AMD Ryzen 3 2200G vs Intel Core i5-3550 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear, two-sided sweep in the direct comparison between the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G and the Intel Core i5-3550. In the Cinebench R15 multi-core test, the Ryzen 3 2200G scores 577 points against the Intel chip's 410 points, a decisive 40.7% advantage. This is not a marginal lead; it represents a substantial generational leap in raw multi-threaded throughput, and it sets the tone for the entire matchup.

The single-core result is even more lopsided. The Ryzen 3 2200G posts a score of 145.55 in Cinebench R15 single-core, while the Intel Core i5-3550 manages only 57. That difference translates to a staggering 155.4% delta in favor of AMD. The magnitude of this gap is unusual; most head-to-head comparisons between contemporary parts show single-thread performance within a few percentage points. Here, the older Ivy Bridge architecture is simply outclassed on a clock-for-clock and architecture-for-architecture basis.

Looking at the broader benchmark database, the two CPUs sit very close in overall average score. The Ryzen 3 2200G holds an average benchmark score of 1202, placing it in the 34th percentile of all CPUs tracked. The Intel Core i5-3550 averages 1178, landing in the 33rd percentile. These percentile positions are nearly identical, which makes the head-to-head deltas all the more striking. The aggregate data pulls in results from many different tests and workloads, and there the two chips look like contemporaries. But when the exact same test is run on both, the Ryzen part wins by a wide margin in every recorded instance.

The Ryzen 3 2200G's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i5-3330 with an average score of 1200 (a 0.2% difference), the AMD Athlon PRO 200GE also at 1200 (0.2% difference), the Intel Xeon D-1527 at 1207 (0.4% behind the Ryzen), and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V1605B at 1196 (0.5% ahead of the Ryzen). Meanwhile, the Intel Core i5-3550's closest neighbors are the Intel Core i5-4440 at 1179 (0.1% behind), the Intel Core i3-7320 at 1173 (0.4% behind), the Intel Core i7-3635QM at 1170 (0.7% behind), and the Intel Core i5-2400 at 1187 (0.7% ahead). Both chips sit in a dense cluster of mid-range desktop and mobile processors, yet the direct comparison shows AMD's newer silicon pulling far ahead.

What does this tell us? The single-core result is particularly informative. A 155.4% advantage suggests that the Ryzen 3 2200G's Zen core is dramatically more efficient at executing instructions per clock than the Ivy Bridge design. The Intel part's 3.70 GHz boost clock matches the Ryzen's 3.70 GHz boost clock, so the difference is not explained by frequency. It is an architectural gap, and it is enormous.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins the Cinebench R15 multi-core test?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G wins with a score of 577, which is 40.7% higher than the Intel Core i5-3550's 410.

Q: How large is the single-core performance gap?

A: The Ryzen 3 2200G scores 145.55 in Cinebench R15 single-core, while the Intel Core i5-3550 scores 57, giving AMD a 155.4% advantage.

Q: Do the two CPUs have the same core and thread counts?

A: Yes, both have 4 cores and 4 threads, which makes the benchmark differences purely a matter of architecture, cache, memory support, and clock behavior rather than core count.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G averages 1202 across all recorded benchmarks, and the Intel Core i5-3550 averages 1178.

Q: Which processor has the higher base clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G has a base clock of 3.50 GHz, while the Intel Core i5-3550 has a base clock of 3.30 GHz. Their boost clocks are identical at 3.70 GHz.

Q: How do their percentiles compare in the full CPU database?

A: The Ryzen 3 2200G sits in the 34th percentile of all CPUs, and the Intel Core i5-3550 sits in the 33rd percentile, so they are effectively in the same tier overall despite the large head-to-head deltas.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G is built on the Zen architecture with the Raven Ridge codename, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 4,950 million transistors into a 210 mm² die. The Intel Core i5-3550, by contrast, uses the Ivy Bridge architecture, also bearing the Ivy Bridge codename, on Intel's 22 nm process with 1,400 million transistors and a 160 mm² die. The manufacturing technology gap is significant: 14 nm versus 22 nm, and the transistor count difference is more than threefold in AMD's favor.

Cache layouts differ substantially. The Ryzen 3 2200G provides 96 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 4 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Core i5-3550 provides 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. AMD wins on per-core cache at the L1 and L2 levels, while Intel has a larger L3 pool. In practice, the head-to-head results suggest that the Ryzen's larger per-core caches and superior instruction pipeline matter more than the Intel chip's extra 2 MB of L3.

The integrated graphics also represent a major architectural divergence. The Ryzen 3 2200G includes Radeon Vega 8 graphics, while the Intel Core i5-3550 carries Intel HD 2500. The database does not record graphics benchmark results for these parts, but the presence of Vega 8 on the AMD side versus HD 2500 on the Intel side points to a very different on-die design philosophy. Raven Ridge is a modern APU that integrates a capable graphics engine alongside the CPU cores, while Ivy Bridge's HD 2500 was a basic display solution from an earlier era.

