Apple M1 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX

Processor comparisons   21-10-2022
   Perhaps you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a decision by looking at the Apple M1 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing, programming. Here is all information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review 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 software tests such as Handbrake, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, RealBench, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, PCMark 10, SuperPi, 7zip, 3DMark, Furmark, Gears 5, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, Prime95, Blender, MATLAB, UserBenchmark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX or Apple M1 Pro.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Pro

59%

Ryzen 9 6980HX

58%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Pro is 1% better than Ryzen 9 6980HX. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Pro

57%

Ryzen 9 6980HX

55%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	101.0	97.1
Valorant	114.8	110.3
Cyberpunk 2077	64.3	61.8
Apex Legends	107.9	103.7
Call of Duty Warzone	86.1	82.8
Overwatch	93.0	89.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	79.2	76.1
DOOM Eternal	57.4	55.2
Warzone	89.5	86.1
Assassin's Creed	96.4	92.7
Valheim	95.3	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 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 Pro

358%

Ryzen 9 6980HX

119%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the M1 Pro is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 6980HX since it has less power consumption: 16W vs. 45W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. 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. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, 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 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX
Cinbench 15 Single-core	304	263
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1716	2492
Cinbench 20 Single-core	590	605
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2936	5453
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2233	972
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	11512	13866

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

	Apple M1 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX
Single-Core	5046	3318
Multi-Core	32596	27686

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

	Apple M1 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX
Single-Core	1723	1617
Multi-Core	12737	8927

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. 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 continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M1 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX
Announcement date	October 07, 2021	January 09, 2022
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M1	FP7
Core name	8x Firestorm and 2x Icestorm	Rembrandt
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 3+
Generation	1	6
Turbo Frequency		5 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	34000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	16 W	45 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR5
Max. Memory	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	512KB
L2 cache	24MB	4MB
L3 cache	24MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1103	FP7:100-000000750 FP7r2:100-000000751

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 6980HX is 3% better than M1 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Pro has 2 more core than Ryzen 9 6980HX. 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 Pro is better: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX is better: 12
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M1 Pro and AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Apple M1 Pro - all data

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

• Apple M1 Pro specs and review.

AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 9 6980HX specs and review.