Apple M5 Max vs EPYC 9965
Aggregate performance score
EPYC 9965 outperforms M5 Max by a whopping 179% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
Comparing processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 3 | 168 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.78 | no data |
| Market segment | Server | Laptop |
| Power efficiency | 7.74 | no data |
| Designer | AMD | Apple |
| Manufacturer | TSMC | no data |
| Architecture codename | Turin (2024) | no data |
| Release date | 10 October 2024 (1 year ago) | 3 March 2026 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $14,813 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Performance to price scatter graph
Currently popular graphics cards are shown for comparison.
Detailed specifications
Basic parameters of EPYC 9965 and M5 Max: 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 | 192 | 18 (Octadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 384 | 18 |
| Base clock speed | 2.25 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 3.7 GHz | 4.61 GHz |
| L1 cache | 80 KB (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 1 MB (per core) | 32 MB |
| L3 cache | 384 MB (shared) | 24 MB |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 3 nm |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
Compatibility
Information on EPYC 9965 and M5 Max 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 | 2 | no data |
| Socket | SP5 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 500 Watt | no data |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by EPYC 9965 and M5 Max. 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 EPYC 9965 and M5 Max are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | - |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by EPYC 9965 and M5 Max. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR5 | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | N/A | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by EPYC 9965 and M5 Max.
| PCIe version | 5.0 | no data |
| PCI Express lanes | 128 | no data |
Synthetic benchmarks
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance. Other than that, Passmark measures multi-core performance.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 92.79 | 33.24 |
| Recency | 10 October 2024 | 3 March 2026 |
| Physical cores | 192 | 18 |
| Threads | 384 | 18 |
EPYC 9965 has a 179% higher aggregate performance score, and 967% more physical cores and 2033% more threads.
Apple M5 Max, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year.
The AMD EPYC 9965 is our recommended choice as it beats the Apple M5 Max in performance tests.
Be aware that EPYC 9965 is a server/workstation processor while Apple M5 Max is a notebook one.
Other comparisons
We've compiled a selection of CPU comparisons, ranging from closely matched processors to other comparisons that may be of interest.
