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

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


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

CPU comparison

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) or AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX - 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 Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has 10 cores with 10 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.20 GHz. Up to 64 GB of memory is supported in 4 memory channels. The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) was released in Q3/2021.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX has 8 cores with 16 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.60 GHz. The CPU supports up to 64 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX was released in Q2/2021.
Apple M series (30) Family AMD Ryzen 9 (47)
Apple M1 (9) CPU group AMD Ryzen 5000H (11)
1 Generation 4
M1 Architecture Cezanne (Zen 3)
Notebook Segment Notebook
-- Predecessor --
Apple M2 Max (38-GPU) Successor AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) is a 10 core processor with a clock frequency of 0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz). The AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX has 8 CPU cores with a clock frequency of 3.30 GHz (4.60 GHz).

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
10 Cores 8
10 Threads 16
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? No
0.60 GHz (3.20 GHz)
8x Firestorm
A-Core 3.30 GHz (4.60 GHz)
0.60 GHz (2.06 GHz)
2x Icestorm
B-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.

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

Apple M1 Max (32 Core) GPU AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Renoir)
0.39 GHz GPU frequency 0.40 GHz
1.30 GHz GPU (Turbo) 1.90 GHz
1 GPU Generation 9
5 nm Technology 7 nm
5 Max. displays 3
512 Compute units 8
4096 Shader 512
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
32 GB Max. GPU Memory 8 GB
-- DirectX Version 12

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.

Apple M1 Max (32 Core) GPU AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Renoir)
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 Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 No
Decode Codec AVC Decode / Encode
Decode Codec VC-1 Decode
Decode / Encode Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

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

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
LPDDR5-6400 Memory LPDDR4-4266, DDR4-3200
64 GB Max. Memory 64 GB
4 (Quad Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
409.6 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 51.2 GB/s
No ECC No
28.00 MB L2 Cache 4.00 MB
-- L3 Cache 16.00 MB
4.0 PCIe version 3.0
-- PCIe lanes 12
-- PCIe Bandwidth 11.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

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

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
45 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up 54 W
-- TDP down 35 W
-- Tjunction max. 105 °C

Technical details

The Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) has a 28.00 MB cache, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX cache has a total of 20.00 MB.

Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Characteristic AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
5 nm Technology 7 nm
Chiplet Chip design Chiplet
Armv8.5-A (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
-- Socket FP6
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
Yes AES-NI Yes
macOS Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q3/2021 Release date Q2/2021
-- Release price --
show more data show more data


Rate these processors

Here you can rate the Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 4.7 stars (57 ratings). Rate now:
Here you can rate the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX to help other visitors make their purchasing decisions. The average rating is 3.9 stars (28 ratings). Rate now:

Average performance in benchmarks

Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (85%)
Multi core performance in 6 CPU benchmarks
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) (98%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX (82%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
112 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
86 (77%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
796 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
578 (73%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1534 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
1478 (96%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12402 (89%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.20 GHz
13955 (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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
2397 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
1992 (83%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12439 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.20 GHz
7255 (58%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
1783 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
1510 (85%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
12693 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.20 GHz
8432 (66%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
Apple M1 Max (32 Core) @ 1.30 GHz
10600 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Renoir) @ 1.90 GHz
1946 (18%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
192 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.20 GHz
183 (95%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
22255 (98%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.20 GHz
22815 (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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
578 (100%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.20 GHz
5474 (100%)

Blender 2.81 (bmw27)

Blender is a free 3D graphics software for rendering (creating) 3D bodies, which can also be textured and animated in the software. The Blender benchmark creates predefined scenes and measures the time (s) required for the entire scene. The shorter the time required, the better. We selected bmw27 as the benchmark scene.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.20 GHz
174 (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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 3.20 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 4.60 GHz
596 (100%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
0 (0%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 3.30 GHz
5692 (100%)

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.
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
12,402 CB R23 MC @ 45 W
275 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
3.30 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).
Apple M1 Max (32-GPU) Apple M1 Max (32-GPU)
10C 10T @ 0.60 GHz
11 (100%)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
8C 16T @ 3.30 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

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

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


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