M4 Max (16 cores) vs Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

M4 Max (16 cores)

2024

Why buy it

✅+1.9% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 4W instead of 55W, a 51W reduction.
✅42.9% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (43,174 vs 43,985).
❌Launch MSRP is still $600 MSRP, while M4 Max (16 cores) mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1275% higher power demand at 55W vs 4W.

M4 Max (16 cores)

2024

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

2025

Why buy it

✅+1.9% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 4W instead of 55W, a 51W reduction.
✅42.9% more PCIe lanes (40 vs 28) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (43,174 vs 43,985).
❌Launch MSRP is still $600 MSRP, while M4 Max (16 cores) mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1275% higher power demand at 55W vs 4W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 better than M4 Max (16 cores)?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is ahead with a 19.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, M4 Max (16 cores) pulls ahead with 1.9% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, M4 Max (16 cores) is the better fit. You are getting 1.9% better PassMark, backed by 16 cores and 16 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is at an unclear MSRP at $600 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 19.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The trade-off is that M4 Max (16 cores) is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 1.9% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (72.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2024). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

M4 Max (16 cores) Benchmark Check

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	M4 Max (16 cores)	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390
1080p
low	180 FPS	286 FPS
medium	145 FPS	253 FPS
high	119 FPS	213 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	185 FPS
1440p
low	146 FPS	266 FPS
medium	115 FPS	211 FPS
high	95 FPS	165 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	147 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	184 FPS
medium	69 FPS	147 FPS
high	55 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	97 FPS

Open M4 Max (16 cores)Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	M4 Max (16 cores)	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390
1080p
low	465 FPS	778 FPS
medium	383 FPS	656 FPS
high	327 FPS	517 FPS
ultra	288 FPS	459 FPS
1440p
low	400 FPS	654 FPS
medium	343 FPS	572 FPS
high	299 FPS	463 FPS
ultra	254 FPS	378 FPS
4K
low	278 FPS	368 FPS
medium	245 FPS	326 FPS
high	226 FPS	300 FPS
ultra	196 FPS	264 FPS

Open M4 Max (16 cores)Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	M4 Max (16 cores)	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390
1080p
low	812 FPS	1021 FPS
medium	655 FPS	783 FPS
high	593 FPS	685 FPS
ultra	518 FPS	580 FPS
1440p
low	632 FPS	818 FPS
medium	516 FPS	635 FPS
high	468 FPS	551 FPS
ultra	404 FPS	469 FPS
4K
low	466 FPS	565 FPS
medium	368 FPS	460 FPS
high	331 FPS	409 FPS
ultra	264 FPS	342 FPS

Open M4 Max (16 cores)Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	M4 Max (16 cores)	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390
1080p
low	1026 FPS	1079 FPS
medium	924 FPS	1015 FPS
high	809 FPS	912 FPS
ultra	718 FPS	811 FPS
1440p
low	817 FPS	895 FPS
medium	718 FPS	788 FPS
high	629 FPS	689 FPS
ultra	553 FPS	605 FPS
4K
low	562 FPS	658 FPS
medium	503 FPS	582 FPS
high	453 FPS	514 FPS
ultra	399 FPS	437 FPS

Open M4 Max (16 cores)Open Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of M4 Max (16 cores) and Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

M4 Max (16 cores)

The M4 Max (16 cores) is manufactured by Apple. It was released in 30 October 2024 (1 year ago). It features 16 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2.75 GHz, with boost up to 4.51 GHz. Built on 3 nm process technology. Socket: none. Thermal design power (TDP): 4 MB. Memory support: LPDDR5X. Passmark benchmark score: 43,985 points. Launch price was $499.

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

The Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Strix Halo (2025) architecture. It features 12 cores and 24 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 5 GHz. L3 cache: 64 MB (total). L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP11. Thermal design power (TDP): 55 Watt. Memory support: DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 43,174 points. Launch price was $499.

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Processing Power

The M4 Max (16 cores) packs 16 cores / 16 threads, while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 offers 12 cores / 24 threads — the M4 Max (16 cores) has 4 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.51 GHz on the M4 Max (16 cores) versus 5 GHz on the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 — a 10.3% clock advantage for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 (base: 2.75 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is built on the Strix Halo (2025) architecture. In PassMark, the M4 Max (16 cores) scores 43,985 against the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390's 43,174 — a 1.9% lead for the M4 Max (16 cores).

Feature	M4 Max (16 cores)	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390
Cores / Threads	16 / 16+33%	12 / 24
Boost Clock	4.51 GHz	5 GHz+11%
Base Clock	2.75 GHz	3.2 GHz+16%
L3 Cache	—	64 MB (total)
L2 Cache	—	1 MB (per core)
Process	3 nm-25%	4 nm
Architecture	—	Strix Halo (2025)
PassMark	43,985+2%	43,174
Geekbench 6 Single	4,060	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	26,675	—

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Memory & Platform

The M4 Max (16 cores) uses the none socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 uses FP11 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to Unified Memory memory speed. Both support up to 128 GB of RAM. Memory channels: 8 (M4 Max (16 cores)) vs 4 (Ryzen AI Max PRO 390). PCIe lanes: 40 (M4 Max (16 cores)) vs 28 (Ryzen AI Max PRO 390) — the M4 Max (16 cores) offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: Apple Silicon (M4 Max (16 cores)) and Strix Halo (Ryzen AI Max PRO 390).

Feature	M4 Max (16 cores)	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390
Socket	none	FP11
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	Unified Memory	8000
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB+104857500%	128
RAM Channels	8+100%	4
ECC Support	Yes	Yes
PCIe Lanes	40+43%	28

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Advanced Features

Only the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking — a significant advantage for enthusiasts seeking extra performance. Only the Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 supports AVX-512 instructions — important for machine learning and scientific applications. Virtualization support: Apple Virtualization (M4 Max (16 cores)) vs VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V (Ryzen AI Max PRO 390). Both include integrated graphics — Apple 40-core GPU (M4 Max (16 cores)) and AMD Radeon 8050S (Ryzen AI Max PRO 390) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: M4 Max (16 cores) targets Professional Laptop. Direct competitor: M4 Max (16 cores) rivals Ryzen AI Max PRO 390; Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 rivals Apple M4 Max.

Feature	M4 Max (16 cores)	Ryzen AI Max PRO 390
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Apple 40-core GPU	AMD Radeon 8050S
Unlocked	No	Yes
AVX-512	No	Yes
Virtualization	Apple Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d, AMD-V
Target Use	Professional Laptop	—