EPYC 9456 vs Apple M5 Max
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 173 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Server |
| Designer | Apple | AMD |
| Manufacturer | no data | TSMC |
| Architecture codename | no data | Venice (2004−2026) |
| Release date | 3 March 2026 (less than a year ago) | 23 July 2026 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $5,252 |
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of M5 Max and EPYC 9456: 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 | 18 (Octadeca-Core) | 48 (Octatetraconta-Core) |
| Threads | 18 | 96 |
| Base clock speed | 3.048 GHz | 3.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.61 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| L1 cache | no data | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 32 MB | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 24 MB | 256 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 2 nm |
| Die size | no data | 4x 165 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | no data | 101,500 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on M5 Max and EPYC 9456 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 | 2 |
| Socket | no data | SP8 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | no data | 265 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M5 Max and EPYC 9456. 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 M5 Max and EPYC 9456 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M5 Max and EPYC 9456. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by M5 Max and EPYC 9456.
| PCIe version | no data | 6.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 128 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 3 March 2026 | 23 July 2026 |
| Physical cores | 18 | 48 |
| Threads | 18 | 96 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 2 nm |
EPYC 9456 has an age advantage of 4 months, 167% more physical cores and 433% more threads, and a 50% more advanced lithography process.
We couldn't decide between Apple M5 Max and AMD EPYC 9456. We've got no test results to judge.
Be aware that Apple M5 Max is a notebook processor while EPYC 9456 is a server/workstation one.
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