Apple M1 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Apple M1 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X tests and see which is better for games or normal use for video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, rendering. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Blender, 7zip, WPrime, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, SuperPi, AIDA64, 3DMark, Prime95, Gears 5, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, RealBench, Blender, UserBenchmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 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 9 3950X

61%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 3950X is 1% better than M1 Max. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Max

57%

Ryzen 9 3950X

58%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	103.7
Valorant	115.1	117.9
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	66.0
Apex Legends	108.2	110.8
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	88.4
Overwatch	93.2	95.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	81.3
DOOM Eternal	57.6	58.9
Warzone	89.8	91.9
Assassin's Creed	96.7	99.0
Valheim	95.5	97.8

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: FullHD, 2K or 4K. So 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Max

332%

Ryzen 9 3950X

40%

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 9 3950X as it consumes less power: 18W vs. 105W. Power consumption is especially 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 programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor uses all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. 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. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	217
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	3897
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	531
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	9148
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1371
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	24050

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	5344	2718
Multi-Core	34572	39170

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	1793	1286
Multi-Core	13028	15407

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 can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even 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 9 3950X
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	October 01, 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		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.5 MHz
Cores	10	16
Threads	10	32
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	105 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	1MB
L2 cache	24MB	8MB
L3 cache	48MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1105	100-000000051 100-100000051WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 3950X is 8% better than M1 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 3950X has 6 more core than M1 Max. 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: 13
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is better: 24
Although it should be understood that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Max and AMD Ryzen 9 3950X before deciding 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 9 3950X specs and review.