AMD Ryzen 3 4300G vs Intel Core i3-10320 Comparison

# Intel Core i3-10320 vs AMD Ryzen 3 4300G

The Intel Core i3-10320 and AMD Ryzen 3 4300G are both 4-core, 8-thread desktop processors that occupy the same percentile rank (69th) among all CPUs, yet their benchmark results reveal sharply different strengths. Across 17 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, the Intel part wins 16 while the AMD part takes only one, but that single victory is so dominant that it changes the practical calculus for specific workloads. Both processors share the same 3.80 GHz base clock, but their architectural approaches diverge fundamentally — Intel uses a 14 nm Comet Lake design with a 4.60 GHz boost, while AMD uses TSMC's 7 nm process with a 4.00 GHz boost and a 65 W TDP compared to Intel's 91 W.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i3-10320 establishes dominance across nearly every general-purpose and compute-intensive workload. In Cinebench testing, it wins all six benchmarks, though by narrow margins — the multicore R15, R20, and R23 deltas are all 1.2%, while single-core deltas range from 0.8% to 1.2%. This consistency suggests the Intel part's higher 4.60 GHz boost clock provides a small but repeatable advantage in both lightly-threaded and fully-loaded rendering tasks. The PassMark suite tells a similar story, with Intel winning data compression (140255 vs 137681, a 1.9% delta), extended instructions (9284 vs 9148, 1.5%), floating-point math (19483 vs 17577, 10.8%), and integer math (31071 vs 29737, 4.5%).

The largest Intel victories come in workloads that favor raw frequency and memory latency. PassMark physics shows a 51.8% advantage (689 vs 454), and find prime numbers shows a 60% lead (32 vs 20). Random string sorting is another substantial win at 22.9% (17821 vs 14503), and single-thread performance is 17.2% higher (2841 vs 2425). These are not marginal differences — they indicate the Intel architecture handles memory-intensive and branch-heavy workloads with significantly greater efficiency.

The AMD Ryzen 3 4300G wins exactly one benchmark, but it is a decisive one. PassMark data encryption shows the AMD part scoring 8176 versus Intel's 3458, a 57.7% advantage. This is not a small lead; it is a massive inversion of the overall performance trend. The Ryzen's Zen 2 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process with 9,800 million transistors, clearly includes hardware acceleration or microarchitectural features that dramatically accelerate encryption workloads. For any application that depends heavily on AES or similar cryptographic operations, the AMD processor is the superior choice despite losing nearly everything else.

Architecture Differences

The two processors represent fundamentally different design philosophies. Intel's Core i3-10320 uses the Comet Lake architecture on a 14 nm process manufactured by Intel's own foundry. It features 4 cores and 8 threads with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy consists of 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is dual-channel DDR4 with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The processor uses Intel Socket 1200 and includes UHD Graphics 630 integrated graphics. It is not multiplier-unlocked, meaning users cannot freely adjust the clock multiplier for overclocking.

AMD's Ryzen 3 4300G uses the Zen 2 architecture under the Renoir codename, built on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It also has 4 cores and 8 threads with a 3.80 GHz base clock, but its boost clock is lower at 4.00 GHz. The cache layout differs significantly: L1 is the same at 64 KB per core, but L2 doubles to 512 KB per core, while L3 is halved to only 4 MB shared. This cache asymmetry helps explain some of the benchmark differences — the larger L2 helps with certain workloads, but the smaller L3 hurts in others. Memory bandwidth is higher at 51.2 GB/s, and the processor uses AMD Socket AM4. It includes Radeon Vega 6 integrated graphics and is multiplier-unlocked, allowing overclocking.

