AMD Ryzen 9 5600X vs Apple M1 Ultra

Processor comparisons 05-02-2023

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests AMD Ryzen 9 5600X vs Apple M1 Ultra and understand which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, streaming, rendering, video editing. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or different 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 joint testing in synthetic type tests like Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, SuperPi, RealBench, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, 7zip, Prime95, UserBenchmark, Furmark, WPrime, Blender, PassMark, 3DMark, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), VeraCrypt.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming Apple M1 Ultra or AMD Ryzen 9 5600X.

Summary benchmark results

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

Ryzen 9 5600X

58%

M1 Ultra

68%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Ultra is 14% better than Ryzen 9 5600X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Ryzen 9 5600X

55%

M1 Ultra

64%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, 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: Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, DOTA 2A, Control, Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Monster Hunter World, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.8	113.1
Valorant	111.2	128.6
Cyberpunk 2077	62.3	72.0
Apex Legends	104.5	120.8
Call of Duty Warzone	83.4	96.4
Overwatch	90.1	104.1
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.7	88.7
DOOM Eternal	55.6	64.3
Warzone	86.7	100.3
Assassin's Creed	93.4	108.0
Valheim	92.3	106.7

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 comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. Therefore, the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. You will get more accurate information about how powerful the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Ryzen 9 5600X

89%

M1 Ultra

272%

To make a final choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 Ultra is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 5600X as it consumes less power: 65W vs. 20W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor turns on 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 check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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 9 5600X	Apple M1 Ultra
Cinbench 15 Single-core	187	555
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2569	3252
Cinbench 20 Single-core	444	1103
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5905	5583
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1131	4240
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	15257	21959

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 5600X	Apple M1 Ultra
Single-Core	2421	9611
Multi-Core	27495	62194

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

	AMD Ryzen 9 5600X	Apple M1 Ultra
Single-Core	1747	1637
Multi-Core	9641	24642

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. 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, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	AMD Ryzen 9 5600X	Apple M1 Ultra
Announcement date	November 05, 2020	April 09, 2022
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	AM4	M1
Core name	Vermeer	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm
Architecture	Zen 3	hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Generation	4	1
Turbo Frequency	4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.7 MHz	3.2 MHz
Cores	6	20
Threads	12	20
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	7 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	9400 millions	114000 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	65 W	20 W
Memory type	DDR4	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz
Max. Memory		128 Gb
Memory Frequency	3200	6400
Memory bandwidth		818 GByte/s
L1 cache		4MB
L2 cache	3MB	48MB
L3 cache	32MB	96MB
Overclocking	Yes	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	100-000000065 100-100000065BOX 100-100000065MPK	APL1W06

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 5600X is 13% better than M1 Ultra in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 14 more core than Ryzen 9 5600X. 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 9 5600X is better: 6
The number of parameters for which Apple M1 Ultra is better: 31
Although it should be realized that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought AMD Ryzen 9 5600X and Apple M1 Ultra before deciding which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

AMD Ryzen 9 5600X - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 9 5600X specs and review.

Apple M1 Ultra - all data

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

• Apple M1 Ultra specs and review.