i9-9960X vs Apple M4 Max (16 cores)
Aggregate performance score
Apple M4 Max (16 cores) outperforms Core i9-9960X by a considerable 47% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 165 | 309 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 4.94 |
| Market segment | Laptop | Desktop processor |
| Series | Apple M4 | Intel Core i9 |
| Power efficiency | 29.33 | 10.87 |
| Architecture codename | no data | Skylake (server) (2017−2018) |
| Release date | 30 October 2024 (less than a year ago) | 19 October 2018 (6 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $1,684 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X 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) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 16 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 3.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.51 GHz | 4.5 GHz |
| Bus type | no data | DMI 3.0 |
| Bus rate | no data | 4 × 8 GT/s |
| Multiplier | no data | 31 |
| L1 cache | no data | 64 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | no data | 1 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | no data | 22 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | no data | 484 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 85 °C |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | no data | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X 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 | FCLGA2066 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 90 Watt | 165 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Turbo Boost Max 3.0 | no data | + |
Security technologies
Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| EDB | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4-2666 |
| Maximum memory size | no data | 128 GB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 4 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | no data | 85.33 GB/s |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | Apple M4 40-core GPU | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X.
| PCIe version | no data | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | no data | 44 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 28.04 | 19.05 |
| Recency | 30 October 2024 | 19 October 2018 |
| Threads | 16 | 32 |
| Chip lithography | 3 nm | 14 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 90 Watt | 165 Watt |
Apple M4 Max (16 cores) has a 47.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 6 years, a 366.7% more advanced lithography process, and 83.3% lower power consumption.
i9-9960X, on the other hand, has 100% more threads.
The Apple M4 Max (16 cores) is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i9-9960X in performance tests.
Be aware that Apple M4 Max (16 cores) is a notebook processor while Core i9-9960X is a desktop one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Apple M4 Max (16 cores) and Core i9-9960X, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Similar processor comparisons
We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.
