Apple M1 vs AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

Processor comparisons 17-03-2021

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M1 vs AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and see which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, video editing, rendering, streaming, programming. Here you can find all information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A thorough review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UserBenchmark, Gears 5, 7zip, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, AIDA64, 3DMark, RealBench, Blender, MATLAB, Prime95, Blender, SuperPi, Dolphin Emulator, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, VeraCrypt, PCMark 10, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Apple M1.

Summary benchmark results

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

56%

Ryzen 7 3700X

56%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

54%

Ryzen 7 3700X

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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Metro Exodus, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, Half-Life: Alyx, DOTA 2A, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Horizon Zero Dawn, League of Legends (LOL), Monster Hunter World.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.8	97.2
Valorant	108.9	110.5
Cyberpunk 2077	61.0	61.9
Apex Legends	102.4	103.8
Call of Duty Warzone	81.7	82.8
Overwatch	88.2	89.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.1	76.2
DOOM Eternal	54.5	55.2
Warzone	84.9	86.2
Assassin's Creed	91.5	92.8
Valheim	90.4	91.7

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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

388%

Ryzen 7 3700X

68%

To make a finishing 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 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 7 3700X since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 65W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, programming, 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 achieve 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 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 run, 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	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	209	204
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1163	2114
Cinbench 20 Single-core	402	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1987	4834
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1512	1294
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7782	12355

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

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Single-Core	3413	2716
Multi-Core	22028	22880

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

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Single-Core	1746	1339
Multi-Core	7683	9023

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the the possibility of overclocking it and release date of the processor. The newer the processor, 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, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	July 07, 2019
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M1	AM4
Core name	4x Firestorm;4x Icestorm	Matisse
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	1	3
Turbo Frequency		4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	8	8
Threads	16	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	16000 millions	4600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR4 - Up to 4266MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	4266	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	2MB	512KB
L2 cache	16MB	4MB
L3 cache		32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1102	100-000000071 100-100000071BOX 100-100000071MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 7 3700X is 11% better than M1 in terms of CPU frequency. 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 is better: 9
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is better: 24
Although it should be understood that all the data in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M1 and AMD Ryzen 7 3700X before deciding which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Apple M1 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X specs and review.