Apple M2 vs AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   If you have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and see which is better for games or normal use for programming, machine learning, video editing, streaming, rendering. Here is useful information from real streaming and video editing tests or various benchmarks. A thorough review of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, is summarized in the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in software tests such as 7zip, Gears 5, Dolphin Emulator, Blender, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, GeekBench 6, 5.2, AIDA64, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, Prime95, RealBench, MATLAB, PCMark 10, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, PassMark, Blender, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15).
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

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

After reading the results of joint benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Apple M2.

Summary benchmark results

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

59%

Ryzen 5 5600X

56%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, M2 is 5% better than Ryzen 5 5600X. The data source is several popular tests. More detailed information of the benchmarks is below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Ryzen 5 5600X

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And of course, this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a little game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of less popular games in which CPU comparisons were performed: Microsoft Flight Simulator, Metro Exodus, Control, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Horizon Zero Dawn, Battlefield V, Hitman 3, NBA 2K20, DOTA 2A, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, Ghostrunner, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, League of Legends (LOL), Half-Life: Alyx.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	97.1
Valorant	110.7	110.4
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	61.8
Apex Legends	104.1	103.8
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	82.8
Overwatch	89.7	89.4
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	76.2
DOOM Eternal	55.4	55.2
Warzone	86.4	86.1
Assassin's Creed	93.0	92.7
Valheim	91.9	91.6

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. 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

535%

Ryzen 5 5600X

90%

To make a finishing 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 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 5600X since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must 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

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for streaming, machine learning, video rendering or video editing, programming, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, to reach maximum efficiency, the CPU 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 find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that use only one core to work, 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	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	258
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	1970
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	604
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	4562
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1572
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	11268

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

	Apple M2	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Single-Core	4095	3352
Multi-Core	29665	22120

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

	Apple M2	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Single-Core	1929	1768
Multi-Core	9243	8968

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	AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	November 05, 2020
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	AM4
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Vermeer
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 3
Generation	2	5
Turbo Frequency		4.6 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.7 MHz
Cores	8	6
Threads	8	12
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	4800 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	65 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	2400	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB	3MB
L3 cache	16MB	32MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000065 100-100000065BOX 100-100000065MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 5600X is 5% better than M2 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that M2 has 2 more core than Ryzen 5 5600X. 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 is better: 23
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is better: 12
However, it should be understood that all the figures in the table above do not mean that taking them into account you should fully trust a simple comparison of these figures. Better to watch the video tests and read the opinion of of people who bought Apple M2 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X before making a selection which of the CPUs to buy for gaming.

Apple M2 - all data

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

• Apple M2 specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 5600X specs and review.