Apple M1 vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   If you can't decide which processor to buy, you can make a choice by looking at the Apple M1 vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X tests and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, streaming, video editing, rendering, machine learning. Here is all information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be 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 testing software such as PassMark, VeraCrypt, Dolphin Emulator, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, Handbrake, RealBench, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), PCMark 10, Prime95, WPrime, AIDA64, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, MATLAB, 3DMark, Furmark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 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 9 3950X

61%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 3950X is 8% better than M1. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

54%

Ryzen 9 3950X

58%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Control, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Metro Exodus, Microsoft Flight Simulator, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Half-Life: Alyx, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Monster Hunter World, Forza Horizon 4, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	95.8	103.7
Valorant	108.9	117.9
Cyberpunk 2077	61.0	66.0
Apex Legends	102.4	110.8
Call of Duty Warzone	81.7	88.4
Overwatch	88.2	95.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	75.1	81.3
DOOM Eternal	54.5	58.9
Warzone	84.9	91.9
Assassin's Creed	91.5	99.0
Valheim	90.4	97.8

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: 4K, 2K 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

388%

Ryzen 9 3950X

40%

To make a final resolution 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 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 3950X as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 105W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need 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

Let's say you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the CPU includes 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 make sure that the program 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 are unused.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	209	217
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1163	3897
Cinbench 20 Single-core	402	531
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	1987	9148
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1512	1371
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	7782	24050

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

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	3413	2718
Multi-Core	22028	39170

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

	Apple M1	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	1746	1286
Multi-Core	7683	15407

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. 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, 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	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Announcement date	October 01, 2020	October 01, 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		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.2 MHz	3.5 MHz
Cores	8	16
Threads	16	32
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	16000 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	105 W
Memory type	LPDDR4 - Up to 4266MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	4266	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	2MB	1MB
L2 cache	16MB	8MB
L3 cache		64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number	APL1102	100-000000051 100-100000051WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 3950X is 8% better than M1 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 3950X has 8 more core than M1. 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 9 3950X is better: 26
Although it should be understood that all the number that you have looked at here do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M1 and AMD Ryzen 9 3950X before deciding which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

• Apple M1 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3950X specs and review.