Ryzen AI Max PRO 490 vs Apple M5 Max

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Primary details

Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking165not rated
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Seriesno dataAMD Strix / Gorgon Halo
DesignerAppleAMD
Architecture codenameno dataGorgon Halo PRO (2026)
Release date3 March 2026 (less than a year ago)21 May 2026 (less than a year ago)

Detailed specifications

Basic parameters of M5 Max and Ryzen AI Max PRO 490: 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 cores18 (Octadeca-Core)12 (Dodeca-Core)
Threads1824
Base clock speed3.048 GHz3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed4.61 GHz5 GHz
L2 cache32 MB12 MB
L3 cache24 MB64 MB
Chip lithography3 nm4 nm
64 bit support++

Compatibility

Information on M5 Max and Ryzen AI Max PRO 490 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.

Socketno dataFP11

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by M5 Max and Ryzen AI Max PRO 490. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataUSB 4, XDNA 2 NPU (50 TOPS), SMT, AES, AVX, AVX2, AVX512, FMA3, MMX (+), SHA, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A
AES-NI-+
AVX-+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by M5 Max and Ryzen AI Max PRO 490. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesno dataDDR5

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataAMD Radeon 8050S ( - 2800 MHz)

Pros & cons summary


Recency 3 March 2026 21 May 2026
Physical cores 18 12
Threads 18 24
Chip lithography 3 nm 4 nm

Apple M5 Max has 50% more physical cores, and a 33% more advanced lithography process.

Ryzen AI Max PRO 490, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 months, and 33% more threads.

We couldn't decide between Apple M5 Max and AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 490. We've got no test results to judge.

Other comparisons

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Community ratings

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