AMD Ryzen 3 7320C vs Intel Core 3 304 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits these two mobile processors into clearly different roles. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C wins 4 of the 17 head-to-head comparisons, while the Intel Core 3 304 wins 13. That raw count, however, hides the nature of each victory. The AMD chip takes its wins in specific workloads that favor sustained multi-threaded throughput and certain memory patterns, while the Intel part dominates almost everything else, especially single-thread tasks and instruction-heavy calculations.

The Ryzen 3 7320C's wins are concentrated in three PassMark tests and one Cinebench test. It leads in data compression by 25.9%, integer math by 30.9%, random string sorting by 24.3%, and Cinebench R23 multicore by 33.5%. These are workloads where the AMD chip's 8 threads and shared L3 cache arrangement appear to work in its favor. The Cinebench R23 multicore result is particularly notable because it contradicts the R15 and R20 multicore results, suggesting the newer rendering workload scales differently with this chip's architecture.

The Intel Core 3 304, by contrast, wins across the board in single-thread performance and in most multi-thread tests. Its Cinebench R15 single-core score of 264 versus 99 for the AMD part is a 62.5% advantage, and that gap persists in R20 and R23 single-core tests. The Intel chip also wins PassMark single-thread by 32.5%, floating point math by 52.7%, extended instructions by 62.2%, and prime number finding by 73.5%. For users whose software relies on strong per-core performance, the data points firmly toward Intel.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C uses Zen 2 architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process, with the Mendocino codename. It has 4 cores and 8 threads, meaning each core handles two threads via SMT. The Intel Core 3 304 uses Wildcat Lake architecture on a 3 nm Intel process, with 5 cores and 5 threads, indicating no hyperthreading on this part. The core count difference is small, but the thread count difference is significant: AMD has 8 threads versus Intel's 5.

Cache layouts diverge sharply. The AMD chip provides 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 4 MB shared L3. The Intel chip lists 192 KB L1 total, 2.5 MB L2 total, and 6 MB shared L3. The Intel part has more total L3 cache, but the AMD part has more per-core L2, which can matter for certain access patterns.

Memory support also differs. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C supports LPDDR5 with a dual-channel memory bus and 88.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel Core 3 304 supports both DDR5 and LPDDR5X but uses a single-channel bus with 59.7 GB/s bandwidth. That bandwidth gap is substantial: the AMD part has roughly 47% more memory bandwidth on paper. This helps explain why the AMD chip wins in data compression and random string sorting, workloads that often depend on memory throughput.

PCIe connectivity differs as well. The AMD chip offers Gen 3 with 4 lanes, while the Intel chip offers Gen 4 with 6 lanes. Both are mobile parts with integrated graphics: AMD's Radeon 610M versus Intel's Xe3 Graphics with 1 Xe core. The AMD chip comes with a 2.40 GHz base clock and 4.10 GHz boost, while the Intel chip has a 1.50 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost. The Intel part boosts higher but starts lower, and the benchmark results suggest the higher boost matters more in practice.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results tell a mixed story. In R15 multicore, Intel wins 849 to 708, a 16.6% margin. In R20 multicore, Intel wins 4160 to 2950, a 29.1% margin. But in R23 multicore, AMD flips the result, winning 7025 to 5263, a 33.5% margin. This is the largest single benchmark delta in either direction. The R23 test appears to reward the AMD chip's 8 threads more than the older R15 and R20 tests. Single-core Cinebench results are consistently Intel: R15 at 264 versus 99 (62.5% ahead), R20 at 587 versus 416 (29.1% ahead), and R23 at 1765 versus 991 (43.9% ahead).

The PassMark suite shows a similar pattern. Intel wins data encryption 8501 to 5443, a 36% margin, and extended instructions 9686 to 3663, a 62.2% margin. Floating point math goes Intel's way at 29722 versus 14071, a 52.7% margin. Prime number finding is Intel's biggest win at 68 versus 18, a 73.5% margin. Physics also favors Intel at 868 versus 500, a 42.4% margin. Multithreaded PassMark score goes Intel at 11625 versus 8265, a 28.9% margin, even though the AMD part has more threads.

AMD's PassMark wins are narrower but consistent in their areas. Data compression at 144465 versus 114775 is a 25.9% margin. Integer math at 32247 versus 24640 is a 30.9% margin. Random string sorting at 16973 versus 13659 is a 24.3% margin. These three wins plus the R23 multicore result suggest the AMD chip has real strengths in specific throughput-bound tasks, even while losing the overall PassMark multithread score.

