Apple M2 vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

Processor comparisons 20-10-2022

   Let's say you are thinking about choosing a processor, you will be able to make a choice after reading the comprehensive tests Apple M2 vs AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and see which is better for games or simple use for rendering, streaming, video editing, programming, machine learning. Here is useful information from many benchmarks or real video editing and streaming tests. A careful review of all the technical characteristics, so that it can be easier to understand, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of parallel examination in synthetic type tests like Dolphin Emulator, WPrime, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, Gears 5, MATLAB, PCMark 10, AIDA64, Prime95, UserBenchmark, DaVinci Resolve Studio, GeekBench 6, 5.2, VeraCrypt, Furmark, RealBench, Blender, 7zip, 3DMark, Handbrake, SuperPi, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PassMark.
   And how good the processors are in games:

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

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you already be able to know which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 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 5950X

64%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Ryzen 9 5950X is 7% better than M2. 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 9 5950X

60%

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 the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the final table below.
List of other games in which processors were compared: Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza Horizon 4, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Half-Life: Alyx, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Battlefield V, Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), Horizon Zero Dawn, Hitman 3, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Control, NBA 2K20, Metro Exodus, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), DOTA 2A, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	97.4	107.2
Valorant	110.7	121.9
Cyberpunk 2077	62.0	68.2
Apex Legends	104.1	114.6
Call of Duty Warzone	83.0	91.4
Overwatch	89.7	98.7
Red Dead Redemption 2	76.4	84.1
DOOM Eternal	55.4	60.9
Warzone	86.4	95.1
Assassin's Creed	93.0	102.4
Valheim	91.9	101.1

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 video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 2K, 4K or FullHD. 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 get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

535%

Ryzen 9 5950X

57%

To make a finishing 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 is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 9 5950X since it has less power consumption: 12W vs. 105W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, it will be useful to know its TDP. 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 want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video editing or video rendering, programming, machine learning, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum efficiency. You will find out 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 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 5950X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	298	277
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	1586	4569
Cinbench 20 Single-core	558	647
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2699	10428
Cinbench 23 Single-core	2057	1639
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	10520	28641

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

	Apple M2	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Single-Core	4095	3455
Multi-Core	29665	46183

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

	Apple M2	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Single-Core	1929	1814
Multi-Core	9243	18863

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 later the processor is released, 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. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will continue to maintain maximum FPS in new games. The economy are obvious! Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Apple M2	AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
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		4.9 MHz
Frequency	3.49 MHz	3.4 MHz
Cores	8	16
Threads	8	32
Bus rate
Bit	64	64
Lithography	5 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	20000 millions	9400 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	12 W	105 W
Memory type	LPDDR5 - Up to 6400MHz	DDR4
Max. Memory
Memory Frequency	2400	3200
Memory bandwidth
L1 cache	2MB
L2 cache	12MB	8MB
L3 cache	16MB	64MB
Overclocking	No	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000059 100-100000059WOF

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here M2 is 2% better than Ryzen 9 5950X in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Ryzen 9 5950X has 8 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 5950X is better: 25
Although it should be understood that the summary data that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should entirely trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Be sure to watch the video tests and read the reviews of real owners of Apple M2 and AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 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 9 5950X specs and review.