Home / CPU Comparison / Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus or Apple M4 Pro 12 Cores: What's better?

Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus

vs

Apple M4 Pro 12 Cores

CPU Comparison Result

Below are the results of a comparison of Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and Apple M4 Pro 12 Cores processors based on key performance characteristics, as well as power consumption and much more.

Advantages

Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus

More Total Cores: 24 (24 vs 12)
Higher Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency: 5.4 GHz (5.4 GHz vs 4.51 GHz)
Newer Launch Date: January 2026 (January 2026 vs October 2024)

Basic

Intel

Label Name

Apple

January 2026

Launch Date

October 2024

Laptop

Platform

Laptop

CPU Architecture

Apple custom ARM architecture

CPU Name

Apple M4 Pro

290HX

Model Name

The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.

Apple M4 Pro 12-Core

Arrow Lake

Code Name

Intel

Foundry

TSMC

Ultra 9 (Arrow Lake)

Generation

M4 Pro

CPU Specifications

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

Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.

Performance-cores

Efficient-cores

Max Turbo Frequency

Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.

4.51 GHz

2.7 GHz

Performance-core Base Frequency

2.1 GHz

Efficient-core Base Frequency

Efficient-core Max Turbo Frequency

Maximum E-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

2.59 GHz

5.4 GHz

Performance-core Max Turbo Frequency

Maximum P-core turbo frequency derived from Intel® Turbo Boost Technology.

4.51 GHz

112 K per core

L1 Cache

2 MB per core

L2 Cache

36 MB shared

L3 Cache

100 MHz

Bus Frequency

FCBGA-2114

CPU Socket

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

Multiplier

Yes

Unlocked Multiplier

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.

Second-generation 3 nm

TDP

105 °C

Max. Operating Temperature

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

5.0

PCIe Version

PCI Express is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard used for connecting high-speed components, replacing older standards such as AGP, PCI, and PCI-X. It has gone through multiple revisions and improvements since its initial release. PCIe 1.0 was first introduced in 2002, and in order to meet the growing demand for higher bandwidth, subsequent versions have been released over time.

x86-64

Instruction Set

The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.

Memory Specifications

DDR5-6400

Memory Type

Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.

LPDDR5X unified memory

192 GB

Max Memory Size

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

48 GB

Memory Channels

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

102.4 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).

273 GB/s

Maximum Memory Speed

8533 MT/s

Yes

ECC Memory Support

GPU Specifications

External Display Standard

Thunderbolt / DisplayPort 2.1 over USB-C; HDMI

GPU APIs

Metal

GPU Name

Apple M4 Pro 16-core GPU

Hardware-accelerated ray tracing

Supported

Max External Display Resolution

Up to three external displays: three 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI; or two external displays with one 6K at 60Hz and one 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 240Hz

Media Engine

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

ProRes Encode/Decode Engines

Video Decode

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

Video Decode Engines

Video Encode

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

Video Encode Engines

true

Integrated Graphics Model

An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.

300 MHz

GPU Base Frequency

2000 MHz

GPU Max Dynamic Frequency

Graphics Core Count

Execution Units

The Execution Unit is the foundational building block of Intel’s graphics architecture. Execution Units are compute processors optimized for simultaneous Multi-Threading for high throughput compute power.

Max Resolution

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