Apple M1 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M1 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and see which is better for games or normal use for streaming, video editing, machine learning, programming, rendering. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as UserBenchmark, Blender, PCMark 10, MATLAB, AIDA64, VeraCrypt, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PassMark, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Gears 5, WPrime, SuperPi, RealBench, Furmark, Prime95, 3DMark, 7zip.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS 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 6900HS

58%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Max is 3% better than Ryzen 9 6900HS. 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 6900HS

55%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. And of course, 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 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 CPU comparisons were performed: Ghostrunner, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World, NBA 2K20, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Battlefield V, Control, Metro Exodus.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.3	97.1
Valorant	115.1	110.3
Cyberpunk 2077	64.5	61.8
Apex Legends	108.2	103.7
Call of Duty Warzone	86.3	82.7
Overwatch	93.2	89.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.4	76.1
DOOM Eternal	57.6	55.2
Warzone	89.8	86.1
Assassin's Creed	96.7	92.7
Valheim	95.5	91.6

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: 4K, 2K or FullHD. 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 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 6900HS

152%

To make a final 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 6900HS since it has less power consumption: 18W vs. 35W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, programming, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that 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 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 6900HS
Cinbench 15 Single-core	313	247
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1811	2476
Cinbench 20 Single-core	617	590
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3106	5437
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2360	1538
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	12204	13848

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS
Single-Core	5344	3303
Multi-Core	34572	27389

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

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS
Single-Core	1793	1602
Multi-Core	13028	8911

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!

	Apple M1 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	January 09, 2022
Type	Laptop;Desktop	Laptop
Socket	M1	FP7
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Rembrandt
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 3+
Generation	1	6
Turbo Frequency		4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	10	8
Threads	10	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	6 nm
Transistors count	57000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	18 W	35 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR5
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	409 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	512KB
L2 cache	24MB	4MB
L3 cache	48MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1105	FP7:100-000000545 FP7r7:100-000000561

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 6900HS is 3% better than M1 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Max has 2 more core than Ryzen 9 6900HS. 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: 26
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS is better: 10
However, it should be realized that the summary 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. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Max and AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS before making a decision which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

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 6900HS - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS specs and review.