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Head-to-head

Apple - M5 vs AMD - Ryzen 9 9900X

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M5APPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M5
46.0/ 100D
Cores47· 40%
Benchmarks45· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Ryzen 9 9900XAMDRENDER
Probe B
AMD
Ryzen 9 9900X
56.6/ 100D
Cores55· 40%
Benchmarks58· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M5 and Ryzen 9 9900X, the M5 comes out ahead in tdp, while the Ryzen 9 9900X wins on l3 cache and cinebench r23 (multi). Overall, the M5 scores 46 and the Ryzen 9 9900X scores 56.6 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The Ryzen 9 9900X is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 10.6 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.

Pick the M5 if you care most about tdp. The biggest gaps in its favor are tdp.

Pick the Ryzen 9 9900X if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are l3 cache, cinebench r23 (multi), boost clock, among others.

There are no meaningful ties on the headline specs — every popular-comparison metric has a winner.

Bottom line: the Ryzen 9 9900X is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.

Why Apple - M5 wins

  • ▲TDP — 98.00 W less. 22 vs 120.

Why AMD - Ryzen 9 9900X wins

  • ▲L3 cache — 220.00% more. 64 MB vs 20 MB.
  • ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 108.33% more. 32500 vs 15600.
  • ▲Boost clock — 21.74% more. 5.6 GHz vs 4.6 GHz.
  • ▲Cores — 20.00% more. 12 vs 10.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M5AMD - Ryzen 9 9900X
Coresⓘ1012lead
Threadsⓘ1024lead
Base clockⓘ0 GHz4.4 GHzlead
Boost clockⓘ4.6 GHz5.6 GHzlead
L3 cacheⓘ20 MB64 MBlead

Platform

SpecApple - M5AMD - Ryzen 9 9900X
SocketⓘSolderedAM5
TDPⓘ22 Wlead120 W
Integrated graphicsⓘtruetrue
DDR5ⓘtruetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M5AMD - Ryzen 9 9900X
Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ1560032500lead
Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ21502230lead
Reader questions

Frequently asked

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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