The transistor count difference is dramatic. The AMD part packs 9,800 million transistors into a 156 mm² die on 7 nm, while Intel's 14 nm part does not list a transistor count or die size in the data. The TDP difference is also notable: Intel draws 91 W versus AMD's 65 W, meaning the AMD processor delivers comparable performance in many benchmarks while consuming significantly less power. Both support PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes and neither supports ECC memory. The Intel part was released on 2020-04-29, while the AMD part followed on 2020-07-20.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous about overall performance: the Intel Core i3-10320 is the faster processor in the vast majority of workloads. Its 16-1 head-to-head record, combined with wins across every Cinebench test and nearly every PassMark test, makes it the default choice for general computing, rendering, math-heavy applications, and single-threaded tasks. The 17.2% single-thread advantage and 60% lead in prime number finding indicate that applications relying on per-core performance will see meaningful gains with the Intel part.

However, the Ryzen 3 4300G is not without merit. Its 57.7% advantage in data encryption is exceptional and suggests that cryptographic workloads — whether in security applications, VPNs, or certain database operations — would run dramatically faster on the AMD part. Additionally, the AMD processor offers a lower 65 W TDP, a more advanced 7 nm process, an unlocked multiplier for overclocking, and higher memory bandwidth at 51.2 GB/s. For users who prioritize power efficiency, overclocking flexibility, or encryption performance, the Ryzen 3 4300G is the better fit. For everyone else, the data points to Intel.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i3-10320 boosts to 4.60 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen 3 4300G boosts to 4.00 GHz. Both have a 3.80 GHz base clock.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 3 4300G ever beat the Intel Core i3-10320 in benchmarks?

A: Yes, in exactly one of 17 head-to-head tests: PassMark data encryption, where the AMD part scores 8176 versus Intel's 3458, a 57.7% advantage.

Q: What are the cache differences between these two processors?

A: Both have 64 KB L1 per core. The Intel part has 256 KB L2 per core and 8 MB shared L3, while the AMD part has 512 KB L2 per core but only 4 MB shared L3.

Q: Which processor has better single-thread performance?

A: The Intel Core i3-10320 wins single-thread tests by 17.2%, scoring 2841 versus 2425 in PassMark single-thread, and 120 versus 119 in Cinebench R15 single-core.

Q: Are both processors unlocked for overclocking?

A: No. The AMD Ryzen 3 4300G has an unlocked multiplier, while the Intel Core i3-10320 does not.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The Intel Core i3-10320 has a TDP of 91 W, while the AMD Ryzen 3 4300G has a TDP of 65 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results show a pattern of narrow but consistent Intel superiority. In Cinebench R15 multicore, Intel scores 855 against AMD's 845, a 1.2% delta. Single-core R15 shows 120 versus 119, a 0.8% delta. Moving to R20, multicore is 3564 versus 3522 (1.2% delta), and single-core is 503 versus 497 (1.2% delta). R23 follows the same script: multicore 8486 versus 8387 (1.2% delta), single-core 1198 versus 1184 (1.2% delta). These margins are small enough that they could be considered within run-to-run variance, but their consistency across all three Cinebench versions suggests a genuine, if modest, architectural advantage for Intel.

The PassMark suite reveals where the real differences lie. The biggest Intel win is in find prime numbers, where it scores 32 versus 20 — a 60% delta that indicates vastly superior integer throughput in this specific algorithm. Physics is next with 689 versus 454, a 51.8% delta. Random string sorting shows a 22.9% delta (17821 versus 14503), and single-thread performance is 17.2% higher (2841 versus 2425). Floating-point math is 10.8% higher (19483 versus 17577), and integer math is 4.5% higher (31071 versus 29737). Data compression is 1.9% higher (140255 versus 137681), extended instructions are 1.5% higher (9284 versus 9148), and multithread performance is 1.4% higher (9982 versus 9849).

The lone AMD victory is data encryption, where the 8176 score versus Intel's 3458 represents a 57.7% delta. This is the largest margin in either direction across the entire benchmark suite. The fact that AMD wins encryption by such a wide margin while losing other math-heavy tests by smaller amounts suggests a specific hardware implementation for cryptographic instructions rather than general compute superiority. For users whose workloads are dominated by encryption, this single benchmark outweighs the Intel part's wins elsewhere. For all other workloads, the Intel Core i3-10320 is the data-backed choice.