Apple M2 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 3900

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a CPU, you will be able to make a decision after reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 3900 and decide which is better for games or simple use for programming, video editing, machine learning, rendering, streaming. Here you can find useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the technical characteristics, 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 special test applications like DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, SuperPi, AIDA64, Furmark, Blender, RealBench, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), WPrime, MATLAB, VeraCrypt, Handbrake, 7zip, Dolphin Emulator, Gears 5, PassMark, UserBenchmark, Prime95, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, PCMark 10, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you can already make an briefed decision about which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3900 or Apple M2 Pro.

Summary benchmark results

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

M2 Pro

61%

Ryzen 9 3900

59%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 3% better than Ryzen 9 3900. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Pro

59%

Ryzen 9 3900

57%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	101.6
Valorant	119.1	115.5
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	64.7
Apex Legends	111.9	108.6
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	86.6
Overwatch	96.5	93.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	79.7
DOOM Eternal	59.5	57.7
Warzone	92.9	90.1
Assassin's Creed	100.0	97.0
Valheim	98.8	95.9

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 participating in the comparisons 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. 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 compare it in one assembly with the video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

M2 Pro

496%

Ryzen 9 3900

67%

To make a final resolution 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 Pro is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 3900 as it consumes less power: 14W vs. 65W. 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

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, streaming, machine learning, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the CPU includes all cores and threads 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 use only one core to run, and all the benefit 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 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	196
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	2922
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	485
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	6789
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	1149
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	16943

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Single-Core	6111	2627
Multi-Core	39485	30807

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Single-Core	2085	1324
Multi-Core	16467	13362

Comparison of specifications

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 3900
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	September 30, 2019
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	AM4
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Matisse
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	2	2
Turbo Frequency		4.2 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.1 MHz
Cores	12	12
Threads	12	24
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	7800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	768KB
L2 cache	24MB	6MB
L3 cache	36MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000072

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 Pro is 11% better than Ryzen 9 3900 in terms of CPU frequency. 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 Pro is better: 26
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3900 is better: 8
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and AMD Ryzen 9 3900 before deciding which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Apple M2 Pro - all data

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

• Apple M2 Pro specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 9 3900 specs and review.