Ryzen 9 3900X vs Apple M4 Max (16 cores)
Aggregate performance score
Apple M4 Max (16 cores) outperforms Ryzen 9 3900X by a substantial 36% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing M4 Max (16 cores) and Ryzen 9 3900X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 167 | 275 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 21.56 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple M4 | AMD Ryzen 9 |
| Power efficiency | 29.43 | 15.52 |
| Architecture codename | no data | Matisse (Zen 2) (2019−2020) |
| Release date | 30 October 2024 (less than a year ago) | 7 July 2019 (5 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $499 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
M4 Max (16 cores) and Ryzen 9 3900X basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 24 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 3.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.51 GHz | 4.6 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 96K (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 512K (per core) |
| L3 cache | no data | 64 MB |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 7 nm, 12 nm |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 95 °C |
| Number of transistors | no data | 19,200 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on M4 Max (16 cores) and Ryzen 9 3900X compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | no data | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | no data | AM4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 90 Watt | 125 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M4 Max (16 cores) and Ryzen 9 3900X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by M4 Max (16 cores) and Ryzen 9 3900X are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M4 Max (16 cores) and Ryzen 9 3900X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4 Dual-channel |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 51.196 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M4 40-core GPU | - |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 27.79 | 20.36 |
| Recency | 30 October 2024 | 7 July 2019 |
| Physical cores | 16 | 12 |
| Threads | 16 | 24 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 90 Watt | 125 Watt |
Apple M4 Max (16 cores) has a 36.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, 33.3% more physical cores, a 133.3% more advanced lithography process, and 38.9% lower power consumption.
Ryzen 9 3900X, on the other hand, has 50% more threads.
The M4 Max (16 cores) is our recommended choice as it beats the Ryzen 9 3900X in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M4 Max (16 cores) is a notebook processor while Ryzen 9 3900X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Ryzen 9 3900X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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