Notebookcheck Logo

Apple M3 vs AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

Apple M3

► remove from comparison Apple M3

The Apple M3 is a system on a chip (SoC) from Apple for notebooks that was introduced in late 2023. It integrates a new 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores with up to 4.06 GHz and 4 efficiency cores running at up to 2.75 GHz. Apple claims that the CPU is up to 20% faster than in the old Apple M2 (3.5 GHz)

Due to the higher clock speeds and architecture improvements, the processor performance is also significantly better than the M2 in benchmarks (see e.g. Geekbench below) and can keep up with the fastest CPUs in short single-core tests (like the Raptor Lake i9-13950HX).

The M3 also integrates a new graphics adapter with dynamic caching, mesh shading and ray tracing acceleration called Apple M3 10-Core GPU. According to Apple, it is 20% faster than the GPU in the M2. The chip integrates again 10 GPU cores, but the cheaper variant only offers 8 cores (e.g. in the entry iMac). Later in early 2025 Apple also introduced a 9-core variant in the new iPad Air models. Furthermore, the GPU only supports 2 displays (an additional 6K60 display to the internal one).

Both GPU and CPU can access the unified memory on the package together. It is still available in 8, 16 and 24 GB variants and offers the same 100 GB/s maximum bandwidth (unlike the Pro models that feature a reduced memory bandwidth). 

The integrated 16-core Neural Engine has also been revised and now offers 18 TOPS peak performance (versus 15.8 TOPS in the M2 but 35 TOPS in the new A17 Pro). The video engine now supports AV1 decoding in hardware. H.264, HEVC and ProRes (RAW) can still be decoded and encoded.

Unfortunately, the integrated wireless network module only supports Wi-Fi 6E (no Wi-Fi 7) and due to the support of only a single external monitor, the chip also has to make do with no Thunderbolt 4 (Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 support only for up to 40 Gbit/s).

The chip is manufactured on the current 3nm TSMC process (N3B most likely) and contains 25 billion transistors (+25% vs. Apple M2). The 3nm process should also contribute to the excellent efficiency of the chip. Under load, the M3 CPU consumes approximately 20 Watt.

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X

► remove from comparison AMD R5 5600X

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a desktop processor with 6 SMT-enabled (12 threads) and based on the Zen 3 architecture. Launched in November 2020, it is the fastest 6-core Ryzen desktop processor. With a TDP of 65 watts, the Ryzen 5 5600X is the least energy-hungry model in the Zen 3 family to date.

The Ryzen 5 5600X is clocked at 3.7 GHz base clock and can be clocked up to 4.6 GHz with Precision Boost 2.

Performance

The average 5600X in our database is in the same league as the Ryzen 9 4900H and the Ryzen 7 6800HS, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. While this isn't the fastest CPU money can buy, it still rips through most workloads with ease, as of mid 2022. Find out more in our full review.

Power consumption

This Ryzen 5 series chip has a default TDP (also known as the long-term power limit) of 65 W to be in line with most desktop processors.

The R5 5600X is built with TSMC's 7 nm process for average, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

ModelApple M3AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
SeriesApple M3AMD Vermeer (Ryzen 5000)
Series: Vermeer (Ryzen 5000) Vermeer (Zen 3)
Apple M3 Max 16-Core compare2.75 - 4.06 GHz16 / 16 cores
Apple M3 Max 14-Core compare2.75 - 4.06 GHz14 / 14 cores
Apple M3 Pro 12-Core compare2.75 - 4.06 GHz12 / 12 cores
Apple M3 Pro 11-Core compare2.75 - 4.06 GHz11 / 11 cores
Apple M3 « 2.75 - 4.06 GHz8 / 8 cores
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X compare3.4 - 4.9 GHz16 / 32 cores64 MB L3
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X compare3.8 - 4.7 GHz8 / 16 cores32 MB L3
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X compare3.4 - 4.6 GHz8 / 16 cores32 MB L3
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X « 3.7 - 4.6 GHz6 / 12 cores32 MB L3
Clock2748 - 4056 MHz3700 - 4600 MHz
L2 Cache4 MB3 MB
Cores / Threads8 / 8
4 x 4.1 GHz Apple M3 P-Core
4 x 2.7 GHz Apple M3 E-Core
6 / 12
Transistors25000 Million
Technology3 nm7 nm
FeaturesARMv8 Instruction SetDDR4-3200 RAM, PCIe 4, MMX (+), SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4A, AES, AVX, AVX2, FMA3, SHA
iGPUApple M3 10-Core GPU
NPU / AI18 TOPS INT8
ArchitectureARMx86
Announced
Manufacturerwww.apple.comwww.amd.com
CodenameVermeer (Zen 3)
L1 Cache384 KB
L3 Cache32 MB
TDP65 Watt
max. Temp.95 °C
SocketAM4
$299 U.S.

