AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9955WX VS Apple M5

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9955WX is a desktop processor, while the Apple M5 is designed for laptops. This marks a significant difference in their intended usage, with the Threadripper being aimed at high-performance desktop environments and the M5 being tailored for more portable devices.

In terms of integrated graphics, the AMD processor does not include integrated graphics, whereas the Apple M5 does. This means that the M5 could provide better graphics capabilities without the need for a discrete GPU, unlike the Threadripper, which would rely on a dedicated graphics card for graphical output.

Regarding the semiconductor size, the Threadripper uses a 4 nm process, while the M5 is built on a smaller 3 nm process. The smaller semiconductor size in the M5 could indicate potential efficiency improvements, but this depends on other factors like architecture and power consumption. Both processors support 64-bit computing, which is common in modern processors and ensures compatibility with the latest software.

The AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9955WX features a CPU speed of 16 x 4.5 GHz, with a total of 32 threads, and it has an unlocked multiplier, which can be useful for overclocking. In comparison, the Apple M5 has a more varied configuration with 4 cores running at 4.6 GHz and 6 cores at 3.2 GHz, totaling 10 threads. The M5 also lacks an unlocked multiplier, meaning it is less flexible for manual overclocking.

Both processors have an L2 cache of 16 MB, so there is no difference here. However, the L1 cache differs significantly: the Threadripper has a much larger 1280 KB L1 cache, compared to just 320 KB on the M5. This may affect data access speeds for certain workloads.

In terms of architecture, the Threadripper does not use big.LITTLE technology, while the M5 does. This indicates that the M5 has a combination of high-performance and power-efficient cores, potentially optimizing for different tasks in a power-conscious manner, whereas the Threadripper relies entirely on high-performance cores.

Both the AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9955WX and the Apple M5 support a maximum RAM speed of 6400 MHz and use DDR5 memory. This means they both have the same memory speed capabilities and memory version, which should ensure high-performance memory access in both cases.

The maximum memory amount supported by the two products differs significantly. The Threadripper Pro 9955WX can handle up to 2000 GB of RAM, which is far larger than the M5's maximum of 64 GB. This substantial difference reflects the Threadripper’s focus on high-end desktop environments that require massive memory capacity.

In terms of ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory support, the Threadripper supports ECC, which can improve system stability, especially for data-intensive tasks. In contrast, the Apple M5 does not support ECC memory, which may make it less suitable for environments where data integrity is critical.

Both the AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 9955WX and the Apple M5 feature the NX bit (No eXecute bit), which is a security feature designed to prevent certain types of attacks by marking memory regions as non-executable. This feature is present in both processors, ensuring an added layer of security for systems using either of them.

Since both products include the NX bit, there is no difference in this specific feature between the two processors.