Apple M2 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 3900X

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   For example you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the detailed tests Apple M2 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 3900X and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, streaming, video editing, machine learning, rendering. Here is useful information from several benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful analysis of all the technical characteristics, to make it easier to read, is presented in the form of the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in software tests such as Dolphin Emulator, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Furmark, 3DMark, SuperPi, WPrime, UserBenchmark, Blender, Handbrake, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, VeraCrypt, Prime95, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark, AIDA64, 7zip, RealBench, Gears 5.
   Gaming performance of processors in:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 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 3900X

60%

This value shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 1% better than Ryzen 9 3900X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

M2 Pro

59%

Ryzen 9 3900X

57%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run 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 less popular games in which processors were compared: Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Hitman 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Half-Life: Alyx, Battlefield V, Monster Hunter World, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, League of Legends (LOL), Control, Metro Exodus, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	101.5
Valorant	119.1	115.4
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	64.6
Apex Legends	111.9	108.5
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	86.5
Overwatch	96.5	93.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	79.6
DOOM Eternal	59.5	57.7
Warzone	92.9	90.0
Assassin's Creed	100.0	96.9
Valheim	98.8	95.8

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 Pro

496%

Ryzen 9 3900X

42%

To make a final decision 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 3900X as it consumes less power: 14W vs. 105W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate 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 plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the processor includes all cores and threads that it has. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using 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 can use only one core to run, and all the advantages 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 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	214
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	3168
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	521
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	7178
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	1342
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	18424

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
Single-Core	6111	2758
Multi-Core	39485	32949

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
Single-Core	2085	1335
Multi-Core	16467	13268

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful 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 in the future. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain 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 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	July 07, 2019
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	AM4
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Matisse
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 2
Generation	2	3
Turbo Frequency		4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.8 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	105 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	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000023 100-100000023BOX 100-100000023MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 3900X is 8% better than M2 Pro 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: 25
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 3900X is better: 11
Although it should be understood that all the number in the table above do not mean that you should be guided entirely by them and trust a simple comparison of these figures. Be sure to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and AMD Ryzen 9 3900X before making a selection which processor 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 3900X specs and review.