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - CB R15 + R20 + 7-Zip + X265 + Blender + 3DM11 CPU - R5 5600X
37.5 pt (62%)
Restrict / Search: Model: Max. age: years
Cinebench 2024 - Cinebench 2024 CPU Single Core
100%
1 M3 +
min: 140     avg: 141     median: 141 (71%)     max: 142 Points
Cinebench 2024 - Cinebench 2024 CPU Multi Core
100%
1 M3 +
min: 576     avg: 622     median: 599.5 (11%)     max: 712 Points
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Multi Core
100%
M3 +
min: 10074     avg: 10275     median: 10298 (10%)     max: 10454 Points
11838 Points (11%)
Cinebench R23 - Cinebench R23 Single Core
100%
M3 +
min: 1900     avg: 1901     median: 1900 (77%)     max: 1904 Points
1541 Points (63%)
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Single Core)
100%
M3 +
504 Points (55%)
601 Points (65%)
Cinebench R20 - Cinebench R20 CPU (Multi Core)
100%
M3 +
2818 Points (7%)
4567 Points (11%)
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64 Bit
100%
M3 +
1499 Points (9%)
1968 Points (12%)
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64 Bit
100%
M3 +
271 Points (75%)
254 Points (70%)
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64 Bit
21.8 Points (28%)
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64 Bit
3 Points (70%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (32bit)
6462 Points (39%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (32bit)
39331 Points (28%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Multi (64bit)
69545 Points (44%)
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Rend. Single (64bit)
12563 Points (15%)
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 1024m *
113.9 s (1%)
wPrime 2.10 - wPrime 2.0 32m *
3.9 s (1%)
WinRAR - WinRAR 4.0
13282 Points (21%)
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Multi Thread 4 runs
56607 MIPS (32%)
7-Zip 18.03 - 7-Zip 18.03 Single Thread 4 runs
6594 MIPS (78%)
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 2
117 fps (3%)
X264 HD Benchmark 4.0 - x264 Pass 1
320 fps (8%)
HWBOT x265 Benchmark v2.2 - HWBOT x265 4k Preset
15.7 fps (28%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Serpent
0.9 GB/s (28%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt Twofish
1.5 GB/s (26%)
TrueCrypt - TrueCrypt AES
10.7 GB/s (28%)
Blender - Blender 3.3 Classroom CPU *
100%
1 M3 +
min: 491     avg: 590     median: 517 (7%)     max: 761 Seconds
Blender - Blender 2.79 BMW27 CPU *
100%
M3 +
min: 474     avg: 509     median: 494 (3%)     max: 558 Seconds
260.2 Seconds (2%)
R Benchmark 2.5 - R Benchmark 2.5 *
0.5 sec (10%)
3DMark 06 - CPU - 3DMark 06 - CPU
14576 Points (31%)
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 1M *
8.1 s (2%)
Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 2M *
17.5 s (1%)
Super Pi Mod 1.5 XS 32M - Super Pi mod 1.5 XS 32M *
400.9 s (2%)
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. CPU no Physx
66603 Points (51%)
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Physics
19649 Points (48%)
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Physics
88825 Points (72%)
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme Physics
88777 Points (72%)
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Physics
91500 Points (73%)
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Physics
16447 Points (42%)
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Physics
25990 Points (46%)
3DMark - 3DMark Time Spy CPU
8911 Points (38%)
Geekbench 6.5 - Geekbench 6.5 Single-Core
100%
M3 +
min: 2994     avg: 3057     median: 3054 (71%)     max: 3130 Points
2178 Points (50%)
Geekbench 6.5 - Geekbench 6.5 Multi-Core
100%
M3 +
min: 11752     avg: 11921     median: 11966 (46%)     max: 12066 Points
9023 Points (35%)
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.5 64 Bit Single-Core
100%
M3 +
min: 1286     avg: 2092     median: 2256 (76%)     max: 2350 Points
1657 Points (56%)
Geekbench 5.5 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.5 64 Bit Multi-Core
100%
M3 +
min: 10402     avg: 10603     median: 10570 (19%)     max: 10774 Points
8980 Points (16%)
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Single-Core
1587 Points (7%)
Geekbench 5.0 - Geekbench 5.0 64 Bit Multi-Core
8926 Points (28%)
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Single-Core
6953 Points (69%)
Geekbench 4.4 - Geekbench 4.1 - 4.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
35617 Points (35%)
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Kraken 1.1 Total Score *
100%
M3 +
min: 322.8     avg: 350.3     median: 362.8 (0%)     max: 373.2 ms
578 ms (1%)
Octane V2 - Octane V2 Total Score
100%
1 M3 +
min: 92645     avg: 95595     median: 96622 (64%)     max: 98093 Points
WebXPRT 4 - WebXPRT 4 Score
100%
1 M3 +
min: 313     avg: 314     median: 314 (82%)     max: 315 Points
WebXPRT 3 - WebXPRT 3 Score
100%
M3 +
min: 423     avg: 438.7     median: 445 (80%)     max: 448 Points
286 Points (51%)
Antutu v10 - AnTuTu v10 Total Score
100%
1 M3 +
min: 2045290     avg: 2096340     median: 2096340 (60%)     max: 2147390 Points
Antutu v10 - AnTuTu v10 CPU
100%
1 M3 +
min: 538633     avg: 555031     median: 555030 (55%)     max: 571428 Points
PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1 - PerformanceTest Mobile V1 CPU Tests
100%
1 M3 +
min: 21270     avg: 21339     median: 21339 (3%)     max: 21408 Points
CrossMark - CrossMark Overall
100%
M3 +
min: 1847     avg: 1850     median: 1847 (69%)     max: 1857 Points
1489 Points (56%)
Power Consumption - Prime95 Power Consumption - external Monitor *
175.8 Watt (30%)
Power Consumption - Cinebench R15 Multi Power Consumption - external Monitor *
170.1 Watt (31%)
Power Consumption - Geekbench 5.5 Power Consumption 150cd *
100%
1 M3 +
min: 7.79     avg: 7.9     median: 7.9 (3%)     max: 8.01 Watt
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption - external Monitor *
100%
1 M3 +
min: 2.63     avg: 2.8     median: 2.8 (2%)     max: 2.87 Watt
Power Consumption - Idle Power Consumption 150cd 1min *
100%
1 M3 +
min: 2.6     avg: 3.7     median: 3.9 (3%)     max: 4.7 Watt
Power Consumption - Power Efficiency - Cinebench R15 Multi external Monitor
11.6 Points per Watt (9%)

