Apple M2 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 7950X

Processor comparisons 22-10-2022

   Let's say you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 Pro vs AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and understand which is better for games or simple use for video editing, programming, streaming, machine learning, rendering. Here is all information from real streaming and video editing tests or different benchmarks. A careful analysis of all the specifications, 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 special testing software like VeraCrypt, Blender, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), SuperPi, Furmark, WPrime, 7zip, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, PCMark 10, Dolphin Emulator, UserBenchmark, Handbrake, MATLAB, Gears 5, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Prime95, AIDA64, RealBench, Blender.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to figure out which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 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 7950X

69%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 7950X is 11% better than M2 Pro. 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 7950X

65%

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

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	104.8	114.7
Valorant	119.1	130.3
Cyberpunk 2077	66.7	73.0
Apex Legends	111.9	122.5
Call of Duty Warzone	89.3	97.8
Overwatch	96.5	105.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	82.2	89.9
DOOM Eternal	59.5	65.2
Warzone	92.9	101.7
Assassin's Creed	100.0	109.5
Valheim	98.8	108.2

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 computers participating in the comparisons not only were the equipped with different video cards and different amounts of RAM. 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. 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 7950X

45%

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 Pro is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 7950X since it has less power consumption: 14W vs. 170W. 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

If you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, video editing or video rendering, streaming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum efficiency. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before you take into account the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the software you are going to use on your computer supports 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 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	366	373
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	2078	6089
Cinbench 20 Single-core	714	895
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	3555	14547
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2063	2277
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	16023	39973

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
Single-Core	6111	4815
Multi-Core	39485	64460

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

	Apple M2 Pro	AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
Single-Core	2085	2324
Multi-Core	16467	26184

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. If the processor can be overclocked, thereby increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS even in the newest 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 7950X
Announcement date	October 20, 2022	September 27, 2022
Type	Desktop;Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	AM5
Core name	8x Avalanche and 4x Blizzard	Raphael
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 4
Generation	2	5
Turbo Frequency		5.7 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	4.5 MHz
Cores	12	16
Threads	12	32
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	4 nm	5 nm
Transistors count	42000 millions	12600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	14 W	170 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory	32 Gb
Memory Frequency	6400	3200
Memory bandwidth	208 GByte/s
L1 cache	4MB	1MB
L2 cache	24MB	16MB
L3 cache	36MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000514 100-100000514WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 9 7950X is 22% better than M2 Pro in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 7950X has 4 more core than M2 Pro. 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: 10
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is better: 27
However, it should be understood that all the data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should totally trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 Pro and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X before making a choice 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 7950X - all data

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

• AMD Ryzen 9 7950X specs and review.