Apple M1 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M1 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, video editing, machine learning, rendering, streaming. Here is useful information from several benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software like RealBench, PCMark 10, VeraCrypt, MATLAB, Gears 5, WPrime, Prime95, Blender, UserBenchmark, Furmark, AIDA64, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, SuperPi, 3DMark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 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 5900X

61%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 5900X is 1% better than M1 Max. 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 9 5900X

58%

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 the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World, Hitman 3, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Control, DOTA 2A, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, League of Legends (LOL), Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	102.7
Valorant	115.1	116.7
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	65.3
Apex Legends	108.2	109.7
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	87.5
Overwatch	93.2	94.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	80.5
DOOM Eternal	57.6	58.3
Warzone	89.8	91.0
Assassin's Creed	96.7	98.0
Valheim	95.5	96.8

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 computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Max

332%

Ryzen 9 5900X

51%

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 5900X as it consumes less power: 18W vs. 105W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

For example you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, video rendering or video editing, machine learning, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out 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 can use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 9 5900X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	270
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	3684
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	637
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	8468
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1622
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	21878

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Single-Core	5344	3470
Multi-Core	34572	39428

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Single-Core	1793	1612
Multi-Core	13028	14387

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. 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 even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	November 05, 2020
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	AM4
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Vermeer
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 3
Generation	1	4
Turbo Frequency		4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	10	12
Threads	10	24
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	9400 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
L2 cache	24MB	6MB
L3 cache	48MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1105	100-000000061 100-100000061WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 5900X is 13% better than M1 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 5900X has 2 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: 12
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is better: 25
However, it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M1 Max and AMD Ryzen 9 5900X before making a selection which CPU 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 5900X specs and review.