Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   Perhaps you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 3950X and understand which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, video editing, rendering, streaming, programming. Here is all information from many benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in synthetic type tests such as SuperPi, 7zip, PassMark, Handbrake, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, AIDA64, UserBenchmark, Furmark, PCMark 10, Gears 5, 3DMark, Prime95, VeraCrypt, Blender, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3950X or Apple M2 Max.

Summary benchmark results

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

M2 Max

62%

Ryzen 9 3950X

61%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 1% better than Ryzen 9 3950X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Max

60%

Ryzen 9 3950X

58%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that 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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Metro Exodus, DOTA 2A, Battlefield V, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Half-Life: Alyx, League of Legends (LOL), Control.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	103.7
Valorant	120.4	117.9
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	66.0
Apex Legends	113.2	110.8
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	88.4
Overwatch	97.5	95.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	81.3
DOOM Eternal	60.2	58.9
Warzone	93.9	91.9
Assassin's Creed	101.2	99.0
Valheim	99.9	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 comparing not only were the equipped with different amounts of RAM and different video cards. 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

M2 Max

465%

Ryzen 9 3950X

40%

To make a final resolution 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 M2 Max is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 3950X since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 105W. Power consumption is especially 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to run, 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 M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	217
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	3897
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	531
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	9148
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1371
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	24050

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	6536	2718
Multi-Core	42246	39170

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Single-Core	2096	1286
Multi-Core	17617	15407

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. The later the processor is released, 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 still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	October 01, 2019
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	AM4
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Matisse
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	2	3
Turbo Frequency		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.5 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	12	32
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	105 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	1MB
L2 cache	24MB	8MB
L3 cache	48MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		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 0% better than M2 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 3950X has 4 more core than M2 Max. 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 M2 Max is better: 26
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3950X is better: 11
Although it should be realized 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. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 Max and AMD Ryzen 9 3950X before making a selection which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M2 Max - all data

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

• Apple M2 Max specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3950X specs and review.