AMD Ryzen 3 4300G vs Intel Core i5-10400 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark split between the AMD Ryzen 3 4300G and the Intel Core i5-10400 is unusually clean, with each processor dominating a distinct category of workload. Out of 17 head-to-head comparisons, the Intel part takes 10 wins while the AMD part takes 7, but the margins tell a more interesting story than the raw tally.

The AMD Ryzen 3 4300G wins every single Cinebench test in the database. In Cinebench R15 multicore it scores 845 against 838 for Intel, a 0.8% edge. In Cinebench R20 multicore the margin widens slightly to 0.9%, with scores of 3522 and 3492. The R23 multicore result shows 8387 versus 8316, again a 0.9% advantage. Single-core Cinebench results follow the same pattern: R15 at 119 versus 118, R20 at 497 versus 493, and R23 at 1184 versus 1174. These are narrow victories, but they are consistent across every iteration of the Cinebench suite, which suggests the AMD architecture handles this rendering workload slightly better despite having fewer cores.

The AMD chip also delivers a massive win in data encryption. Its PassMark data encryption score of 8176 more than doubles the Intel score of 4078, a 100.5% advantage. This is the single largest margin in either direction across the entire comparison. The Ryzen 3 4300G clearly has hardware acceleration or instruction handling that gives it a decisive edge in cryptographic workloads.

The Intel Core i5-10400, meanwhile, dominates nearly every other PassMark workload. Data compression shows Intel at 187207 against AMD's 137681, a 26.5% lead. Extended instructions go to Intel at 12501 versus 9148, a 26.8% margin. Integer math favors Intel at 41715 versus 29737, a 28.7% gap. Floating point math shows Intel at 26080 against 17577, a 32.6% advantage. Physics simulation scores go to Intel at 669 versus 454, a 32.1% lead. Random string sorting is Intel's largest non-encryption win at 23206 versus 14503, a 37.5% margin. Prime number finding favors Intel at 34 versus 20, a 41.2% edge. The PassMark multithread score goes to Intel at 12006 versus 9849, an 18% advantage, and single-thread PassMark also favors Intel at 2560 versus 2425, a 5.3% margin.

The data shows a clear division: the Ryzen 3 4300G wins rendering benchmarks and encryption while the Core i5-10400 wins math, compression, sorting, physics, and overall multithreading. The Intel part's six physical cores and twelve threads give it a structural advantage in heavily parallel integer workloads, while the AMD part's Zen 2 architecture and higher base clock of 3.80 GHz against 2.90 GHz help it in single-threaded and rendering tasks.

The Verdict

The choice between these two processors depends entirely on workload priorities. The data does not support a universal winner.

For users whose primary applications are Cinebench-style rendering workloads, the AMD Ryzen 3 4300G is the correct pick. It wins all six Cinebench tests in the database, with margins ranging from 0.8% to 0.9%. The consistency across R15, R20, and R23, both single-core and multicore, indicates this is not a fluke. If rendering performance is the metric that matters, the AMD part is ahead.

For users running compression, mathematical computation, sorting, physics simulation, or general multithreaded integer workloads, the Intel Core i5-10400 is the stronger choice. Its data compression lead of 26.5%, integer math lead of 28.7%, floating point lead of 32.6%, and physics lead of 32.1% are substantial. The multithread score advantage of 18% reinforces this. The Intel part also holds a single-thread PassMark advantage of 5.3%, which matters for lightly threaded applications.

Encryption workloads are a special case. The Ryzen 3 4300G's data encryption score is more than double the Intel score, a 100.5% advantage. Any workflow that involves heavy encryption, such as VPN termination, secure file transfer, or database encryption, should favor the AMD part decisively.

The overall database percentiles are nearly identical: the Ryzen 3 4300G sits at the 69th percentile of all CPUs while the Core i5-10400 sits at the 68th. The average benchmark scores are 14503 for AMD and 14037 for Intel. The nearest rivals for the AMD part include the AMD Ryzen 3 4100 at parity and the Intel Xeon 6315P at 0.5% behind. The nearest rivals for the Intel part include the AMD EPYC 7552 at 0.6% behind and the Intel Core i5-10400F at 1% behind. These figures place both processors in the same performance tier overall.

The Core i5-10400 has six cores and twelve threads against the Ryzen 3 4300G's four cores and eight threads. The Intel boost clock reaches 4.30 GHz against 4.00 GHz for AMD. The Ryzen part has a higher base clock at 3.80 GHz against 2.90 GHz. The Intel L3 cache is 12 MB shared against 4 MB shared for AMD. These specifications explain the benchmark distribution.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win in the comparison belongs to the AMD Ryzen 3 4300G in data encryption. The score of 8176 against 4078 represents a 100.5% advantage, meaning the AMD part delivers more than twice the encryption throughput. No other test in the database comes close to this margin.

The largest Intel wins are in random string sorting at 37.5% ahead, physics at 32.1% ahead, and floating point math at 32.6% ahead. The prime number test shows Intel at 34 against 20, a 41.2% lead, which is the second-largest margin overall after AMD's encryption win. These are significant gaps that reflect the core count difference.

