Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   If you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the full tests Apple M2 Max vs AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X and decide which is better for games or simple use for video editing, rendering, machine learning, streaming, programming. Here is useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or various benchmarks. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software like Prime95, AIDA64, SuperPi, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), RealBench, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, 3DMark, Handbrake, Blender, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 7zip, VeraCrypt, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, Blender, WPrime, PassMark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Gears 5, MATLAB.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X 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 Threadripper 3970X

69%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is 10% better than M2 Max. 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 Threadripper 3970X

65%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	106.0	115.8
Valorant	120.4	131.6
Cyberpunk 2077	67.4	73.7
Apex Legends	113.2	123.7
Call of Duty Warzone	90.3	98.7
Overwatch	97.5	106.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.1	90.8
DOOM Eternal	60.2	65.8
Warzone	93.9	102.7
Assassin's Creed	101.2	110.6
Valheim	99.9	109.3

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, 4K 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Max

465%

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

15%

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 Threadripper 3970X since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 280W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you need to 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 editing or video rendering, machine learning, streaming, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to achieve maximum performance, the processor turns on all threads and cores that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to make sure that 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 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 Threadripper 3970X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	389	209
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2220	7398
Cinbench 20 Single-core	761	509
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3801	17444
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2204	1270
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	17142	47102

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Single-Core	6536	2686
Multi-Core	42246	64446

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

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Single-Core	2096	1312
Multi-Core	17617	27290

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Apple M2 Max	AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	November 25, 2019
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	sTRX4
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Castle Peak
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	2	3
Turbo Frequency		4.5 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	12	32
Threads	12	64
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	68000 millions	22600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	280 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	412 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	2MB
L2 cache	24MB	16MB
L3 cache	48MB	128MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000011 100-100000011WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is 5% better than M2 Max in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen Threadripper 3970X has 20 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: 15
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X is better: 22
All the data in the article above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of of people who bought Apple M2 Max and AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X before deciding 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 Threadripper 3970X specs and review.