The average benchmark scores place the two chips close together: AMD at 14277 versus Intel at 13745, a difference of about 3.9%. The AMD chip sits at the 69th percentile versus the 68th percentile for Intel. Both chips land near similar rivals in the database: AMD's nearest rivals include the Ryzen 5 3501U at 14320 and the Core 7 160UL at 14232, while Intel's nearest rivals include the Core i7-8750H at 13868 and the Core 5 120UL at 13594.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ on nearly every specification line. Core count: 4 for AMD versus 5 for Intel. Thread count: 8 for AMD versus 5 for Intel. Base clock: 2.40 GHz for AMD versus 1.50 GHz for Intel. Boost clock: 4.10 GHz for AMD versus 4.30 GHz for Intel. Process node: 6 nm TSMC for AMD versus 3 nm Intel for the Core 3 304.

Cache values diverge completely. AMD lists L1 as 64 KB per core, L2 as 512 KB per core, and L3 as 4 MB shared. Intel lists L1 as 192 KB total, L2 as 2.5 MB total, and L3 as 6 MB shared. Memory support: LPDDR5 for AMD versus DDR5 and LPDDR5X for Intel. Memory bus: dual-channel for AMD versus single-channel for Intel. Memory bandwidth: 88.0 GB/s for AMD versus 59.7 GB/s for Intel. PCIe: Gen 3 with 4 lanes for AMD versus Gen 4 with 6 lanes for Intel.

Socket types differ: AMD Socket FT6 versus Intel BGA 1516. Integrated graphics differ: Radeon 610M for AMD versus Intel Xe3 Graphics with 1 Xe for Intel. Release dates differ: May 2023 for AMD versus April 2026 for Intel. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $309. Both chips are mobile segments, active in production, with locked multipliers. Neither supports ECC memory. The AMD die size is 100 mm²; Intel's die size is not recorded in the database.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more threads?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C has 8 threads from 4 cores, while the Intel Core 3 304 has 5 threads from 5 cores. The AMD part uses simultaneous multithreading, the Intel part does not.

Q: Why does the AMD chip win Cinebench R23 multicore but lose R15 and R20 multicore?

A: The R23 multicore score for AMD is 7025 versus 5263 for Intel, a 33.5% margin. In R15, Intel wins 849 to 708, and in R20, Intel wins 4160 to 2950. The newer R23 workload appears to scale better with AMD's 8 threads and dual-channel memory bandwidth.

Q: Which chip has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C has 88.0 GB/s over a dual-channel LPDDR5 bus. The Intel Core 3 304 has 59.7 GB/s over a single-channel bus supporting DDR5 and LPDDR5X. This bandwidth advantage helps explain AMD's wins in data compression and random string sorting.

Q: What is the single-thread performance gap?

A: The Intel Core 3 304 leads PassMark single-thread by 32.5%, scoring 3614 versus 2439. In Cinebench R23 single-core, Intel leads 1765 versus 991, a 43.9% margin. The Intel part's 4.30 GHz boost clock versus 4.10 GHz for AMD, combined with its newer 3 nm process, appears to drive this advantage.

Q: Which chip has more L3 cache?

A: The Intel Core 3 304 has 6 MB shared L3 cache. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C has 4 MB shared L3. Intel also has more total L2 at 2.5 MB versus 512 KB per core for AMD, though AMD's per-core L2 is larger at 512 KB versus an implied 500 KB per core for Intel.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C averages 14277, while the Intel Core 3 304 averages 13745. The AMD chip sits at the 69th percentile of all CPUs, the Intel at the 68th. Both chips have near-rivals within a 1.4% delta in the database.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split recommendation. For users running single-thread-heavy applications, the Intel Core 3 304 is the better choice. It wins every single-core benchmark in the database, with margins ranging from 29.1% to 62.5%. Its extended instructions score of 9686 versus 3663 for AMD makes it particularly strong for workloads that use modern instruction sets. The Intel chip also wins the overall PassMark multithread score at 11625 versus 8265, despite having fewer threads.

For users whose workloads involve heavy data compression, integer math, or random string sorting, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C has a real edge. Its 25.9% lead in data compression and 30.9% lead in integer math point to strong memory-bound performance, likely driven by its 88.0 GB/s dual-channel bandwidth versus Intel's 59.7 GB/s single-channel. The AMD chip also wins Cinebench R23 multicore by 33.5%, which suggests it handles the latest rendering workloads well.

The overall averages are close: 14277 for AMD versus 13745 for Intel, with a percentile difference of just one point. Neither chip is a clear overall winner. The choice comes down to workload patterns. Intel wins 13 of 17 benchmarks but loses the ones where memory bandwidth matters most. AMD wins 4 benchmarks but those wins are in categories that often matter for productivity and data-focused tasks. The Intel part's higher boost clock and newer process node give it the edge in responsiveness and single-thread speed, while the AMD part's thread count and memory subsystem give it advantages in specific throughput-bound tasks. Both are active mobile parts, with the Intel chip carrying a launch MSRP of $309 and the AMD chip having no recorded launch MSRP.