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Apple - M4 Ultra vs AMD - Ryzen 9 9900X3D

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M4 UltraAPPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M4 Ultra
63.1/ 100C
Cores54· 40%
Benchmarks72· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Ryzen 9 9900X3DAMDRENDER
Probe B
AMD
Ryzen 9 9900X3D
58.1/ 100C
Cores57· 40%
Benchmarks59· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M4 Ultra and Ryzen 9 9900X3D, the M4 Ultra comes out ahead in cores / cinebench r23 (multi), while the Ryzen 9 9900X3D wins on l3 cache / boost clock. Overall, the M4 Ultra scores 63.1 and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D scores 58.1 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The M4 Ultra edges ahead on the Mars Score (63.1 vs 58.1), but the 5.0-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.

Pick the M4 Ultra if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. The biggest gaps in its favor are cores, cinebench r23 (multi).

Pick the Ryzen 9 9900X3D if you care most about l3 cache / boost clock. Its strongest claims are l3 cache, boost clock.

Both ship with comparable tdp, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.

Bottom line: the M4 Ultra is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.

Why Apple - M4 Ultra wins

  • ▲Cores — 166.67% more. 32 vs 12.
  • ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 57.01% more. 52600 vs 33500.

Why AMD - Ryzen 9 9900X3D wins

  • ▲L3 cache — 100.00% more. 128 MB vs 64 MB.
  • ▲Boost clock — 22.22% more. 5.5 GHz vs 4.5 GHz.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M4 UltraAMD - Ryzen 9 9900X3D
Coresⓘ32lead12
Threadsⓘ32lead24
Base clockⓘ0 GHz4.4 GHzlead
Boost clockⓘ4.5 GHz5.5 GHzlead
L3 cacheⓘ64 MB128 MBlead

Platform

SpecApple - M4 UltraAMD - Ryzen 9 9900X3D
SocketⓘSolderedAM5
TDPⓘ120 W120 W
Integrated graphicsⓘtruetrue
DDR5ⓘtruetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M4 UltraAMD - Ryzen 9 9900X3D
Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ52600lead33500
Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ2290lead2240
Drill down

Spec-level deep dives

Cores→Threads→Base clock→Boost clock→L3 cache→Socket→TDP→Integrated graphics→DDR5→Cinebench R23 (multi)→Cinebench R23 (single)→
By manufacturer

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AMD →4

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