Apple M4 vs Intel Core Ultra 5 226V


Apple M4		Intel Core Ultra 5 226V
CPU comparison Apple M4 or Intel Core Ultra 5 226V - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results. The Apple M4 has 9 cores with 9 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.46 GHz. Up to 8 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Apple M4 was released in Q2/2024. The Intel Core Ultra 5 226V has 8 cores with 8 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.50 GHz. The CPU supports up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core Ultra 5 226V was released in Q3/2024.

Apple M series (30)	Family	Intel Core Ultra 5 (27)
Apple M4 (7)	CPU group	Intel Core Ultra 200V (9)
4	Generation	2
M4	Architecture	Lunar Lake
Notebook	Segment	Notebook
Apple M3	Predecessor	--
--	Successor	--

CPU Cores and Base Frequency The Apple M4 is a 9 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.91 GHz (4.46 GHz). The Intel Core Ultra 5 226V has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 2.20 GHz (4.50 GHz).
Apple M4	Characteristic	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V
9	Cores	8
9	Threads	8
hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Core architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No	Hyperthreading	No
No	Overclocking ?	No
0.91 GHz (4.46 GHz) 3x Donan P-Core	A-Core	2.20 GHz (4.50 GHz) 4x Lion Cove
0.90 GHz (2.85 GHz) 6x Donan E-Core	B-Core	-- (3.50 GHz) 4x Skymont

NPU AI performance The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.
Apple M4	Characteristic	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V
Apple Neural Engine	AI hardware	Intel® AI Boost
16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS	AI specifications	Intel AI Boost NPU 4 @ 40 TOPS
--	NPU + CPU + iGPU	--

Integrated graphics (iGPU) The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.
Apple M4 (10 Core)	GPU	Intel Arc 130V
0.34 GHz	GPU frequency	0.60 GHz
1.58 GHz	GPU (Turbo)	1.85 GHz
--	GPU Generation	--
3 nm	Technology	5 nm
3	Max. displays	3
160	Compute units	56
1280	Shader	896
Yes	Hardware Raytracing	Yes
No	Frame Generation	Intel XeSS
24 GB	Max. GPU Memory	32 GB
--	DirectX Version	12.2

Hardware codec support A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
Apple M4 (10 Core)	GPU	Intel Arc 130V
Decode / Encode	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode	Codec h264	Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode	Codec VP9	Decode
Decode	Codec VP8	Decode
Decode	Codec AV1	Decode / Encode
Decode	Codec AVC	Decode / Encode
Decode	Codec VC-1	Decode
Decode / Encode	Codec JPEG	Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe The Apple M4 supports a maximum of 8 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core Ultra 5 226V can connect up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.
Apple M4	Characteristic	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V
LPDDR5X-7500	Memory	LPDDR5X-8533
8 GB	Max. Memory	16 GB
2 (Dual Channel)	Memory channels	2 (Dual Channel)
120.0 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	136.5 GB/s
No	ECC	No
20.00 MB	L2 Cache	14.00 MB
--	L3 Cache	8.00 MB
4.0	PCIe version	5.0
--	PCIe lanes	8
--	PCIe Bandwidth	31.5 GB/s
Thermal Management The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The Apple M4 has a TDP of 20 W, that of the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V is 17 W.
Apple M4	Characteristic	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V
20 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	17 W
--	TDP (PL2)	37 W
--	TDP up	--
15 W	TDP down	--
100 °C	Tjunction max.	110 °C
Technical details The Apple M4 has a 20.00 MB cache, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V cache has a total of 22.00 MB.

Apple M4	Characteristic	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V
3 nm	Technology	3 nm
Chiplet	Chip design	Monolithic
Armv9-A (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	x86-64 (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation, AVX2, SME	ISA extensions	SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
--	Socket	BGA 2833
Apple Virtualization Framework	Virtualization	VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
Yes	AES-NI	Yes
macOS, iPadOS	Operating systems	Windows 11, Linux
Q2/2024	Release date	Q3/2024
--	Release price	--

show more data		show more data

Apple M4 9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz (4.46 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz (4.50 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!

Rate these processors

Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks

Apple M4 (100%)

Intel Core Ultra 5 226V (70%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks

Apple M4 (100%)

Intel Core Ultra 5 226V (74%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz	175 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 4.50 GHz	113 (65%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz	860 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 4.50 GHz	592 (69%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz	2281 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 4.50 GHz	1746 (77%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz	11575 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz	9041 (78%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a partial load benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. In the single-core test, only the fastest CPU core is measured. The test run simulates the performance in practice.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz	3767 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 4.50 GHz	2585 (69%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

The practical Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests the system's performance under partial load. The processor's maximum power consumption is far from being used up.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz	13292 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz	10053 (76%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.


	Apple M4 Apple M4 (10 Core) @ 1.58 GHz	4260 (82%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V Intel Arc 130V @ 1.85 GHz	5180 (100%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.


	Apple M4 11,575 CB R23 MC @ 18 W	643 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 9,041 CB R23 MC @ 31 W	292 (45%)

AI performance (NPU)

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is given here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher.

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz	38 (95%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz	40 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 4.46 GHz	2491 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 4.50 GHz	0 (0%)

AnTuTu 10 Benchmark

The AnTuTu 10 benchmark is one of the best-known benchmarks for mobile processors, which is now available in version 10. There is a version for Android-based smartphones and tablets, as well as a version for Apple mobile devices, i.e. iPhones and iPads.

The Antutu 10 benchmark has 3 phases. In the first phase, the device's RAM is tested, in phase 2 the graphics are tested and in the final phase the entire device is pushed to its performance limits by rendering 3D graphics.

Antutu 10 is therefore ideal for comparing the performance of different devices.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz	2608620 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz	0 (0%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.


	Apple M4 9C 9T @ 0.91 GHz	22270 (100%)
	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V 8C 8T @ 2.20 GHz	0 (0%)

Devices using this processor
Apple M4	Intel Core Ultra 5 226V
Apple iPad Pro 11 (2024)	Unknown


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Apple M4 vs Intel Core Ultra 5 226V

CPU comparison with benchmarks

CPU comparison

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

NPU AI performance

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

Hardware codec support

Memory & PCIe

Thermal Management

Technical details