Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 4900U

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice by looking at the Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 4900U tests and understand which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, streaming, rendering, programming, video editing. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or several benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special test applications like VeraCrypt, WPrime, SuperPi, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, Furmark, Blender, PCMark 10, PassMark, Prime95, Handbrake, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, MATLAB, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 3DMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 4900U 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 4900U

56%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 9% better than Ryzen 9 4900U. 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 4900U

53%

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. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary 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	106.0	94.6
Valorant	120.4	107.5
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	60.2
Apex Legends	113.2	101.0
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	80.6
Overwatch	97.5	87.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	74.1
DOOM Eternal	60.2	53.7
Warzone	93.9	83.8
Assassin's Creed	101.2	90.3
Valheim	99.9	89.2

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: 2K, FullHD or 4K. 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

M2 Max

465%

Ryzen 9 4900U

267%

To make a finishing 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 M2 Max is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 4900U since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 15W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is 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 video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, 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 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 find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in 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 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 4900U
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	208
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	1398
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	503
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	3307
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1270
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	10053

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Single-Core	6536	2015
Multi-Core	42246	21586

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Single-Core	2096	1203
Multi-Core	17617	6431

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 you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system in the future. The same benefits from the presence of overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 4900U
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 12, 2021
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FP6
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Renoir
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	2	4
Turbo Frequency		4.4 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	2 MHz
Cores	12	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	8600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	15 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4-3200 LPDDR4-4266
Max. Memory	64 Gb	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	4266
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	2MB
L3 cache	48MB	8MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 Max is 42% better than Ryzen 9 4900U in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Max has 4 more core than Ryzen 9 4900U. 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: 30
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 4900U is better: 6
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Max and AMD Ryzen 9 4900U before making a selection which of the processors to buy for gaming.

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 4900U specs and review.