Apple M1 Ultra vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600

Processor comparisons   12-02-2023
   If you can't decide which CPU to buy, you can make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M1 Ultra vs AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and decide which is better for games or simple use for rendering, video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming. Here you can find all information from real streaming and video editing tests or many 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 comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special testing software such as MATLAB, Gears 5, Prime95, VeraCrypt, 3DMark, PCMark 10, Furmark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, PassMark, Blender, RealBench, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, 7zip, AIDA64, Handbrake, UserBenchmark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Apple M1 Ultra.

Summary benchmark results

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

M1 Ultra

68%

Ryzen 5 3600

55%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Ultra is 19% better than Ryzen 5 3600. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Ultra

64%

Ryzen 5 3600

53%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. 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. 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 summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	94.7
Valorant	128.6	107.6
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	60.3
Apex Legends	120.8	101.2
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	80.7
Overwatch	104.1	87.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	74.3
DOOM Eternal	64.3	53.8
Warzone	100.3	83.9
Assassin's Creed	108.0	90.4
Valheim	106.7	89.3

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: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Ultra

272%

Ryzen 5 3600

63%

To make a final decision 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 Ultra is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 3600 since it has less power consumption: 20W vs. 65W. 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, programming, machine learning, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor uses all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software 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 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 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	1578
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	472
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	3689
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	1253
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	9412

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Single-Core	9611	2611
Multi-Core	62194	17872

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Single-Core	1637	1238
Multi-Core	24642	6578

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 later the processor is released, 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, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even 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 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Announcement date	April 09, 2022	July 07, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	AM4
Core name	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm	Matisse
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	1	3
Turbo Frequency		4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	20	6
Threads	20	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	384KB
L2 cache	48MB	3MB
L3 cache	96MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1W06	100-000000031 100-100000031BOX 100-100000031MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3600 is 11% better than M1 Ultra in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 14 more core than Ryzen 5 3600. 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 Ultra is better: 33
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is better: 3
However, it should be realized that all the number in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M1 Ultra and AMD Ryzen 5 3600 before deciding which of the processors to buy for gaming.

Apple M1 Ultra - all data

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

• Apple M1 Ultra specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600 specs and review.