Apple M1 vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision after reading the full tests Apple M1 vs AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and see which is better for games or normal use for video editing, rendering, programming, machine learning, streaming. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as AIDA64, Furmark, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, Prime95, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, MATLAB, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, RealBench, WPrime, SuperPi, Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, Gears 5, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, PCMark 10.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare
Valorant
DOOM: Eternal
Last Man Standing
Valheim
Rainbow Six Siege
Overwatch
Halo Infinite
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Watch Dogs Legion
Red Dead Redemption 2
Fortnite
Grand Theft Auto V
Borderlands 3
Apex Legends
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Cyberpunk 2077
Fallout 76
Death Stranding

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 2600 or Apple M1.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

56%

Ryzen 5 2600

54%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 is 3% better than Ryzen 5 2600. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

54%

Ryzen 5 2600

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, League of Legends (LOL), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, Ghostrunner, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, Control.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.8	94.8
Valorant	108.9	107.8
Cyberpunk 2077	61.0	60.4
Apex Legends	102.4	101.3
Call of Duty Warzone	81.7	80.8
Overwatch	88.2	87.3
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.1	74.4
DOOM Eternal	54.5	53.9
Warzone	84.9	84.1
Assassin's Creed	91.5	90.5
Valheim	90.4	89.5

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

388%

Ryzen 5 2600

56%

To make a final decision on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 2600 since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. You need to buy a cooler that has the TDP data specified in the specification was greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode are unused.

Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	209	164
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1163	1310
Cinbench 20 Single-core	402	374
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1987	2736
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1512	1024
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7782	7220

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	3413	2280
Multi-Core	22028	13255

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Single-Core	1746	1104
Multi-Core	7683	6712

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	April 19, 2018
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M1	AM4
Core name	4x Firestorm;4x Icestorm	Pinnacle Ridge
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen+
Generation	1	2
Turbo Frequency		3.9 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	16	12
Bus rate		4 Ã— 8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	16000 millions	3600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR4 - Up to 4266MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	4266	2933
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	2MB	576KB
L2 cache	16MB	3MB
L3 cache		16MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1102	YD2600BBM6IAF YD2600BBAFBOX YD2600BBAFMPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 2600 is 5% better than M1 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 2600. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 is better: 26
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is better: 10
However, it should be realized that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M1 and AMD Ryzen 5 2600 before deciding which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

• Apple M1 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600 specs and review.