AMD Ryzen 5 3500C vs Apple M1 Pro

Processor comparisons 12-02-2023

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests AMD Ryzen 5 3500C vs Apple M1 Pro and decide which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, programming, machine learning, rendering. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests like WPrime, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, Gears 5, AIDA64, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Dolphin Emulator, RealBench, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Handbrake, MATLAB, PassMark, PCMark 10, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Furmark, UserBenchmark, VeraCrypt, Blender.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming Apple M1 Pro or AMD Ryzen 5 3500C.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 5 3500C

52%

M1 Pro

59%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Pro is 11% better than Ryzen 5 3500C. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 5 3500C

51%

M1 Pro

57%

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 less popular games in which processors were compared: NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Monster Hunter World, DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Half-Life: Alyx, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, League of Legends (LOL).

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	91.1	101.0
Valorant	103.5	114.8
Cyberpunk 2077	58.0	64.3
Apex Legends	97.3	107.9
Call of Duty Warzone	77.7	86.1
Overwatch	83.9	93.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	71.4	79.2
DOOM Eternal	51.8	57.4
Warzone	80.8	89.5
Assassin's Creed	87.0	96.4
Valheim	85.9	95.3

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

Ryzen 5 3500C

195%

M1 Pro

358%

To make a final resolution 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 Pro is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 3500C as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 16W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum efficiency, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can 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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500C	Apple M1 Pro
Cinbench 15 Single-core	140	304
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	614	1716
Cinbench 20 Single-core	356	590
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1468	2936
Cinbench 23 Single-core	867	2233
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	3509	11512

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500C	Apple M1 Pro
Single-Core	1994	5046
Multi-Core	7127	32596

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

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500C	Apple M1 Pro
Single-Core	881	1723
Multi-Core	3057	12737

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 5 3500C	Apple M1 Pro
Announcement date	September 22, 2020	October 07, 2021
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	FP5	M1
Core name	Picasso	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm
Architecture	Zen+	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Generation	2	1
Turbo Frequency	3.7 MHz
Frequency	2.1 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	4	10
Threads	8	10
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	12 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	4200 millions	34000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	16 W
Memory type		LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz
Max. Memory		32 Gb
Memory Frequency	2400	6400
Memory bandwidth		208 GByte/s
L1 cache	384KB	4MB
L2 cache	2MB	24MB
L3 cache	4MB	24MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	YM350CC4T4MFG	APL1103

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M1 Pro is 34% better than Ryzen 5 3500C in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Pro has 6 more core than Ryzen 5 3500C. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3500C is better: 5
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 Pro is better: 31
However, it should be realized that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 5 3500C and Apple M1 Pro before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

AMD Ryzen 5 3500C - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• AMD Ryzen 5 3500C specs and review.

Apple M1 Pro - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Apple M1 Pro specs and review.