Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   You may have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS and see which is better for games or simple use for machine learning, programming, streaming, video editing, rendering. Here is useful information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as RealBench, SuperPi, UserBenchmark, Blender, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, PassMark, 3DMark, Blender, Furmark, PCMark 10, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), MATLAB, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 7zip, WPrime, Handbrake, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS 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 5980HS

57%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Max is 8% better than Ryzen 9 5980HS. 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 5980HS

54%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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 little 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: Ghostrunner, Control, Forza Horizon 4, Hitman 3, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Battlefield V, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx, Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Microsoft Flight Simulator, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, DOTA 2A, Metro Exodus, Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	96.7
Valorant	120.4	109.9
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	61.5
Apex Legends	113.2	103.3
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	82.4
Overwatch	97.5	89.0
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	75.8
DOOM Eternal	60.2	54.9
Warzone	93.9	85.7
Assassin's Creed	101.2	92.3
Valheim	99.9	91.2

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 tested computers not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. Therefore, 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 5980HS

146%

To make a finishing choice 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 M2 Max is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 5980HS since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 35W. 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 streaming, machine learning, programming, video editing or video rendering, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the program 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 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 5980HS
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	245
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	2370
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	570
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	5196
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1475
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	13222

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS
Single-Core	6536	3158
Multi-Core	42246	26144

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS
Single-Core	2096	1536
Multi-Core	17617	8510

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 12, 2021
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FP6
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Cezanne
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 3
Generation	2	5
Turbo Frequency		4.8 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3 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	35 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4 - Up to 3200MHz LPDDR4 - Up to 4266MHz
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB
L2 cache	24MB	4MB
L3 cache	48MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000474

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 Max is 14% better than Ryzen 9 5980HS in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Max has 4 more core than Ryzen 9 5980HS. 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 5980HS is better: 7
All the figures in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 Max and AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS before making a choice which processor 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 5980HS specs and review.