Intel Core i9-9960X vs Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


Intel Core i9-9960X CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
Intel Core i9-9960X Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the Intel Core i9-9960X and the Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the Intel Core i9-9960X 16 core processor released in Q4/2018 with the Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) which has 24 CPU cores and was introduced in Q2/2023.
Intel Core i9 (78) Family Apple M series (25)
Intel Core i 9000X (8) CPU group Apple M2 (8)
9 Generation 2
Skylake X Refresh Architecture M2
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
Intel Core i9-7960X Predecessor Apple M1 Ultra (64-GPU)
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i9-9960X is a 16 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.10 GHz (4.50 GHz). The processor can compute 32 threads at the same time. The Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) clocks with 0.66 GHz (3.50 GHz), has 24 CPU cores and can calculate 24 threads in parallel.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
16 Cores 24
32 Threads 24
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Yes Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.10 GHz (4.50 GHz) A-Core 0.66 GHz (3.50 GHz)
16x Avalanche
-- B-Core 0.60 GHz (2.42 GHz)
8x Blizzard

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
-- AI specifications 32 Neural cores @ 31.6 TOPS

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

no iGPU GPU Apple M2 Ultra (76 Core)
GPU frequency 0.45 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.40 GHz
-- GPU Generation 2
Technology 5 nm
Max. displays 8
-- Compute units 1216
-- Shader 9728
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 192 GB
-- DirectX Version --

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.

no iGPU GPU Apple M2 Ultra (76 Core)
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
No Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

Up to 128 GB of memory in a maximum of 4 memory channels is supported by the Intel Core i9-9960X, while the Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) supports a maximum of 192 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 819.1 GB/s enabled.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
DDR4-2666 Memory LPDDR5-6400
128 GB Max. Memory 192 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 8 (Octa Channel)
85.4 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 819.1 GB/s
No ECC No
-- L2 Cache 72.00 MB
22.00 MB L3 Cache --
3.0 PCIe version 4.0
44 PCIe lanes 64
43.3 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth 126.0 GB/s

Thermal Management

The Intel Core i9-9960X has a TDP of 165 W. The TDP of the Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) is 80 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
165 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 80 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
92 °C Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The Intel Core i9-9960X has 22.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 14 nm. The cache of Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) is at 72.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 5 nm.

Intel Core i9-9960X Characteristic Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
14 nm Technology 5 nm
Monolithic Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX-512 ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
LGA 2066 Socket --
VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems macOS, iPadOS
Q4/2018 Release date Q2/2023
1684 $ Release price --
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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-9960X (58%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
Intel Core i9-9960X (55%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) (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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
1174 (61%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
1940 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
14314 (51%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
27860 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
1459 (54%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
2689 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
11020 (51%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
21450 (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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
30355 (63%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
48560 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
126 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
1918 (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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
1695 (100%)

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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
28570 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
457 (100%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
6671 (100%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
Apple M2 Ultra (76 Core) @ 1.40 GHz
26980 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
104.3 (100%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.50 GHz
200 (100%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 4.10 GHz
2872 (100%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 3.50 GHz
0 (0%)

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.
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
3.10 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
28,570 CB R23 MC @ 80 W
357 (100%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

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).
Intel Core i9-9960X Intel Core i9-9960X
16C 32T @ 3.10 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU) Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
24C 24T @ 0.66 GHz
31.6 (100%)

Devices using this processor

Intel Core i9-9960X Apple M2 Ultra (76-GPU)
Unknown Unknown

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