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Head-to-head

Apple - M5 vs AMD - Ryzen 9 7950X

Last updated · How Mars Score works
M5APPLERENDER
Probe A
Apple
M5
46.0/ 100D
Cores47· 40%
Benchmarks45· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Ryzen 9 7950XAMDRENDER
Probe B
AMD
Ryzen 9 7950X
59.7/ 100C
Cores57· 40%
Benchmarks62· 40%
Platform—· 20%
Quick verdict

Between the M5 and Ryzen 9 7950X, the M5 comes out ahead in tdp, while the Ryzen 9 7950X wins on l3 cache and cinebench r23 (multi). Overall, the M5 scores 46 and the Ryzen 9 7950X scores 59.7 on our Mars Score.

Buying advice

Which should you buy?

The Ryzen 9 7950X is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 13.7 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 7950X 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), cores, among others.

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

Bottom line: the Ryzen 9 7950X 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 — 148.00 W less. 22 vs 170.

Why AMD - Ryzen 9 7950X wins

  • ▲L3 cache — 220.00% more. 64 MB vs 20 MB.
  • ▲Cinebench R23 (multi) — 147.44% more. 38600 vs 15600.
  • ▲Cores — 60.00% more. 16 vs 10.
  • ▲Boost clock — 23.91% more. 5.7 GHz vs 4.6 GHz.
Full readout

Spec comparison

Cores

SpecApple - M5AMD - Ryzen 9 7950X
Coresⓘ1016lead
Threadsⓘ1032lead
Base clockⓘ0 GHz4.5 GHzlead
Boost clockⓘ4.6 GHz5.7 GHzlead
L3 cacheⓘ20 MB64 MBlead

Platform

SpecApple - M5AMD - Ryzen 9 7950X
SocketⓘSolderedAM5
TDPⓘ22 Wlead170 W
Integrated graphicsⓘtruetrue
DDR5ⓘtruetrue

Benchmarks

SpecApple - M5AMD - Ryzen 9 7950X
Cinebench R23 (multi)ⓘ1560038600lead
Cinebench R23 (single)ⓘ2150lead2050
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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