Apple M1 Ultra vs AMD Ryzen 7 3800X

Processor comparisons 12-02-2023

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Apple M1 Ultra vs AMD Ryzen 7 3800X and understand which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing, programming. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to understand, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like Prime95, UserBenchmark, RealBench, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, SuperPi, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, PCMark 10, Blender, Furmark, Blender, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, PassMark, Gears 5, AIDA64, Handbrake, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

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 7 3800X 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 7 3800X

57%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M1 Ultra is 16% better than Ryzen 7 3800X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M1 Ultra

64%

Ryzen 7 3800X

56%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	98.9
Valorant	128.6	112.4
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	62.9
Apex Legends	120.8	105.6
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	84.3
Overwatch	104.1	91.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	77.5
DOOM Eternal	64.3	56.2
Warzone	100.3	87.7
Assassin's Creed	108.0	94.4
Valheim	106.7	93.3

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 amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M1 Ultra

272%

Ryzen 7 3800X

44%

To make a final choice 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 7 3800X as it consumes less power: 20W vs. 105W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, streaming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that 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 work, 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 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555	209
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	2165
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	509
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	4960
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	1325
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	12874

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
Single-Core	9611	2773
Multi-Core	62194	23436

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
Single-Core	1637	1393
Multi-Core	24642	10679

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 later. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. The economy are obvious! It turns out that you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen 7 3800X
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		4.5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.9 MHz
Cores	20	8
Threads	20	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	4600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	105 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	512KB
L2 cache	48MB	4MB
L3 cache	96MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1W06	100-000000025 100-100000025BOX 100-100000025MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 7 3800X is 17% better than M1 Ultra in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M1 Ultra has 12 more core than Ryzen 7 3800X. 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: 31
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 3800X is better: 6
Although it should be realized that all the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M1 Ultra and AMD Ryzen 7 3800X before making a decision which of the CPUs 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 7 3800X specs and review.