Apple M2 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS

Processor comparisons   22-10-2022
   If you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a decision by looking at the Apple M2 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS tests and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, rendering, streaming, machine learning. Here you can find all information from real video editing and streaming tests or different benchmarks. A thorough analysis of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as PassMark, MATLAB, GeekBench 6, 5.2, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Blender, SuperPi, Furmark, PCMark 10, WPrime, Prime95, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), 3DMark, UserBenchmark, Dolphin Emulator, VeraCrypt, 7zip, RealBench, AIDA64, Gears 5, Handbrake.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of parallel benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS 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 6980HS

58%

This parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 Pro is 4% better than Ryzen 9 6980HS. 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 6980HS

55%

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 processors were compared: Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, Ghostrunner, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Control, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Hitman 3, Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	97.3
Valorant	119.1	110.6
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	61.9
Apex Legends	111.9	103.9
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	82.9
Overwatch	96.5	89.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	76.3
DOOM Eternal	59.5	55.3
Warzone	92.9	86.2
Assassin's Creed	100.0	92.9
Valheim	98.8	91.8

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 tested computers 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. 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 Pro

496%

Ryzen 9 6980HS

156%

To make a finishing choice 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 Pro is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 6980HS since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 35W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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 programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum performance, the processor uses all threads and cores 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 program that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can 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 6980HS
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	261
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	2536
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	610
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	5559
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	1578
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	14146

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS
Single-Core	6111	3379
Multi-Core	39485	27970

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS
Single-Core	2085	1643
Multi-Core	16467	9105

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the processor release date and overclocking capability will be the most helpful. 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 can be said about overclocking. When the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce 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 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	January 09, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Laptop
Socket	M2	FP7
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Rembrandt
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 3+
Generation	2	6
Turbo Frequency		5 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.3 MHz
Cores	12	8
Threads	12	16
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	6 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	10200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	35 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR5
Max. Memory	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	512KB
L2 cache	24MB	4MB
L3 cache	36MB	16MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		FP7:100-000000750 FP7r2:100-000000751

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 Pro is 5% better than Ryzen 9 6980HS in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 Pro has 4 more core than Ryzen 9 6980HS. 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: 29
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS is better: 7
Although it should be understood that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple quantitative comparison. Be sure to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 Pro and AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

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 6980HS - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 9 6980HS specs and review.