Intel Core Ultra 5 225 vs Apple M3

The Apple M3, introduced by Apple as a SoC (System-on-a-Chip) in late 2023, is manufactured using the 3 nm process and targets users within the Apple ecosystem.

It features an architecture of performance and efficiency cores with 20 MB of L2 cache. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, a desktop processor from Intel's Arrow Lake generation, also manufactured using the 3 nm process, offers a hybrid architecture with 26 MB of L2 and 24 MB of L3 cache.

In single-core performance, both processors are comparable. For multi-core tasks, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 shows significantly higher performance in Geekbench 6 and Cinebench 2024, while the Apple M3 performs significantly better in Cinebench R23. For gaming, both offer integrated graphics units: The Apple M3 (10 Core) GPU and the Intel Xe 4 Core Graphics 64 EUs (Arrow Lake).

The Apple M3 GPU delivers very good graphics performance for an integrated solution. The Intel Xe graphics are suitable for casual games, with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 additionally offering PCIe 5.0 for dedicated graphics cards. Both CPUs achieve 102 GB/s memory bandwidth. The Apple M3 is known for its high energy efficiency and low TDP and is sold as an integral part of Apple systems.

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, as a desktop CPU, typically exhibits higher power consumption and TDP but is more flexibly available as a standalone component for custom builds.