AMD Ryzen 9 5900X vs Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD Ryzen 9 5900X CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)

CPU comparison

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X or Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has 12 cores with 24 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.80 GHz. Up to 128 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X was released in Q4/2020.

The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has 10 cores with 10 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. The CPU supports up to 64 GB of memory in 4 memory channels. The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) was released in Q3/2021.
AMD Ryzen 9 (34) Family Apple M series (23)
AMD Ryzen 5000 (12) CPU group Apple M1 (9)
4 Generation 1
Vermeer (Zen 3) Architecture M1
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X Predecessor --
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Successor Apple M2 Max (38-GPU)

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.70 GHz (4.80 GHz). The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has 10 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz).

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Characteristic Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
12 Cores 10
24 Threads 10
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Yes Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.70 GHz (4.80 GHz) A-Core 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
8x Firestorm
-- B-Core 0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
2x Icestorm

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Characteristic Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
-- AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 11 TOPS

Internal Graphics

The integrated graphics unit of a processor is not only responsible for the pure image output on the system, but can also significantly increase the efficiency of the system with the support of modern video codecs.

no iGPU GPU Apple M1 Max (32 Core)
GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.30 GHz
-- GPU Generation 1
Technology 5 nm
Max. displays 5
-- Compute units 512
-- Shader 4096
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 32 GB
-- DirectX Version --

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.

no iGPU GPU Apple M1 Max (32 Core)
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP8 Decode
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC Decode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
No Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X supports a maximum of 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) can connect up to 64 GB of memory in 4 memory channels.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Characteristic Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
DDR4-3200 Memory LPDDR5-6400
128 GB Max. Memory 64 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 4 (Quad Channel)
51.2 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 409.6 GB/s
Yes ECC No
6.00 MB L2 Cache 28.00 MB
64.00 MB L3 Cache --
4.0 PCIe version 4.0
20 PCIe lanes --
39.4 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has a TDP of 105 W, that of the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) is 45 W.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Characteristic Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
105 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
142 W TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
90 °C Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has a 70.00 MB cache, while the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) cache has a total of 28.00 MB.

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Characteristic Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
7 nm Technology 5 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv8.5-A (64 bit)
SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3 ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation
AM4 (PGA 1331) Socket --
AMD-V, SVM Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems macOS
Q4/2020 Release date Q3/2021
549 $ Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.3 stars (16 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 5.0 stars (30 ratings). Rate now:


Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 6 CPU benchmarks

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.80 GHz
98 (88%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
112 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.80 GHz
1189 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
796 (67%)

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.80 GHz
1636 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1534 (94%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.50 GHz
21878 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12402 (57%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.80 GHz
1727 (97%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1783 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.50 GHz
14515 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12693 (87%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.80 GHz
2199 (92%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
2397 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.50 GHz
12637 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12439 (98%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.50 GHz
308 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
192 (62%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.50 GHz
39295 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
22255 (57%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
21,878 CB R23 MC @ 131 W
167 (61%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
12,402 CB R23 MC @ 45 W
275 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.80 GHz
637 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.50 GHz
8491 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
Apple M1 Max (32 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
10600 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.50 GHz
647 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 3.70 GHz
9520 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.80 GHz
270 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 4.50 GHz
3684 (100%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)

Performance for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. The performance is given in the number (trillions) of arithmetic operations per second (TOPS).
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
12C 24T @ 3.70 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (100%)

Devices using this processor

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
Unknown Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2021)
Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2021)

News and articles for the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)

Why the new AMD Ryzen 7000 processors for the AM5 socket are currently not a good deal
Why the new AMD Ryzen 7000 processors for the AM5 socket are currently not a good deal
Posted by Stefan on 2022-10-11
At the end of September 2022, the time had come: AMD presented its latest desktop processors called AMD Ryzen 7000. Initially, 4 processors with 6 to 16 CPU cores were released.

The new socket AM5 (LGA 1718) is used for the first time, which is intended to replace the very durable socket AM4 introduced in 2017 as AMDs mainstream platform. This includes (depending on the chipset) PCIe 5.0 support as well as the exclusive use of DDR5 memory on all AM5 mainboards.

Officially, DDR5-5200 is the maximum, but with AMDs EXPO Technology which is similar to Intel's XMP 3.0, AMD now also has a solution for easy overclocking of the main memory. AMD itself names DDR5-6000 as the sweet spot for the new AMD Ryzen 7000 processors.
Most popular processors in the first half of 2022
Most popular processors in the first half of 2022
Posted by Stefan on 2022-07-05
In the past we had repeatedly written about our most popular processors. Since this format was quiet popular, I would like to continue this today and introduce you the most popular processors in the first half of 2022.

With more than 2 million page views per month, CPU-Monkey is one of the biggest comparison sites for processors and is currently available in 16 languages.
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Apple M2 Pro with more CPU cores and production in 3 nm ?
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-28
After Apple surprisingly presented the normal Apple M2 processor as the first successor to the Apple M1 already in June 2022, the Apple M2 Pro and the Apple M2 Max may follow in autumn. The difference in performance compared to the basic version could be even greater this time and range from 25 to 40 percent.

In this article we describe how Apple could realize this and why the price should also go up.
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and AMD Ryzen 7 7800X are coming in September
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X and AMD Ryzen 7 7800X are coming in September
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-20
After we published a performance assessment of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X last week, the well-known AMD leaker Greymon55 has now posted more informations via Twitter.

He predicts the first four models of the new Zen 4 desktop generation, which AMD would like to present at the end of 2022. There is also an alleged release date of September 15, 2022.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Cinebench R23 Benchmark projection
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Cinebench R23 Benchmark projection
Posted by Stefan on 2022-06-10
We give you a preview of AMD's new Zen 4 desktop processors and calculate the performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X top model for the new AM5 socket. The performance data and other technical details come directly from the press kit that AMD released as part of its Financial Analyst Day on June 9, 2022.

Up to 15 percent more single-core performance and 35 percent more multi-core performance of the 16-core model are realistic !

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