M5 Max With 18-Core CPU Gets Small 10% Performance Boost Over M4 Max In New Benchmark Leaks, Most Impressive Achievement Is Beating 32-Core M3 Ultra

The new Fusion architecture allows Apple to cram more CPU cores into the M5 Max, with the high-end configuration boasting six super-performance cores and 12 performance cores to deliver incredible multi-core performance. However, in the latest single-threaded and multi-threaded benchmark leaks, the SoC gets almost negligible improvements over the M4 Max. While this is disappointing to learn, there is a silver lining, as the M5 Max beats the workstation-class M3 Ultra in the same comparison, making it the most astonishing feat ever.

While there are a lot of performance cores on the M3 Ultra, Apple’s latest M5 Max outperforms it by almost 4 percent with almost half the number of cores.

In Geekbench 6, a trio of single-core and multi-core benchmark comparisons have been published, and at the center of these results is none other than the M5 Max. The scores of all three Apple Silicones are given below, with the 16-core M4 Max only slightly slower than its successor. The lack of disparity in results may discourage buyers from upgrading to a newer Mac, as they may feel betrayed by not seeing a big difference from Apple’s latest M5 Max.

However, after seeing how Apple’s latest and greatest chipset performs against the M3 Ultra, customers may change their minds. In single-core results, the M5 Max was 31.4 percent faster, which isn’t surprising given the difference in clock speeds, but the multi-core scores caught us off guard. Despite using an 18-core CPU compared to the M3 Ultra’s 32-core configuration, the M5 Max outperforms Apple’s high-end silicon, thereby claiming the crown of the tech giant’s fastest multi-core chipset ever.

M5 Max (18-core CPU)

• Single core score – 4.268
• Multi-core score – 29,233

M4 Max (16 core CPU)

• Single-core score – 4,049 (M5 Max 5.4 percent faster)
• Multi-core score – 26,509 (M5 Max 10.3 percent faster)

M3 Ultra (32-core CPU)

• Single-core score – 3,247 (M5 Max 31.4 percent faster)
• Multi-core score – 28,169 (M5 Max 3.8 percent faster)

Switching to TSMC’s 2.5D chiplet design allows Apple to break the ceiling of 16-core CPUs, as the top-tier ‘Max’ variants are limited to this configuration, thanks to sticking with the older packaging. With the M5 Max now sporting an 18-core CPU, we’re excited to see how it performs against rivals like the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and members of the x86 CPU lineup. We’ll have those comparisons up soon, so stay tuned for more updates.

News Source: Geekbench 6

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