Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
vs
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

vs

CPU Comparison Result

Below are the results of a comparison of Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU) and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D processors based on key performance characteristics, as well as power consumption and much more.

Advantages

  • More Total Cores: 18 (18 vs 16)
  • Higher Technology: Third-generation 3 nm (Third-generation 3 nm vs TSMC 4nm FinFET)
  • Newer Launch Date: March 2026 (March 2026 vs March 2025)
  • Higher Max Turbo Frequency: Up to 5.7 GHz (4.61 GHz vs Up to 5.7 GHz)

Basic

Apple
Label Name
AMD
March 2026
Launch Date
March 2025
Laptop
Platform
Desktop
Apple custom ARM architecture
CPU Architecture
-
Apple M5 Max
CPU Name
-
Apple M5 Max 32-Core GPU
Model Name
?
The Intel processor number is just one of several factors - along with processor brand, system configurations, and system-level benchmarks - to be considered when choosing the right processor for your computing needs.
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
-
Code Name
Granite Ridge AM5
TSMC N3P
Foundry
-
M5 Max
Generation
Zen 5
-
OS Support
Windows 11 - 64-Bit Edition, Windows 10 - 64-Bit Edition, RHEL x86 64-Bit, Ubuntu x86 64-Bit

CPU Specifications

Apple Fusion Architecture
Interconnect Technology
-
12
Performance Cores
-
4.38 GHz
Performance-core Multi-Core Max Frequency
-
6
Prime Cores
-
4.61 GHz
Prime-core Multi-Core Max Frequency
-
18
Total Cores
?
Cores is a hardware term that describes the number of independent central processing units in a single computing component (die or chip).
16
18
Total Threads
?
Where applicable, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology is only available on Performance-cores.
32
-
Basic Frequency
4.3 GHz
4.61 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency
?
Max Turbo Frequency is the maximum single-core frequency at which the processor is capable of operating using Intel® Turbo Boost Technology and, if present, Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 and Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost. Frequency is typically measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billion cycles per second.
Up to 5.7 GHz
-
L1 Cache
1280 KB
-
L2 Cache
16 MB
-
L3 Cache
128 MB
-
CPU Socket
?
The socket is the component that provides the mechanical and electrical connections between the processor and motherboard.
AM5
-
Unlocked for Overclocking
?
AMD`s product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking, even when overclocking is enabled via AMD hardware and/or software. GD-26.
Yes
Third-generation 3 nm
Technology
?
Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.
TSMC 4nm FinFET
-
TDP
170W
-
Max. Operating Temperature
?
Junction Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor die.
95°C
-
PCI Express Version
?
PCI Express Revision is the supported version of the PCI Express standard. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.
PCIe® 5.0
-
Instruction Set
?
The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. There are many manufacturers that design CPUs, which results in different instruction sets, such as the 8086 instruction set for the Intel camp and the RISC instruction set for the ARM camp. x86, ARM v8, and MIPS are all codes for instruction sets. Instruction sets can be extended; for example, x86 added 64-bit support to create x86-64. Manufacturers developing CPUs that are compatible with a certain instruction set need authorization from the instruction set patent holder. A typical example is Intel authorizing AMD, enabling the latter to develop CPUs compatible with the x86 instruction set.
x86-64

Memory Specifications

LPDDR5X unified memory
Memory Type
?
Intel® processors come in four different types: Single Channel, Dual Channel, Triple Channel, and Flex Mode. Maximum supported memory speed may be lower when populating multiple DIMMs per channel on products that support multiple memory channels.
DDR5
36 GB
Max Memory Size
?
Max memory size refers to the maximum memory capacity supported by the processor.
256 GB
-
Memory Channels
?
The number of memory channels refers to the bandwidth operation for real world application.
2
460 GB/s
Max Memory Bandwidth
?
Max Memory bandwidth is the maximum rate at which data can be read from or stored into a semiconductor memory by the processor (in GB/s).
-
9600 MT/s
Maximum Memory Speed
2x1R DDR5-5600, 2x2R DDR5-5600, 4x1R DDR5-3600, 4x2R DDR5-3600
-
ECC Memory Support
Yes (Requires mobo support)

GPU Specifications

Thunderbolt / DisplayPort 2.1 over USB-C; HDMI
External Display Standard
-
Apple M5 Max 32-core GPU
GPU Name
-
Supported
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
-
Up to four external displays: four displays up to 6K at 60Hz or 4K at 144Hz; or two displays up to 8K at 60Hz, 5K at 120Hz or 4K at 240Hz
Max External Display Resolution
-
H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW, AV1; hardware-accelerated; frame rate not disclosed
Video Decode
-
H.264, HEVC, ProRes, ProRes RAW; hardware-accelerated; frame rate not disclosed
Video Encode
-
-
Integrated Graphics Model
?
An integrated GPU refers to the graphics core that is integrated into the CPU processor. Leveraging the processor's powerful computational capabilities and intelligent power efficiency management, it delivers outstanding graphics performance and a smooth application experience at a lower power consumption.
AMD Radeon™ Graphics
32
Graphics Core Count
2
-
Graphics Frequency
?
Graphics max dynamic frequency refers to the maximum opportunistic graphics render clock frequency (in MHz) that can be supported using Intel® HD Graphics with Dynamic Frequency feature.
2200 MHz
Up to 8K at 60Hz or 4K at 240Hz
Max Resolution
-
Metal
GPU APIs
-
Hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes and ProRes RAW; AV1 decode
Media Engine
-
1
Video Decode Engines
-
2
Video Encode Engines
-
2
ProRes Encode/Decode Engines
-

AI Specifications

Apple Neural Engine with Neural Accelerators in GPU cores
AI Engine
-
16
Neural Engine Core Count
-
16-core Neural Engine
NPU Name
-

Connectivity

Supported
Bluetooth Support
-
6
Bluetooth Version
-
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Wi-Fi Standard
-
Apple N1 wireless networking chip
Wireless System
-

Interfaces and Ports

-
NVMe Support
Boot, RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, RAID10
Thunderbolt 5
Thunderbolt Support
-
USB 4 up to 120Gb/s
USB Version
-
Supported
USB4 Support
-

Miscellaneous

-
Official Website
Memory Integrity Enforcement
Runtime Anti-Exploitation
-

Benchmarks

Cinebench R23 Single Core
Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
2634 +21%
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
2185
Cinebench R23 Multi Core
Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
30460
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
42688 +40%
Geekbench 6 Single Core
Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
4235 +32%
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
3219
Geekbench 6 Multi Core
Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
28746 +29%
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
22328
Passmark CPU Single Core
Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
5947 +25%
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
4739
Passmark CPU Multi Core
Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
57701
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
69701 +21%
Cinebench 2024 Single Core
Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
196 +46%
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
134
Cinebench 2024 Multi Core
Apple M5 Max (32-core GPU)
2106
Ryzen 9 9950X3D
2254 +7%