Apple Silicon

M5 Max With 18-Core CPU Obtains A Small 10% Performance Bump Over M4 Max In New Benchmark Leak, Most Impressive Feat Is Beating 32-Core M3 Ultra

wccftech | March 5, 2026, 6:56 p.m. | Original

The new Fusion Architecture allows Apple to cram in more CPU cores in the M5 Max , with its top-end configuration flaunting six super and 12 performance cores to deliver incredible multi-core performance. However, in the latest single-threaded and multi-threaded benchmark leak, the SoC secures an almost negligible improvement over the M4 Max . While this is disappointing to learn, there is a silver lining, as the M5 Max beats the workstation-class M3 Ultra in the same comparison, making it its most astounding feat ever.

On Geekbench 6, a trio of single-core and multi-core benchmark comparisons have been published, with the center of these results being none other than the M5 Max. The scores of all three Apple Silicon are given below, with the 16-core M4 Max being just a tad bit slower than its immediate successor. The lack of disparity in the results may discourage buyers from upgrading to newer Macs, as they may feel betrayed by not witnessing a major difference from Apple’s newest M5 Max.

Then again, after looking at how Apple’s latest and greatest chipset performs against the M3 Ultra, customers might have a change of heart. In the single-core results, the M5 Max is 31.4 percent faster, which isn’t surprising because of the clock speed differences, but the multi-core score caught us off guard. Despite sporting an 18-core CPU compared to the M3 Ultra’s 32-core configuration, the M5 Max gets the better of Apple’s top-end silicon, thereby claiming the crown of the technology giant’s fastest multi-core chipset to ever exist.

  • Single-core score - 4,268
  • Multi-core score - 29,233
  • Single-core score - 4,049 (M5 Max is 5.4 percent faster)
  • Multi-core score - 26,509 (M5 Max is 10.3 percent faster)
  • Single-core score - 3,247 (M5 Max is 31.4 percent faster)
  • Multi-core score - 28,169 (M5 Max is 3.8 percent faster)

M5 Max’s single-core and multi-core results
Not the most impressive comparison
M5 Max is now Apple’s fastest silicon in Geekbench 6’s single-core and multi-core tests

Switching to TSMC’s 2.5D chiplet design allowed Apple to break through the 16-core CPU ceiling, as the top-tier ‘Max’ variants were limited to this configuration, thanks to sticking to an older packaging. With the M5 Max now sporting an 18-core CPU, we’re excited to see how it fares against rivals like the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme and members of the x86 CPU lineup. We will bring forth those comparisons shortly, so stay tuned for more updates.

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