Apple
Apple M4 Max
16C CPU · 40C GPU · 16-core Neural Engine
97
/ 100
From $1,299
VS
Apple M4 Max wins by 7
Intel
Core Ultra 9 285K
Arrow Lake · 24C · 5.7 GHz · LGA1851
90
/ 100
From $589
Verdex verdict
Apple M4 Max takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Verdex score, Apple M4 Max lands at 97 and Core Ultra 9 285K at 90. That puts Apple M4 Max ahead by 7 points — a decisive margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Apple M4 Max if…
- ✓Industry-best perf-per-watt
- ✓128 GB unified memory option
- ✓Hardware ray-tracing
Pick Core Ultra 9 285K if…
- ✓Much lower power than 14900K
- ✓Strong productivity
- ✓New LGA1851 platform
Score breakdown
Apple M4 Max
97 single 98
multi 96
gaming 82
efficiency 100
Core Ultra 9 285K
90 single 92
multi 94
gaming 85
efficiency 90
Specs side-by-side
Spec
Apple M4 Max
Core Ultra 9 285K
Cores
16 (12P+4E)
24 (8P+16E)
Threads
16
24
Memory bandwidth
546 GB/s
—
Neural engine
16-core, 38 TOPS
—
Process
TSMC N3E
TSMC N3B
Max memory
128 GB unified
—
Base clock
—
3.7 GHz
Boost clock
—
5.7 GHz
L3 cache
—
36 MB
TDP
—
125 W (PL1) / 250 W (PL2)
Socket
—
LGA1851
iGPU
—
Intel Graphics (Xe-LPG)
Apple M4 Max
Pros
- +Industry-best perf-per-watt
- +128 GB unified memory option
- +Hardware ray-tracing
Cons
- −Apple ecosystem lock-in
- −Not user-replaceable
- −Limited Windows gaming
Core Ultra 9 285K
Pros
- +Much lower power than 14900K
- +Strong productivity
- +New LGA1851 platform
Cons
- −Gaming regresses vs 14900K in some titles
- −No hyper-threading
- −DDR5 only
FAQ: Apple M4 Max vs Core Ultra 9 285K
Which is better, Apple M4 Max or Core Ultra 9 285K? +
Apple M4 Max scores 97 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 7. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Apple M4 Max worth the price? +
At $1,299, Apple M4 Max delivers a Verdex score of 97 — strongest in efficiency.
Is Core Ultra 9 285K worth the price? +
At $589, Core Ultra 9 285K delivers a Verdex score of 90 — strongest in multi.
Does Apple M4 Max or Core Ultra 9 285K last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.