The Cinebench results are remarkably tight. The largest Cinebench margin is 0.9% in both R20 multicore and R23 multicore. The R15 tests show 0.8% margins. The Ryzen 3 4300G wins every Cinebench test, but the Intel Core i5-10400 is never far behind. In R23 multicore, the gap is only 71 points out of 8387. This suggests that for rendering workloads, the two processors are functionally equivalent in real-world terms, with a slight architectural edge to AMD.

The PassMark multithread test shows Intel at 12006 versus 9849, an 18% lead. This is a more general measure of parallel performance than Cinebench and includes a wider variety of workloads. The Intel part's two extra physical cores likely drive this advantage. The single-thread PassMark results show Intel at 2560 versus 2425, a 5.3% lead, which is notable because the AMD part has a higher base clock. The Intel boost clock of 4.30 GHz against 4.00 GHz may explain this.

Data compression shows Intel at 187207 against 137681, a 26.5% advantage. Extended instructions show Intel at 12501 against 9148, a 26.8% lead. Integer math shows Intel at 41715 against 29737, a 28.7% margin. These three tests all measure different aspects of computational throughput, and Intel wins all three by similar margins. The pattern is consistent.

The Ryzen 3 4300G wins exactly seven tests: all six Cinebench variants plus data encryption. The Core i5-10400 wins ten tests: all remaining PassMark workloads plus the single-thread PassMark tests. The encryption result is the outlier that keeps the AMD part competitive in the overall comparison.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in Cinebench rendering tests?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 4300G wins every Cinebench test in the database. It leads by 0.8% in R15 multicore and single-core, by 0.9% in R20 multicore, by 0.8% in R20 single-core, by 0.9% in R23 multicore, and by 0.9% in R23 single-core.

Q: Which processor has better encryption performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 4300G has a PassMark data encryption score of 8176, which is 100.5% higher than the Intel Core i5-10400's score of 4078. This is the largest performance gap in the entire comparison.

Q: Why does the Intel Core i5-10400 win most PassMark tests?

A: The Intel part has six cores and twelve threads against four cores and eight threads for AMD. It also has a 12 MB shared L3 cache against 4 MB. These specifications contribute to its wins in integer math, floating point math, physics, compression, sorting, and prime number finding.

Q: How do the two processors compare in overall average score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 4300G has an average benchmark score of 14503, while the Intel Core i5-10400 has an average of 14037. The AMD part sits at the 69th percentile of all CPUs, and the Intel part sits at the 68th.

Q: Which processor has the higher clock speed?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 4300G has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. The Intel Core i5-10400 has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The AMD part has the higher base clock, while the Intel part has the higher boost clock.

Q: Are there any tests where the Intel part beats the AMD part in single-thread performance?

A: Yes, the PassMark single-thread test shows the Intel Core i5-10400 at 2560 against 2425 for the AMD Ryzen 3 4300G, a 5.3% advantage. However, the AMD part wins all Cinebench single-core tests by 0.8% to 0.9%.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 3 4300G is built on the Zen 2 architecture with the Renoir codename, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It uses 9,800 million transistors on a 156 mm² die. The Intel Core i5-10400 uses the Comet Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at Intel. The transistor count and die size for the Intel part are not recorded in the database.

The core configurations differ significantly. The AMD part has four cores and eight threads. The Intel part has six cores and twelve threads. This gives Intel a 50% advantage in core count and thread count. The AMD part compensates with a higher base clock of 3.80 GHz against 2.90 GHz, while the Intel part has a higher boost clock of 4.30 GHz against 4.00 GHz.

Cache layouts also differ. Both parts have 64 KB of L1 cache per core. The AMD part has 512 KB of L2 cache per core, while the Intel part has 256 KB per core. The L3 cache shows a significant difference: Intel has 12 MB shared while AMD has 4 MB shared. The Intel part has three times the L3 cache capacity, which contributes to its performance in data-heavy workloads.

Both processors support DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The AMD part has a recorded memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, while the Intel part has 42.7 GB/s. The AMD part has the higher theoretical memory bandwidth by about 20%. Neither processor supports ECC memory.

Both parts use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The sockets differ: the AMD part uses AMD Socket AM4, while the Intel part uses Intel Socket 1200. The AMD multiplier is unlocked, allowing overclocking, while the Intel multiplier is locked. The integrated graphics also differ: the AMD part features Radeon Vega 6, while the Intel part features UHD Graphics 630.

The release dates are close, with the Intel part released on April 29, 2020, and the AMD part released on July 20, 2020. Both processors are currently marked as active production. The AMD part number is 100-000000144, and the Intel part number is SRH3CSRH78. The AMD part belongs to the 4000 series, and the Intel part belongs to the Core 10th Gen series. The process node difference, 7 nm versus 14 nm, is the most significant architectural distinction and helps explain why the AMD part achieves competitive or better rendering performance despite having fewer cores.