AMD Ryzen 3 30 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 258V Comparison

The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and AMD Ryzen 3 30 are both mobile processors aimed at thin-and-light systems, but their benchmark data reveals a stark performance gulf. While the AMD Ryzen 3 30 holds its own in aggregate scores, the Intel part dominates in every head-to-head workload measured, with the largest deltas appearing in compute-heavy tasks. The data shows the Core Ultra 7 258V is not merely faster; it is in a different performance class, leveraging a newer architecture and more cores to deliver results that are often more than double those of the Ryzen 3 30.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V wins all 11 recorded head-to-head comparisons against the AMD Ryzen 3 30. The largest victory comes in the PassMark find prime numbers test, where the Intel part scores 185 versus 20 for the AMD, a staggering 825% difference. This indicates a massive advantage in integer-heavy, single-threaded algorithmic workloads.

Floating-point math also shows a decisive Intel lead. In the PassMark floating point math test, the Core Ultra 7 258V scores 57,372, which is 297.1% higher than the Ryzen 3 30's 14,448. This suggests a significant edge for scientific simulations, 3D rendering, and any application that relies heavily on complex mathematical operations. The physics test follows a similar pattern, with Intel scoring 1,565 against AMD's 436, a delta of 258.9%, indicating superior performance in physics simulations often found in gaming and engineering software.

The gap narrows, but remains substantial, in other integer-heavy tasks. The extended instructions test shows the Intel part at 14,717 versus 6,075 for the AMD, a 142.3% advantage, highlighting better optimization for modern instruction sets like AVX. Data encryption is another strong area for Intel, with a score of 13,534 compared to AMD's 6,461, a 109.5% lead. Multithreaded performance, a key indicator of overall productivity, favors Intel by 109.2%, with scores of 18,887 and 9,027 respectively.

Even in workloads where the AMD part is relatively more competitive, Intel still holds a clear lead. In integer math, Intel scores 42,889 versus 29,846 for AMD, a 43.7% advantage. Random string sorting sees Intel at 21,580, which is 49.5% ahead of AMD's 14,431. Data compression shows a 30.1% lead for Intel (176,686 vs 135,834). The single-thread performance, measured by the PassMark single thread test, favors Intel by 63%, with scores of 4,018 and 2,465. This consistent, across-the-board victory confirms that the performance gap is not workload-specific but fundamental to the architectural differences between the two chips.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V in single-threaded performance?

A: The PassMark single thread test shows the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V scoring 4,018, which is 63% higher than the AMD Ryzen 3 30's score of 2,465. This indicates a substantial advantage in applications that rely on a single core.

Q: Which processor offers better multi-threaded performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V wins decisively. In the PassMark multithread test, it scores 18,887, a 109.2% advantage over the AMD Ryzen 3 30's 9,027. This is partly due to its 8 cores, compared to the AMD's 4 cores.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the AMD Ryzen 3 30 beats the Intel chip?

A: No. In the 11 head-to-head benchmark comparisons provided, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V wins all of them. The AMD Ryzen 3 30 does not secure a single victory.

Q: What is the most significant performance gap between the two processors?

A: The largest delta is in the PassMark find prime numbers test. The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V scores 185, which is 825% higher than the AMD Ryzen 3 30's score of 20, representing a dramatic difference in that specific workload.

Q: How do the overall average benchmark scores compare?

A: The average benchmark score for the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V is 20,454, while the AMD Ryzen 3 30 has an average of 20,137. Despite the Intel part's dominance in individual tests, the overall average scores are surprisingly close, differing by less than 2%.

Q: Are both processors in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and AMD Ryzen 3 30 are listed in the 74th percentile against all CPUs in the database, indicating they are positioned similarly relative to the wider market of processors.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures from different generations. The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V uses the Lunar Lake architecture, part of the Core Ultra Series 2, and is fabricated on a 3 nm process node by TSMC. In contrast, the AMD Ryzen 3 30 is based on the older Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Mendocino, and uses a 6 nm process node, also from TSMC. This process node advantage gives Intel a significant head start in power efficiency and transistor density.

