Apple M4 Max (14 cores) vs Ryzen 9 5900
Aggregate performance score
Apple M4 Max (14 cores) outperforms Ryzen 9 5900 by a moderate 13% 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 | 307 | 261 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | AMD Ryzen 9 | Apple M4 |
| Power efficiency | 12.59 | 11.51 |
| Designer | AMD | Apple |
| Manufacturer | TSMC | no data |
| Architecture codename | Vermeer (2020−2025) | no data |
| Release date | 12 January 2021 (4 years ago) | 30 November 2024 (less than a year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Ryzen 9 5900 and M4 Max (14 cores) 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 | 12 (Dodeca-Core) | 14 (Tetradeca-Core) |
| Threads | 24 | 14 |
| Base clock speed | 3 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 4.7 GHz | 4.51 GHz |
| Multiplier | 30 | no data |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | no data |
| L2 cache | 512K (per core) | no data |
| L3 cache | 64 MB | no data |
| Chip lithography | 7 nm, 12 nm | 3 nm |
| Die size | 81 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 95 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 4,150 million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Ryzen 9 5900 and M4 Max (14 cores) 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 | 1 | no data |
| Socket | AM4 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 80 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and M4 Max (14 cores). You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | + | - |
| AVX | + | - |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and M4 Max (14 cores) are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | - |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and M4 Max (14 cores). Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4-3200 | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.196 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | - | Apple M4 32-core GPU |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Ryzen 9 5900 and M4 Max (14 cores).
| PCIe version | 4.0 | no data |
Synthetic benchmark performance
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 | 21.16 | 23.81 |
| Recency | 12 January 2021 | 30 November 2024 |
| Physical cores | 12 | 14 |
| Threads | 24 | 14 |
| Chip lithography | 7 nm | 3 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 80 Watt |
Ryzen 9 5900 has 71.4% more threads, and 23.1% lower power consumption.
Apple M4 Max (14 cores), on the other hand, has a 12.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, 16.7% more physical cores, and a 133.3% more advanced lithography process.
The Apple M4 Max (14 cores) is our recommended choice as it beats the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 in performance tests.
Note that Ryzen 9 5900 is a desktop processor while Apple M4 Max (14 cores) 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.
