Apple M2 Max vs Ryzen 5 3500X
Aggregate performance score
Apple M2 Max outperforms Ryzen 5 3500X by a whopping 103% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Ryzen 5 3500X and Apple M2 Max processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 905 | 385 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | AMD Ryzen 5 | Apple M-Series |
| Power efficiency | 12.06 | 20.10 |
| Architecture codename | Matisse (2019−2020) | no data |
| Release date | 24 September 2019 (5 years ago) | 17 January 2023 (1 year ago) |
Detailed specifications
Ryzen 5 3500X and Apple M2 Max 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 12 (Dodeca-Core) |
| Threads | 6 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 2.424 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 4.1 GHz | 3.7 GHz |
| L1 cache | 96K (per core) | 3.3 MB |
| L2 cache | 512K (per core) | 36 MB |
| L3 cache | 32 MB (shared) | 48 MB |
| Chip lithography | 7 nm, 12 nm | 5 nm |
| Number of transistors | 4,800 million | 67000 Million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | + | no data |
| Unlocked multiplier | + | - |
Compatibility
Information on Ryzen 5 3500X and Apple M2 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 | 1 (Uniprocessor) | no data |
| Socket | AM4 | no data |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 79 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Ryzen 5 3500X and Apple M2 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 Ryzen 5 3500X and Apple M2 Max are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | - |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Ryzen 5 3500X and Apple M2 Max. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR4 Dual-channel | no data |
| Maximum memory size | 128 GB | no data |
| Max memory channels | 2 | no data |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.196 GB/s | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | - | Apple M2 Max 38-Core GPU |
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. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 8.28 | 16.78 |
| Recency | 24 September 2019 | 17 January 2023 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 12 |
| Threads | 6 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 7 nm | 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 79 Watt |
Ryzen 5 3500X has 21.5% lower power consumption.
Apple M2 Max, on the other hand, has a 102.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 40% more advanced lithography process.
The Apple M2 Max is our recommended choice as it beats the Ryzen 5 3500X in performance tests.
Note that Ryzen 5 3500X is a desktop processor while Apple M2 Max is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Ryzen 5 3500X and Apple M2 Max, 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.