Core and thread counts differ significantly. The Intel part is an 8-core, 8-thread processor, while the AMD Ryzen 3 30 is a 4-core, 8-thread processor. This means the Intel chip has twice as many physical cores, which is a primary driver of its superior multi-threaded performance. Cache configurations also vary widely. The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V has a 12 MB shared L3 cache and a larger 2.5 MB L2 cache per core, alongside a 192 KB L1 cache per core. The AMD Ryzen 3 30, by contrast, has a much smaller 4 MB shared L3 cache, a 512 KB L2 cache per core, and a 64 KB L1 cache per core.

Memory support also reflects their different generations. The Intel chip supports faster LPDDR5X memory with a bandwidth of 136.5 GB/s, whereas the AMD part supports LPDDR5 with a lower bandwidth of 88.0 GB/s. This memory bandwidth advantage for Intel is crucial for integrated graphics performance and memory-intensive tasks. Furthermore, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V features PCIe Gen 5 with 4 lanes, while the AMD Ryzen 3 30 is limited to PCIe Gen 3. The integrated graphics also differ, with Intel offering the Arc 140V and AMD featuring the Radeon 610M.

Specification Differences

The following specifications highlight the key differences between the two processors:

• Cores: The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V has 8 cores, while the AMD Ryzen 3 30 has 4 cores.
• Base Clock: The Intel part has a base clock of 2.20 GHz, while the AMD chip has a base clock of 2.40 GHz.
• Boost Clock: The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V boosts to 4.80 GHz, which is higher than the AMD Ryzen 3 30's boost of 4.10 GHz.
• TDP: The Intel processor has a TDP of 17 W, while the AMD processor has a lower TDP of 15 W.
• Process Node: The Intel chip is built on a 3 nm process, while the AMD chip uses a 6 nm process.
• L2 Cache: The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V has 2.5 MB per core, whereas the AMD Ryzen 3 30 has 512 KB per core.
• L3 Cache: Intel offers 12 MB shared, while AMD offers 4 MB shared.
• Memory Bandwidth: Intel supports 136.5 GB/s, significantly more than AMD's 88.0 GB/s.
• Socket: The Intel part uses Intel BGA 2833, while the AMD part uses AMD Socket FT6.
• Release Date: The Intel Core Ultra 7 258V was released on 2024-09-23, while the AMD Ryzen 3 30 has a later release date of 2025-09-30.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the benchmark data, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V is the clear winner in every measured category. Its strengths are most pronounced in computational and multi-threaded tasks. The 825% lead in find prime numbers and the 297.1% lead in floating point math make it the superior choice for scientific computing, complex simulations, and any workload that stresses the CPU's arithmetic logic units. The 109.2% advantage in multithreaded performance, driven by its 8 cores, makes it far better suited for video editing, 3D rendering, software compilation, and heavy multitasking.

The Intel part also excels in security and data-centric tasks, with a 109.5% lead in data encryption and a 49.5% lead in random string sorting. Its 63% advantage in single-threaded performance ensures snappier response in everyday applications and better performance in lightly-threaded games. The potential for its integrated Arc 140V graphics is also supported by its significantly higher memory bandwidth of 136.5 GB/s.

The AMD Ryzen 3 30, while not winning any benchmark, is not without its merits. It achieves a similar average benchmark score to the Intel part, indicating that its overall performance profile is not drastically lower in all scenarios. Its lower TDP of 15 W compared to Intel's 17 W suggests it could be a more power-efficient option for basic tasks. However, the data does not support any use case where the AMD Ryzen 3 30 is the recommended choice for performance-sensitive applications. Its wins are limited to being a lower-power, lower-core-count alternative for basic productivity, where its 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient. For any task requiring significant computational power, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V is the definitive winner.