Apple M4 vs Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M4 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
Apple M4 Intel Core Ultra 9 185H

CPU comparison

Apple M4 or Intel Core Ultra 9 185H - 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 4.41 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 9 185H has 16 cores with 22 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.10 GHz. The CPU supports up to 96 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H was released in Q4/2023.
Apple M series (30) Family Intel Core Ultra 9 (5)
Apple M4 (7) CPU group Intel Core Ultra 100H (5)
4 Generation 1
M4 Architecture Meteor Lake H
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 0.70 GHz (4.41 GHz). The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H has 16 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 2.30 GHz (5.10 GHz).

Apple M4 Characteristic Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
9 Cores 16
9 Threads 22
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
0.70 GHz (4.41 GHz)
3x Donan P-Core
A-Core 2.30 GHz (5.10 GHz)
6x Redwood Cove
0.74 GHz (2.85 GHz)
6x Donan E-Core
B-Core 1.80 GHz (3.80 GHz)
8x Crestmont
-- C-Core 1.00 GHz (2.50 GHz)
2x Crestmont

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 9 185H
Apple Neural Engine AI hardware Intel® AI Boost
16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS AI specifications Intel AI Boost @ 1.4 GHz (OpenVINO, WindowsML, DirectML, ONNX RT)
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU 34 TOPS

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 Iris Xe 8 Core Graphics 128 EUs (Meteor Lake)
0.39 GHz GPU frequency 0.60 GHz
1.68 GHz GPU (Turbo) 2.35 GHz
-- GPU Generation --
3 nm Technology 5 nm
2 Max. displays 4
160 Compute units 128
1280 Shader 1024
Yes Hardware Raytracing Yes
No Frame Generation No
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 Iris Xe 8 Core Graphics 128 EUs (Meteor Lake)
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 9 185H can connect up to 96 GB of memory in 2 memory channels.

Apple M4 Characteristic Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
LPDDR5X-7500 Memory LPDDR5X-7500, DDR5-5600
8 GB Max. Memory 96 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
120.0 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 120.0 GB/s
No ECC No
20.00 MB L2 Cache 18.00 MB
-- L3 Cache 24.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version 5.0
-- PCIe lanes 20
-- PCIe Bandwidth 78.8 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 9 185H is 45 W.

Apple M4 Characteristic Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
20 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
-- TDP (PL2) 115 W
-- TDP up 65 W
15 W TDP down 35 W
100 °C Tjunction max. 110 °C

Technical details

The Apple M4 has a 20.00 MB cache, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H cache has a total of 42.00 MB.

Apple M4 Characteristic Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
3 nm Technology 7 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
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 2049
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 Q4/2023
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple M4 to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.2 stars (366 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.0 stars (252 ratings). Rate now:

Average performance in benchmarks

Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Apple M4 (100%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (71%)
Multi core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Apple M4 (83%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (96%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.41 GHz
175 (100%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 5.10 GHz
109 (62%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.41 GHz
860 (80%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 5.10 GHz
1070 (100%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.41 GHz
2281 (100%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 5.10 GHz
1849 (81%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
11575 (69%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 4.50 GHz
16750 (100%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.41 GHz
3767 (100%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 5.10 GHz
2522 (67%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
13292 (100%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 4.50 GHz
11274 (85%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.41 GHz
2491 (100%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 5.10 GHz
1862 (75%)

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
Apple M4 (10 Core) @ 1.68 GHz
4260 (91%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
Intel Iris Xe 8 Core Graphics 128 EUs (Meteor Lake) @ 2.35 GHz
4658 (100%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
22270 (82%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 4.50 GHz
27215 (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 Apple M4
11,575 CB R23 MC @ 20 W
579 (100%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16,750 CB R23 MC @ 45 W
372 (64%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 4.50 GHz
13430 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 4.41 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 5.10 GHz
767 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
Apple M4 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 2.30 GHz
8097 (100%)

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 Apple M4
9C 9T @ 0.70 GHz
38 (100%)
Intel Core Ultra 9 185H Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
16C 22T @ 2.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

Apple M4 Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
Apple iPad Pro 11 (2024) ASUS Zenbook Duo (2024) UX8406

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