Apple M1 Max vs AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Max vs AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, machine learning, rendering, streaming. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, SuperPi, AIDA64, Furmark, Blender, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, PassMark, UserBenchmark, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Apple M1 Max.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Max

60%

Ryzen 7 3700X

56%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Max is 6% better than Ryzen 7 3700X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

Ryzen 7 3700X

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low 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: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Ghostrunner, Hitman 3, DOTA 2A, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Monster Hunter World, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Microsoft Flight Simulator, League of Legends (LOL), Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx, NBA 2K20, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	97.2
Valorant	115.1	110.5
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	61.9
Apex Legends	108.2	103.8
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	82.8
Overwatch	93.2	89.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	76.2
DOOM Eternal	57.6	55.2
Warzone	89.8	86.2
Assassin's Creed	96.7	92.8
Valheim	95.5	91.7

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. So 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

M1 Max

332%

Ryzen 7 3700X

68%

To make a finishing resolution 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 Max is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 7 3700X since it has less power consumption: 18W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account 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 use only one core to run, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	204
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	2114
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	4834
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1294
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	12355

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Single-Core	5344	2716
Multi-Core	34572	22880

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Single-Core	1793	1339
Multi-Core	13028	9023

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. 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. It turns out that there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	July 07, 2019
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	AM4
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Matisse
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	1	3
Turbo Frequency		4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	10	8
Threads	10	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	4600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	512KB
L2 cache	24MB	4MB
L3 cache	48MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1105	100-000000071 100-100000071BOX 100-100000071MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 7 3700X is 11% better than M1 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Max has 2 more core than Ryzen 7 3700X. 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 Max is better: 27
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is better: 10
All the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M1 Max and AMD Ryzen 7 3700X before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M1 Max - all data

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

• Apple M1 Max specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X specs and review.