Home / CPU Comparison / Apple M5 Max (40-core GPU) or Intel Pentium 997: What's better?

Apple M5 Max (40-core GPU)

vs

Intel Pentium 997

CPU Comparison Result

Below are the results of a comparison of Apple M5 Max (40-core GPU) and Intel Pentium 997 processors based on key performance characteristics, as well as power consumption and much more.

Advantages

Apple M5 Max (40-core GPU)

More Total Cores: 18 (18 vs 2)
Higher Technology: Third-generation 3 nm (Third-generation 3 nm vs 32 nm)
Higher Memory Type: LPDDR5X unified memory (LPDDR5X unified memory vs DDR3 1066/1333)
Newer Launch Date: March 2026 (March 2026 vs July 2012)

Basic

Apple

Label Name

Intel

March 2026

Launch Date

July 2012

Laptop

Platform

Mobile

Apple custom ARM architecture

CPU Architecture

Apple M5 Max

CPU Name

Apple M5 Max 40-Core GPU

Model Name

997

Code Name

Sandy Bridge

TSMC N3P

Foundry

M5 Max

Generation

CPU Specifications

Apple Fusion Architecture

Interconnect Technology

4.38 GHz

Performance-core Multi-Core Max Frequency

4.61 GHz

Super-core Max Frequency

Total Cores

Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).

Total Threads

Performance-cores

Super-cores

Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)

Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

4.61 GHz

Max Turbo Frequency

Instruction Set Extensions

Intel® SSE4.1 | Intel® SSE4.2

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology

Yes

Intel Hyper-Threading Technology

Intel Turbo Boost Technology

CPU Socket

The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.

FCBGA1023

Intel AES New Instructions

Third-generation 3 nm

Technology

Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.

32 nm

Max. Operating Temperature

Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.

100C

PCI Express Version

PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.

2.0

Max Number of PCI Express Lanes

A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. Max # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number of supported lanes.

Instruction Set

An instruction set architecture (ISA) defines the instructions a processor can execute. Common architectures include x86-64, ARM and RISC-V. The ISA determines software compatibility, while optional instruction extensions add specialized capabilities.

64-bit

Intel 64

Yes

PCI Express Configurations

PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link to PCIe devices.

1x16 | 2x8 | 1x8 2x4

Memory Specifications

LPDDR5X unified memory

Memory Type

DDR3 1066/1333

128 GB

Max Memory Size

Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.

16 GB

Memory Channels

The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.

614 GB/s

Max Memory Bandwidth

Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).

21.3 GB/s

9600 MT/s

Maximum Memory Speed

ECC Memory Support

ECC Memory Supported indicates processor support for Error-Correcting Code memory. ECC memory is a type of system memory that can detect and correct common kinds of internal data corruption. Note that ECC memory support requires both processor and chipset support.

Intel Flex Memory Access

Yes

GPU Specifications

Thunderbolt / DisplayPort 2.1 over USB-C; HDMI

External Display Standard

Apple M5 Max 40-core GPU

GPU Name

Intel® HD Graphics for 2nd Generation Intel® Processors

Supported

Hardware-accelerated ray tracing

Up to four external displays: four displays up to 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 144Hz; or two displays up to 8K at 60Hz, 5K at 120Hz or 4K at 240Hz

Max External Display Resolution

H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW, AV1; hardware-accelerated; frame rate not disclosed

Video Decode

H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW; hardware-accelerated; frame rate not disclosed

Video Encode

Graphics Base Frequency

Graphics Base frequency refers to the rated/guaranteed graphics render clock frequency in MHz.

350 MHz

Graphics Core Count

Graphics Frequency

1.00 GHz

Up to 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 240Hz

Max Resolution

Number of Displays Supported

Metal

GPU APIs

Graphics Output

Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.

eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT

Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; AV1 decode

Media Engine

Intel Clear Video HD Technology

Video Decode Engines

Video Encode Engines

ProRes Encode/Decode Engines

Intel InTru 3D Technology

Intel Quick Sync Video

AI Specifications

Apple Neural Engine with Neural Accelerators in GPU cores

AI Engine

Neural Engine Core Count

16-core Neural Engine

NPU Name

Connectivity

Supported

Bluetooth Support

Bluetooth Version

Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)

Wi-Fi Standard

Apple N1 wireless networking chip

Wireless System

Interfaces and Ports

Thunderbolt 5

Thunderbolt Support

USB 4 up to 120Gb/s

USB Version

Supported

USB4 Support

Miscellaneous

Memory Integrity Enforcement

Runtime Anti-Exploitation

Execute Disable Bit

Execute Disable Bit is a hardware-based security feature that can reduce exposure to viruses and malicious-code attacks and prevent harmful software from executing and propagating on the server or network.

Yes