Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) vs AMD Ryzen 5 1600X

Last updated: 2024-03-18

CPU comparison with benchmarks


Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU)		AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
CPU comparison Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X - 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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) has 12 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 4.06 GHz. Up to 36 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) was released in Q4/2023. The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X has 6 cores with 12 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 3.70 GHz. The CPU supports up to 64 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X was released in Q1/2017.

Apple M series (25)	Family	AMD Ryzen 5 (85)
Apple M3 (6)	CPU group	AMD Ryzen 1000 (15)
3	Generation	1
M3	Architecture	Summit Ridge (Zen)
Mobile	Segment	Desktop / Server
Apple M2 Pro (12-CPU 19-GPU)	Predecessor	--
--	Successor	--

CPU Cores and Base Frequency The Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) has 12 CPU cores and can calculate 12 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) is 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) while the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X has 6 CPU cores and 12 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X is at 3.30 GHz (3.70 GHz).
Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU)	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
12	Cores	6
12	Threads	12
hybrid (big.LITTLE)	Core architecture	normal
No	Hyperthreading	Yes
No	Overclocking ?	Yes
0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) 6x P-Core	A-Core	3.30 GHz (3.70 GHz)
0.74 GHz (2.75 GHz) 6x E-Core	B-Core	--
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.
Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU)	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
Apple Neural Engine	AI hardware	--
16 Neural cores @ 35 TOPS	AI specifications	--

Internal Graphics The Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
Apple M3 Pro (18 Core)	GPU	no iGPU
0.39 GHz	GPU frequency	--
1.40 GHz	GPU (Turbo)	--
--	GPU Generation	--
3 nm	Technology
3	Max. displays
288	Compute units	--
2304	Shader	--
Yes	Hardware Raytracing	No
No	Frame Generation	No
36 GB	Max. GPU Memory	--
--	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.
Apple M3 Pro (18 Core)	GPU	no iGPU
Decode / Encode	Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit)	No
Decode / Encode	Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit)	No
Decode / Encode	Codec h264	No
Decode / Encode	Codec VP9	No
Decode	Codec VP8	No
Decode	Codec AV1	No
Decode	Codec AVC	No
Decode	Codec VC-1	No
Decode / Encode	Codec JPEG	No

Memory & PCIe The Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) can use up to 36 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 153.6 GB/s. The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X supports up to 64 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 42.7 GB/s.
Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU)	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
LPDDR5-6400	Memory	DDR4-2666
36 GB	Max. Memory	64 GB
2 (Dual Channel)	Memory channels	2 (Dual Channel)
153.6 GB/s	Max. Bandwidth	42.7 GB/s
No	ECC	Yes
36.00 MB	L2 Cache	--
--	L3 Cache	16.00 MB
4.0	PCIe version	3.0
--	PCIe lanes	20
--	PCIe Bandwidth	19.7 GB/s
Thermal Management The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) is 35 W, while the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X has a TDP of 95 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.
Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU)	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
35 W	TDP (PL1 / PBP)	95 W
--	TDP (PL2)	--
--	TDP up	--
--	TDP down	--
100 °C	Tjunction max.	95 °C
Technical details The Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) is manufactured in 3 nm and has 36.00 MB cache. The AMD Ryzen 5 1600X is manufactured in 14 nm and has a 16.00 MB cache.
Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU)	Characteristic	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
3 nm	Technology	14 nm
Chiplet	Chip design	Monolithic
Armv8-A (64 bit)	Instruction set (ISA)	x86-64 (64 bit)
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation	ISA extensions	SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, FMA3
--	Socket	AM4 (PGA 1331)
Apple Virtualization Framework	Virtualization	AMD-V, SVM
Yes	AES-NI	Yes
macOS, iPadOS	Operating systems	Windows 10, Linux
Q4/2023	Release date	Q1/2017
--	Release price	245 $

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Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 0.70 GHz (4.06 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save! AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.30 GHz (3.70 GHz) buy now on Amazon and save!

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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks

Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) (100%)

AMD Ryzen 5 1600X (42%)

⌀ Multi core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks

Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) (100%)

AMD Ryzen 5 1600X (39%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 4.06 GHz	142 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz	59 (42%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 4.06 GHz	1059 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz	411 (39%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 4.06 GHz	1928 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz	942 (49%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.80 GHz	15061 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	6470 (43%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 4.06 GHz	2314 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz	950 (41%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.80 GHz	15235 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	5220 (34%)

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.


	Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 4.06 GHz	3152 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz	1167 (37%)

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.


	Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.80 GHz	15619 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	5089 (33%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.80 GHz	27304 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	13207 (48%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 4.06 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz	389 (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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.80 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	2764 (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.


	Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) Apple M3 Pro (18 Core) @ 1.40 GHz	6390 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X @ 0.00 GHz	0 (0%)

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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.80 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	323.8 (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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.80 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	415 (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 M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 0.70 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.30 GHz	3367 (100%)

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.


	Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 4.06 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.70 GHz	151 (100%)

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.


	Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 3.80 GHz	0 (0%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.50 GHz	1126 (100%)

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).


	Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) 12C 12T @ 0.70 GHz	35 (100%)
	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X 6C 12T @ 3.30 GHz	0 (0%)

Devices using this processor
Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU)	AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2023) Apple MacBook Pro 16 (2023)	Unknown

News and articles for the Apple M3 Pro (12-CPU 18-GPU) and the AMD Ryzen 5 1600X

The evolution of AMD Ryzen processors

Posted by Stefan on 2022-09-06

The AMD Ryzen processors are designed for the mid to high-end range and are grouped into the Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 classes. AMD follows the market leader Intel, which groups its Core i series (Intel Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9) identically.

The AMD Ryzen processors were first introduced by AMD in Q1 2017. They are the successor to the not particularly successful AMD Bulldozer processors. The latter were manufactured using an outdated manufacturing process and could not keep up with the competing products from Intel. AMD lost a large portion of its desktop processor market share during this period.

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