Intel Core i9-10900K vs Apple M3 Ultra
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We compared two CPUs: the Intel Core i9-10900K vs Apple M3 Ultra. The Intel Core i9-10900K features 10 cores and 20 threads with a maximum clock speed of 5.3 GHz, while the Apple M3 Ultra has 32 cores and 32 threads with a maximum clock speed of N/A. Let's see which CPU performs better in terms of benchmarks and specifications.
Why Intel Core i9-10900K is better than Apple M3 Ultra
- Lower power consumption (125W vs 140 W)
- Unlocked multiplier for overclocking
Why Apple M3 Ultra is better than Intel Core i9-10900K
- 220% more cores (32 cores vs 10 cores)
- Uses newer LPDDR5 memory compared to older DDR4
- Released about 4 years and 10 months later
- More advanced 3nm manufacturing process (vs 14nm)
- 1688% higher memory bandwidth (819 GB/s vs 45.8 GB/s)
- Geekbench 6 shows 56% faster single-core and 60% faster multi-core performance
Performance Scores
Single-Core Score
Intel Core i9-10900K
49
Apple M3 Ultra
90
Multi-Core Score
Intel Core i9-10900K
44
Apple M3 Ultra
99
Total Score
Intel Core i9-10900K
46
Apple M3 Ultra
95
Geekbench 6
Single-Core
Apple M3 Ultra +127%
Intel Core i9-10900K
1,422
Apple M3 Ultra
3,233
Multi-Core
Apple M3 Ultra +149%
Intel Core i9-10900K
11,318
Apple M3 Ultra
28,195
| Single-Core | 1,422 | 3,233 |
| Multi-Core | 11,318 | 28,195 |
Intel Core i9-10900K
vs
Apple M3 Ultra
General Info
| Manufacturer | Intel | Apple |
| Launch Date | Q2 2020 | March 5, 2025 |
| Generation | 10th Gen | Apple M3 family |
| Codename | Comet Lake-S | Apple M3 |
| Type | Desktop | Desktop |
| Class | High-end | High-end |
| Unlocked Multiplier | Yes | No |
| Architecture | Comet Lake | - |
| Lithography | 14nm | 3 nm |
CPU
| Total Cores | 10 | 32 |
| Total Threads | 20 | 32 |
| Performance Cores | - | 24 |
| Performance Threads | - | 24 |
| Efficient Cores | - | 8 |
| Efficient Threads | - | 8 |
| P-Core Base Frequency | 3.7 GHz | 4.05 GHz |
| P-Core Max Turbo Frequency | 5.3 GHz | - |
| E-Core Base Frequency | - | 2.75 GHz |
| L1 Cache | 32 KB per core | 192KB (Per core) |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB per core | 64 MB (shared) |
| L3 Cache | 20 MB | - |
Memory
| Memory Type | DDR4-2933 | LPDDR5-6400 |
| Max Memory Size | 128 GB | 512 GB unified memory |
| Max Bandwidth | 45.8 GB/s | 819 GB/s |
| Memory Channels | 2 | 8 |
| ECC Support | No | No |
GPU
| Integrated GPU | Intel UHD Graphics 630 | Apple M3 Ultra GPU (80-core) |
| GPU Base Frequency | 350 MHz | - |
| GPU Max Frequency | 1.2 GHz | - |
| Max Resolution HDMI | 4096x2160 @ 30Hz | 8K @ 60Hz & 4K @ 240Hz |
| Max Resolution DP | 4096x2304 @ 60Hz | 8K @ 60 Hz & 4K @ 240Hz |
| 4K Support | true | true |
Power & I/O
| Socket | FC-LGA1200 | Apple M-Socket |
| PCIe Version | 3.0 | - |
| PCIe Lanes | 16 | - |
| Base TDP (PL1) | 125W | 140 W |
| Max Temperature | 100°C | 100 °C |
| Instruction Set | x86-64 | ARMv8 (64-bit) |