Apple M1 Ultra vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

Processor comparisons 21-10-2022

   Let's say you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice after reading the detailed tests Apple M1 Ultra vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, video editing, streaming, machine learning, rendering. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or several benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like Handbrake, MATLAB, 7zip, AIDA64, WPrime, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, PassMark, Furmark, Gears 5, RealBench, VeraCrypt, Blender, Prime95, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

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 Threadripper 3970X 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 Threadripper 3970X

69%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is 1% better than M1 Ultra. 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 Threadripper 3970X

65%

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 this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a low game result, 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: Hitman 3, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Microsoft Flight Simulator, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, NBA 2K20, Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield V, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, DOTA 2A, Control.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	113.1	115.8
Valorant	128.6	131.6
Cyberpunk 2077	72.0	73.7
Apex Legends	120.8	123.7
Call of Duty Warzone	96.4	98.7
Overwatch	104.1	106.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	88.7	90.8
DOOM Eternal	64.3	65.8
Warzone	100.3	102.7
Assassin's Creed	108.0	110.6
Valheim	106.7	109.3

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 participating in the comparing not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K 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 Ultra

272%

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

15%

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 Threadripper 3970X as it consumes less power: 20W vs. 280W. Power consumption is particularly 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 Ultra	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	555	209
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3252	7398
Cinbench 20 Single-core	1103	509
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	5583	17444
Cinbench 23 Single-core	4240	1270
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	21959	47102

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Single-Core	9611	2686
Multi-Core	62194	64446

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

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Single-Core	1637	1312
Multi-Core	24642	27290

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The savings are obvious!

	Apple M1 Ultra	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Announcement date	April 09, 2022	November 25, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	M1	sTRX4
Core name	16x Firestorm and 4x Icestorm	Castle Peak
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	1	3
Turbo Frequency		4.5 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	20	32
Threads	20	64
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	114000 millions	22600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	20 W	280 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	818 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	2MB
L2 cache	48MB	16MB
L3 cache	96MB	128MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1W06	100-000000011 100-100000011WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is 13% better than M1 Ultra in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has 12 more core than M1 Ultra. 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: 15
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is better: 22
Although 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 quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M1 Ultra and AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X before making a selection which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

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 Threadripper 3970X specs and review.