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M4 Ultra
63.1/ 100C
Cores54· 40%
Benchmarks72· 40%
Platform—· 20%
M5APPLERENDER
Probe B
Apple
M5
46.0/ 100D
Cores47· 40%
Benchmarks45· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M4 Ultra and M5, the M4 Ultra comes out ahead in cinebench r23 (multi) and cores, while the M5 wins on tdp and boost clock. Overall, the M4 Ultra scores 63.1 and the M5 scores 46 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The M4 Ultra is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 17.1 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.

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 cinebench r23 (multi), cores, l3 cache.

Pick the M5 if you care most about tdp and boost clock. Its strongest claims are tdp, boost clock.

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

Bottom line: the M4 Ultra is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.

Why Apple - M4 Ultra wins

  • ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 237.18% more. 52600 vs 15600.
  • ▲Cores — 220.00% more. 32 vs 10.
  • ▲L3 cache — 220.00% more. 64 MB vs 20 MB.

Why Apple - M5 wins

  • ▲TDP — 98.00 W less. 22 vs 120.
  • ▲Boost clock — 2.22% more. 4.6 GHz vs 4.5 GHz.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M4 UltraApple - M5
Coresⓘ32lead10
Threadsⓘ32lead10
Base clockⓘ0 GHz0 GHz
Boost clockⓘ4.5 GHz4.6 GHzlead
L3 cacheⓘ64 MBlead20 MB

Platform

SpecApple - M4 UltraApple - M5
SocketⓘSolderedSoldered
TDPⓘ120 W22 Wlead
Integrated graphicsⓘtruetrue
DDR5ⓘtruetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M4 UltraApple - M5
Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ52600lead15600
Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ2290lead2150
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)→
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