Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 5800X

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   If you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a choice after reading the full tests Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 5800X and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, programming, rendering, machine learning. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or many benchmarks. A careful review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests like VeraCrypt, UserBenchmark, WPrime, Dolphin Emulator, MATLAB, SuperPi, 3DMark, Prime95, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 7zip, Blender, Furmark, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Handbrake, Blender, PassMark, AIDA64, RealBench, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Gears 5, DaVinci Resolve Studio.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5800X 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 5800X

60%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 3% better than Ryzen 9 5800X. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Max

60%

Ryzen 9 5800X

57%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of other games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Half-Life: Alyx, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, League of Legends (LOL), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Forza Horizon 4, Microsoft Flight Simulator, DOTA 2A, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghostrunner, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	100.7
Valorant	120.4	114.4
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	64.1
Apex Legends	113.2	107.5
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	85.8
Overwatch	97.5	92.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	78.9
DOOM Eternal	60.2	57.2
Warzone	93.9	89.2
Assassin's Creed	101.2	96.1
Valheim	99.9	94.9

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 that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K 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 5800X

56%

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 M2 Max is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 5800X as it consumes less power: 15W vs. 105W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, 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 reach maximum efficiency, the CPU turns on 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 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 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 M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5800X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	228
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	3118
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	539
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	7166
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1372
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	18516

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5800X
Single-Core	6536	2937
Multi-Core	42246	33368

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5800X
Single-Core	2096	1795
Multi-Core	17617	12413

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most useful. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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, thereby increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5800X
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	November 05, 2020
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	AM4
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Vermeer
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 3
Generation	2	4
Turbo Frequency		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.8 MHz
Cores	12	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	9400 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
L2 cache	24MB	4MB
L3 cache	48MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000063 100-100000063WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 5800X is 8% better than M2 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Max has 4 more core than Ryzen 9 5800X. 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: 28
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 5800X is better: 9
However, it should be understood that all the figures 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 video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 Max and AMD Ryzen 9 5800X before making a choice 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 5800X - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 9 5800X specs and review.