Apple M2 vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   If there are difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Apple M2 vs AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and see which is better for games or normal use for machine learning, rendering, streaming, video editing, programming. Here you can find useful information from real video editing and streaming tests or many benchmarks. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to understand, 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 Dolphin Emulator, Furmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, 7zip, Handbrake, Gears 5, WPrime, AIDA64, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Prime95, PCMark 10, GeekBench 6, 5.2, 3DMark, VeraCrypt, Blender, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, RealBench, MATLAB, PassMark, UserBenchmark.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

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

After reading the results these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5900 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 9 5900

62%

This shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 5900 is 4% better than M2. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

55%

Ryzen 9 5900

59%

For the maximum in this test, the results of the most powerful processor in the site database are taken. 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. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a little game result, 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: Microsoft Flight Simulator, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, DOTA 2A, Ghostrunner, Half-Life: Alyx, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Hitman 3, Monster Hunter World, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, NBA 2K20, League of Legends (LOL), Battlefield V, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Control.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	103.8
Valorant	110.7	118.0
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	66.1
Apex Legends	104.1	110.9
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	88.5
Overwatch	89.7	95.6
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	81.4
DOOM Eternal	55.4	59.0
Warzone	86.4	92.0
Assassin's Creed	93.0	99.1
Valheim	91.9	97.9

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 that were in the comparisons 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. 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

535%

Ryzen 9 5900

89%

To make a final 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 9 5900 as it consumes less power: 12W vs. 65W. Power consumption is particularly 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

For example you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for programming, machine learning, streaming, video rendering or video editing, then the main parameter for you is its performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to reach 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 program 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 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 9 5900
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	285
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	3789
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	668
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	8653
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1815
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	23790

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

	Apple M2	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Single-Core	4095	3487
Multi-Core	29665	39560

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

	Apple M2	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Single-Core	1929	1743
Multi-Core	9243	15530

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last you. 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 continue to maintain 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	AMD Ryzen 9 5900
Announcement date	October 18, 2022	January 12, 2021
Type	Laptop	Desktop
Socket	M2	AM4
Core name	4 x Avalanche and 4 x Blizzard	Vermeer
Architecture	hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Zen 3
Generation	2	4
Turbo Frequency		4.7 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3 MHz
Cores	8	12
Threads	8	24
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	9400 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	6MB
L3 cache	16MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000062

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 is 14% better than Ryzen 9 5900 in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 5900 has 4 more core than M2. 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: 10
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 9 5900 is better: 25
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the article above do not mean that taking them into account you should completely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch the testing video and read the opinion of real owners of Apple M2 and AMD Ryzen 9 5900 before making a decision which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

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 9 5900 specs and review.