AMD Ryzen 9 9950X vs Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD Ryzen 9 9950X CPU1 vs CPU2 Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)

CPU comparison

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X or Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-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 9950X has 16 cores with 32 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.70 GHz. Up to 256 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X was released in Q3/2024.

The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) has 16 cores with 16 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.50 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 8 memory channels. The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) was released in Q4/2024.
AMD Ryzen 9 (47) Family Apple M series (32)
AMD Ryzen 9000 (9) CPU group Apple M4 (7)
7 Generation 4
Granite Ridge (Zen 5) Architecture M4
Desktop Segment Notebook
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Predecessor Apple M3 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is a 16 core processor with a clock frequency of 4.30 GHz (5.70 GHz). The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) has 16 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 0.70 GHz (4.50 GHz).

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Characteristic Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16 Cores 16
32 Threads 16
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
Yes Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
4.30 GHz (5.70 GHz)
16x Zen 5
A-Core 0.70 GHz (4.50 GHz)
12x Donan P-Core
-- B-Core 0.74 GHz (2.85 GHz)
4x Donan E-Core

NPU AI performance

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is specified here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher. Processors with support for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Characteristic Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
-- AI hardware Apple Neural Engine
-- AI specifications 16 Neural cores @ 38 TOPS
-- NPU + CPU + iGPU --

Integrated graphics (iGPU)

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.

AMD Radeon Graphics (Raphael) GPU Apple M4 Max (40 Core)
0.40 GHz GPU frequency 0.39 GHz
2.20 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.68 GHz
9 GPU Generation --
5 nm Technology 3 nm
3 Max. displays 3
2 Compute units 640
128 Shader 5120
No Hardware Raytracing Yes
No Frame Generation No
8 GB Max. GPU Memory 32 GB
12 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.

AMD Radeon Graphics (Raphael) GPU Apple M4 Max (40 Core)
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec h264 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode Codec VP8 Decode
Decode Codec AV1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec AVC Decode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X supports a maximum of 256 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) can connect up to 128 GB of memory in 8 memory channels.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Characteristic Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
DDR5-5600 Memory LPDDR5X-8533
256 GB Max. Memory 128 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 8 (Octa Channel)
89.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 546.0 GB/s
Yes ECC No
16.00 MB L2 Cache 52.00 MB
64.00 MB L3 Cache --
5.0 PCIe version 4.0
24 PCIe lanes --
94.5 GB/s PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The TDP (Thermal Design Power) of a processor specifies the required cooling solution. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X has a TDP of 170 W, that of the Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) is --.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Characteristic Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
170 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) --
230 W TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
95 °C Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X has a 80.00 MB cache, while the Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) cache has a total of 52.00 MB.

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Characteristic Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
4 nm Technology 3 nm
Chiplet Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) Armv9-A (64 bit)
SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2,FMA3, AVX2, AVX512 ISA extensions Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation, AVX2, SME
AM5 (LGA 1718) Socket --
AMD-V, SVM Virtualization Apple Virtualization Framework
Yes AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Operating systems macOS, iPadOS
Q3/2024 Release date Q4/2024
649 $ Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.5 stars (556 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.8 stars (498 ratings). Rate now:

Average performance in benchmarks

Single core performance in 3 CPU benchmarks
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (88%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) (100%)
Multi core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (85%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) (100%)

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.70 GHz
139 (79%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.50 GHz
177 (100%)

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.70 GHz
2262 (99%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.50 GHz
2288 (100%)

Geekbench 6 Single-Core

Geekbench 6 is a partial load benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. In the single-core test, only the fastest CPU core is measured. The test run simulates the performance in practice.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.70 GHz
3410 (87%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.50 GHz
3940 (100%)

Geekbench 6 Multi-Core

The practical Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests the system's performance under partial load. The processor's maximum power consumption is far from being used up.
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.00 GHz
22430 (85%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 0.70 GHz
26263 (100%)

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
AMD Radeon Graphics (Raphael) @ 2.20 GHz
563 (3%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
Apple M4 Max (40 Core) @ 1.68 GHz
17040 (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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.70 GHz
2340 (100%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.50 GHz
0 (0%)

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.00 GHz
42871 (100%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 0.70 GHz
0 (0%)

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.70 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.50 GHz
2552 (100%)

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.00 GHz
66972 (100%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 0.70 GHz
0 (0%)

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 5.70 GHz
900 (100%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 4.50 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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 4.30 GHz
17108 (100%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 0.70 GHz
0 (0%)

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
42,871 CB R23 MC @ 195 W
220 (100%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
0.70 GHz
0 (0%)

AI performance (NPU)

The performance values of the processor's AI unit. The isolated NPU performance is given here, the total AI performance (NPU+CPU+iGPU) can be higher.

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 9950X AMD Ryzen 9 9950X
16C 32T @ 4.30 GHz
0 (0%)
Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU) Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
16C 16T @ 0.70 GHz
38 (100%)

Devices using this processor

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X Apple M4 Max (16-CPU 40-GPU)
Unknown Unknown

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