Apple M2 Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
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Apple M2 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

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The Apple M2, M2 architecture, is an SoC developed by Apple for its ecosystem (MacBooks, Mac Mini), focused on energy efficiency and system integration.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, architecture name Arrow Lake H, is a powerful Intel processor for demanding laptops and workstations, designed for high computing performance in the Windows environment.

The Apple M2 is manufactured using a 5 nm fabrication process and features performance and efficiency cores as well as 20 MB of Level 2 Cache. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is manufactured using a 3 nm process and utilizes a hybrid architecture with multiple performance and efficiency cores, complemented by 6 MB of Level 2 and 24 MB of Level 3 Cache, indicating optimized data processing.

In terms of performance, the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H offers comparable single-core performance to the Apple M2, but significantly surpasses it in multi-core applications. For gaming scenarios, the integrated Intel Arc 140T graphics unit of the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is superior to the Apple M2 (10 Core) graphics unit, as the Arc architecture is optimized for higher graphics performance.

The Apple M2 is known for its outstanding energy efficiency, contributing to longer battery life and lower heat generation. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H, as a high-performance chip, tends to have higher power consumption under load, but offers higher peak performance in return.

A direct price evaluation is difficult as both CPUs are sold as integral components of complete systems. In summary, the Apple M2 offers an excellent balance of performance and efficiency, ideal for users within the Apple ecosystem. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is the better choice for users seeking highest multi-core performance, better gaming capabilities from integrated graphics, and Windows flexibility.

Apple M2

  • High energy efficiency
  • Strong system integration in the Apple ecosystem
  • Low heat generation

Intel Core Ultra 7 255H

  • Excellent multi-core performance
  • Better integrated graphics gaming performance
  • Flexibility in the Windows ecosystem
  • Optimized data processing through L3 Cache

Performance Overview
Average performance across multiple benchmarks

Single-core performance
Rank 2 - 94 %
Apple M2
Rank 1 - 100 %
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Multi-core performance
Rank 2 - 61 %
Apple M2
Rank 1 - 100 %
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Cinebench 2026 Single-Thread

Cinebench 2026 Single-Thread
Single-core performance

Apple M2
Apple M2 95 %
8C / 8T · 3.50 GHz
470 pts
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
16C / 16T · 5.10 GHz
495 pts
Cinebench 2026 Multi-Core

Cinebench 2026 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple M2
Apple M2 81 %
8C / 8T · 3.50 GHz
2,316 pts
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
16C / 16T · 5.10 GHz
2,861 pts
Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 Single-Core
Single-core performance

Apple M2
Apple M2 94 %
8C / 8T · 3.50 GHz
2,596
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
16C / 16T · 5.10 GHz
2,761
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core
Multi-core performance

Apple M2
Apple M2 70 %
8C / 8T · 3.50 GHz
10,062
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
16C / 16T · 2.00 GHz
14,339
iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

Apple M2
Apple M2 65 %
Apple M2 (10 Core)
3,550
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Intel Arc 140T
5,458

More benchmarks

At a glance

Wischen
Apple M2Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
FamilyApple M series (38)Intel Core Ultra 7 (31)
CPU groupApple M2 (8)Intel Core Ultra 200H (5)
ArchitectureM2Arrow Lake H
Technology5 nm3 nm
SegmentNotebookNotebook
SocketBGA 2049
PredecessorApple M1Intel Core Ultra 7 155H
SuccessorApple M3Intel Core Ultra X7 358H

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

Wischen
Apple M2Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
CPU Cores / Threads8 / 816 / 16
Hyperthreading / SMT
Core architecturehybrid (big.LITTLE)hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Core Cluster 1: 4x Avalanche
0.66 - 3.50 GHz
6x Lion Cove
2.00 - 5.10 GHz
Core Cluster 2: 4x Blizzard
0.60 - 2.42 GHz
8x Skymont
1.50 - 4.40 GHz
Core Cluster 3: 2x Crestmont
0.70 - 2.50 GHz
L2-Cache20.00 MB6.00 MB
L3-Cache24.00 MB
Overclocking

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Wischen
Apple M2Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
GPU nameApple M2 (10 Core)Intel Arc 140T
GPU frequency0.45 - 1.40 GHz0.60 - 2.25 GHz
CUs / Shader160 / 128064 / 1024
Raytracing
Max. displays23
Max. GPU Memory24 GB32 GB
Technology5 nm5 nm
Release dateQ2/2022Q1/2025

NPU AI performance

Wischen
Apple M2Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
AI hardwareApple Neural EngineIntel® AI Boost
AI specifications16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPSIntel AI Boost (OpenVINO, WindowsML, DirectML, ONNX RT)
NPU + CPU + iGPU96 TOPS

Memory & PCIe

Wischen
Apple M2Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
MemoryLPDDR5-6400 (102.4 GB/s)
LPDDR5X-8400 (134.4 GB/s)
DDR5-6400 (102.4 GB/s)
Max. Memory24 GB128 GB
Memory channels22
ECCNoNo
PCIe4.05.0 x 28
PCIe Bandwidth110.3 GB/s

Thermal Management

Wischen
Apple M2Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
TDP20 W28 W
TDP (PL2)115 W
TDP up30 W
TDP down10 W20 W
T. junction max.100 °C110 °C

Technical details

Wischen
Apple M2Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Chip designMonolithicChiplet
AES-NI
Operating systemsmacOS, iPadOSWindows 11, Linux
Instruction setArmv8.5-A (64 bit)x86-64 (64 bit)
ISA extensionsRosetta 2 x86-EmulationSSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
Release dateQ2/2022Q1/2025
Release price
DocumentsTechnical data sheetTechnical data sheet

Your rating

Here you can rate one or both of the processors. The average rating of Apple M2 is 4.4 stars (743 ratings), while Intel Core Ultra 7 255H has received 3.6 stars (232 ratings).

Click on the stars to rate one or both processors.

Apple M2
Apple M2
8C / 8T · 0.66 - 3.50 GHz
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
Intel Core Ultra 7 255H
16C / 16T · 2.00 - 5.10 GHz

Most popular CPUs in both categories

Apple M2
Apple M2
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