Average Benchmarks Apple M3 → 100% n=14

Average Benchmarks AMD Ryzen 5 5600X → 100% n=14

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
red legend - Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

Add one or more devices and compare

In the following list you can select (and also search for) devices that should be added to the comparison. You can select more than one device.

restrict list:
v1.35
log 13. 01:11:06

#0 ran 0s before starting gpusingle class +0s ... 0s

#1 checking url part for id 15110 +0s ... 0s

#2 checking url part for id 12785 +0s ... 0s

#3 redirected to Ajax server, took 1765584666s time from redirect:0 +0s ... 0s

#4 did not recreate cache, as it is less than 5 days old! Created at Wed, 10 Dec 2025 05:18:44 +0100 +0s ... 0s

#5 composed specs +0.007s ... 0.008s

#6 did output specs +0s ... 0.008s

#7 getting avg benchmarks for device 15110 +0.001s ... 0.008s

#8 got single benchmarks 15110 +0.008s ... 0.016s

#9 getting avg benchmarks for device 12785 +0.006s ... 0.023s

#10 got single benchmarks 12785 +0.004s ... 0.027s

#11 got avg benchmarks for devices +0s ... 0.027s

#12 min, max, avg, median took s +0.034s ... 0.062s

#13 return log +0s ... 0.062s

Please share our article, every link counts!
Mail Logo
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Benchmarks / Tech > Processor Comparison - Head 2 Head
Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)