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Apple M3 Ultra
Apple · CPU · M3

Apple M3 Ultra — Benchmarks & Specs

2025

Bottom line: how fast is the Apple M3 Ultra?

At 1440p (Ultra), the Apple M3 Ultra averages 135 fps in Baldur's Gate 3, per Hostbor. For local LLM inference it generates 128.2 tokens/sec running llama3.1:8b at q4_0 under mlx-lm, per Creative Strategies. In Geekbench 6 Metal (GPU) it scores 259,668 points, per MacRumors.

Every figure above is a row in the tables below, and each row links out to the review or public benchmark database the number was taken from. SpecPicks aggregates published measurements; it does not report first-party benchmark runs.

The Apple M3 Ultra is a processor from the M3 family released in 2025 from Apple. Data on this page draws on 10 synthetic benchmark results, 12 community AI inference reports, 6 measured game frame-rate results, aggregated from public benchmark databases (TechPowerUp, PassMark, Geekbench, Cinebench) and the LocalLLaMA community. Read this page when shopping the Apple M3 Ultra, comparing it against other processors in your build, or sizing it for a specific workload (gaming at 1080p/1440p/4K, productivity benchmarks, or local LLM inference).

Gaming Performance (measured FPS)

Average and 1% low frame rates by game, resolution, and quality preset. Bars are scaled against the fastest result on this page.

Measured gaming frame rates for the Apple M3 Ultra by game, resolution, and quality preset. “1% low” is the frame-time floor that determines perceived smoothness. Each row links to its original review or benchmark database.
Game Resolution Settings Relative Avg FPS 1% low Source
Baldur's Gate 3 1440p Ultra 135 fps — Hostbor 2025-03-12
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 1080p Highest 134 fps — Digital Trends 2025-03-11
Cyberpunk 2077 1080p Ultra 117 fps — ComputerBase 2025-08-01
Civilization VI 1080p Ultra 95 fps — Digital Trends 2025-03-11
Cyberpunk 2077 1080p RT Medium RT on 81 fps — ComputerBase 2025-08-01
Cyberpunk 2077 4K High 41 fps — TBreak 2025-07-24

AI Inference Performance

Tokens per second under each model + quantization. Higher = faster generation. Bars compare runs across the same model.

Local LLM inference throughput on the Apple M3 Ultra, in generated tokens per second. Higher is better; each row links to the community report or benchmark database it came from.
Model Quantization Relative Tokens/sec VRAM used Source
llama3.1:8b q4_0 mlx-lm 128.2 tok/s — Creative Strategies 2025-03-11
deepseekr1:32b — ollama 100.0 tok/s — LocalLLaMA 2026-04-18
llama:7b q4_0 llama.cpp 92.1 tok/s — llama.cpp GitHub Discussion #4167 2025-03-15
QwQ:32b q4_0 mlx-lm 33.3 tok/s — Creative Strategies 2025-03-11
gemma3:27b q4_K_M mlx 33.0 tok/s — Medium (Google Cloud Community) 2025-05-27
qwen3:235b — ollama 31.9 tok/s — LocalLLaMA 2026-03-27
qwen3:0.6b Q4 ollama 31.0 tok/s — LocalLLaMA 2026-04-06
deepseek-v4-flash:284b-a13b q4_K_M mlx 30.0 tok/s — LLMCheck 2026-08-01
gemma3:27b q4_K_M ollama 24.0 tok/s — Medium (Google Cloud Community) 2025-05-27
qwen3:235b-a22b q4_K_M mlx 24.0 tok/s 124.0 GB MacStories 2025-05-20
DeepSeek V3-0324 4-bit (MLX) mlx-lm 21.0 tok/s 466.0 GB Hardware Corner 2025-03-28
qwen1:22b bf16 mlx 21.0 tok/s — LocalLLaMA 2026-04-14

Synthetic Benchmarks

Higher is better. Bars are scaled within each benchmark family (multi-thread, single-thread, etc.) so you can compare like-with-like at a glance.

Synthetic benchmark scores for the Apple M3 Ultra — higher is better. Each row links to the public database the number was taken from.
Benchmark Relative Score Source
Geekbench 6 Metal (GPU) 259,668 points MacRumors 2025-03-07
PassMark CPU Mark 72,912 points PassMark Software 2026-06-13
PassMark CPU Mark 72,769 pts PassMark 2026-04-20
Cinebench R23 multi 46,243 points GadgetVersus 2025-03-11
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core 28,417 points Hostbor 2025-03-12
Geekbench 6 multi 28,160 points MacRumors 2025-03-06
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core 27,759 points Geekbench Browser 2025-04-20
Geekbench 6 multi 27,749 points AppleInsider 2025-03-07
Geekbench 6 Multi-Core 27,749 points GSMArena 2025-03-07
PassMark Single Thread 5,054 points PassMark Software 2026-06-13

Full Specifications

cpu cores32
gpu cores80
neural engine tops36
memory bandwidth gbps819
unified memory max gb512

Apple M3 Ultra — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Apple M3 Ultra best used for?
Apple M3 Ultra is a M3-family processor. Use it for mainstream desktops and gaming-focused builds. Check the synthetic benchmark scores below for at-a-glance comparison.
When was the Apple M3 Ultra released, and what was its launch MSRP?
Apple M3 Ultra was released in 2025. MSRP isn't on file; current street prices are visible in the Amazon listings linked below.
Where do the benchmark numbers on this page come from?
Synthetic benchmarks are scraped from public databases (TechPowerUp, PassMark, Geekbench Browser, Cinebench leaderboards). AI inference numbers come from the LocalLLaMA community (Reddit threads, llama.cpp / Ollama discussion logs, and Phoronix when available). Every benchmark row carries an inline source citation — click through to verify the original number.
How does the Apple M3 Ultra compare to its predecessor?
Compare Apple M3 Ultra side-by-side against other processors on the Compare tool below. Synthetic benchmark scores let you place this SKU within its generation; the spec table shows the architectural and process-node differences from one generation to the next.
Where can I buy the Apple M3 Ultra?
Active Amazon listings aren't on file for this exact SKU yet. See the linked benchmark sources and the Compare tool for adjacent parts that may be in stock — and check the /benchmarks index for the latest curated picks in this category.

Buying guides that rank the Apple M3 Ultra's class

This page is the raw performance data. The guides below turn it into a ranked pick for a specific build.

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