Memory support is another fundamental split. The Ryzen 3 2200G uses DDR4 memory with dual-channel support and a recorded memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. The Intel Core i5-3550 uses DDR3 memory, also dual-channel, with 25.6 GB/s bandwidth. That is nearly double the theoretical memory bandwidth in AMD's favor, which can have outsized effects on both CPU-bound and graphics-bound workloads. The PCIe connectivity also differs: the Ryzen exposes 8 PCIe Gen 3 lanes from the CPU, while the Intel part offers 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes. For a typical desktop with a discrete GPU, the Intel part has more CPU-attached lanes, but the AMD part's higher memory bandwidth may compensate in many scenarios.

The Ryzen 3 2200G has an unlocked multiplier, making it overclockable, while the Intel Core i5-3550 has a locked multiplier. The production status also tells a story: AMD's chip is listed as Active, while Intel's is End-of-life. The release dates are far apart, with the Intel part launched in 2012 and the AMD part in 2018, roughly six years of architectural progress separating the two designs.

Specification Differences

The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G has a base clock of 3.50 GHz, while the Intel Core i5-3550 has a base clock of 3.30 GHz. Both boost to 3.70 GHz. The AMD chip carries a 65 W TDP, the Intel chip a 77 W TDP. The Ryzen uses the AMD Socket AM4, the Intel part uses Intel Socket 1155. The Ryzen supports DDR4 memory with 46.9 GB/s bandwidth; the Intel part supports DDR3 with 25.6 GB/s. The Ryzen has 8 PCIe Gen 3 lanes from the CPU, the Intel has 16. The Ryzen has an unlocked multiplier; the Intel does not. The Ryzen's integrated graphics are Radeon Vega 8, versus Intel HD 2500 on the i5-3550. The Ryzen is manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries with 4,950 million transistors on a 210 mm² die; the Intel is on 22 nm at Intel with 1,400 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. Cache differs as well: 96 KB L1 and 512 KB L2 per core on the Ryzen versus 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 on the Intel, with 4 MB shared L3 on the AMD and 6 MB shared L3 on the Intel. The Ryzen is marked as Active production status, the Intel as End-of-life. The Ryzen's part number is YD2200C5M4MFBYD2200C5FBBOXYD2200C5FBMPK, and the Intel's is SR0P0.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the recorded benchmarks, the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G wins everywhere the two are directly compared. It takes the multi-core Cinebench R15 test by 40.7% and the single-core test by 155.4%. There are no recorded head-to-head tests where the Intel Core i5-3550 comes out ahead. The wins tally stands at 2 for AMD and 0 for Intel in the direct comparison set.

That said, the Intel part has a few structural advantages that could matter in specific system configurations. Its 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes from the CPU, versus 8 on the Ryzen, give it more direct bandwidth for multiple add-in cards or high-throughput devices. Its larger 6 MB shared L3 cache could benefit certain cache-sensitive workloads, though the recorded benchmarks do not show this translating into a win. And its 77 W TDP, while higher, is still a modest power envelope for a desktop chip. But the database does not include benchmark results that favor the Intel part, so any such advantage remains speculative from the data available.

The Ryzen 3 2200G, meanwhile, offers a combination that the Intel part cannot match: higher memory bandwidth, a much more modern process node, a more advanced architecture, and an unlocked multiplier. For workloads that stress single-threaded performance, memory throughput, or integrated graphics capability, the AMD chip is the clear choice according to the numbers.

The Verdict

The data points to a decisive conclusion: the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G is the superior processor in this matchup. It wins both recorded head-to-head benchmarks by large margins, has a higher average benchmark score (1202 versus 1178), sits at a slightly higher percentile (34th versus 33rd), supports faster DDR4 memory with nearly double the bandwidth, and is built on a more advanced 14 nm process with over three times the transistor count. It also has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, whereas the Intel Core i5-3550 is locked. The Intel part's only numerical advantages are its larger L3 cache (6 MB versus 4 MB), its higher PCIe lane count from the CPU (16 versus 8), and its lower launch MSRP (the Intel chip launched at $194, which the Ryzen undercut at $99, though the database records the AMD part's launch MSRP as $99 and the Intel's as $194; pricing considerations are noted here only as recorded launch values).

For a buyer assembling a new system today, the Ryzen 3 2200G is the obvious pick: it is active in production, supports modern DDR4 memory on the AM4 platform, and delivers dramatically better single-core and multi-core performance in the recorded tests. The Intel Core i5-3550, given its end-of-life status, older DDR3 platform, and 2012 release date, is a legacy part that the benchmark data shows trailing by a wide margin. Anyone building around a used i5-3550 would be accepting a 40.7% multi-core deficit and a 155.4% single-core deficit relative to the Ryzen, with no recorded test where the Intel chip pulls ahead. The verdict is unambiguous: the Ryzen 3 2200G is the stronger processor by every metric the database records.