AMD Ryzen 3 7335U vs Intel Core Ultra 5 115U Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 3 7335U and Intel Core Ultra 5 115U are remarkably close competitors, with average benchmark scores of 16827 and 16753 respectively, placing the AMD part just 0.4% ahead. Both CPUs sit at the 70th percentile of all tested processors, making them peers in overall performance. The data shows the Intel chip wins 12 of 17 head-to-head tests, but the AMD chip takes decisive victories in specific workloads like extended instructions, where it leads by 19.7%. The Ryzen 3 7335U is the pick for users prioritizing data encryption and compression tasks, while the Core Ultra 5 115U is better suited for physics simulations and floating-point math, where its lead reaches 28% and 20.4% respectively.

The Verdict

The benchmark data paints a clear picture: the Intel Core Ultra 5 115U is the more consistent all-round performer, winning the majority of tests including every Cinebench iteration. Its multicore advantage is narrow but uniform—1.5% in Cinebench R15, 1.4% in R20, and 1.4% in R23—while single-core margins hover around 1.3-1.4%. For users running rendering workloads or general productivity suites, the Intel part edges ahead without dominating.

However, the AMD Ryzen 3 7335U is the specialist's choice. It crushes the Intel chip in PassMark's extended instructions test by 19.7%, and leads by 8.5% in data encryption and 3.1% in data compression. Integer math also favors AMD by 3.5%. Anyone working with cryptographic operations or compression-heavy data pipelines should prefer the AMD processor despite its overall deficit.

The Core Ultra 5 115U's most dramatic wins come in physics (898 vs 647, a 28% lead) and floating-point math (30538 vs 24298, a 20.4% lead). It also handles prime number finding 32.1% better. These results suggest the Intel chip has a substantial advantage in scientific and simulation workloads that rely on floating-point throughput.

The single-thread story is essentially a tie—the Intel chip scores 3057 vs 3053 on PassMark, a negligible 0.1% difference. Both processors are equally positioned in the 70th percentile, and the closest rival to the AMD chip is the Intel Core i5-1235U at 0.3% higher, while the closest rival to the Intel chip is the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U at 0.5% lower. The verdict: choose Intel for balanced performance and floating-point muscle, choose AMD for encryption, compression, and extended instruction efficiency.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 7335U boosts to 4.30 GHz, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 115U reaches 4.20 GHz, giving AMD a 0.10 GHz advantage.

Q: How do the two chips compare in core counts?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U has 8 cores and 10 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 3 7335U has 4 cores and 8 threads, meaning Intel offers twice the physical cores but only two additional threads.

Q: Which CPU is better for data encryption tasks?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 7335U wins decisively, scoring 9335 in PassMark data encryption versus 8606 for the Intel part, an 8.5% advantage.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U provides 89.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is 12.8 GB/s more than the AMD Ryzen 3 7335U's 76.8 GB/s, though both use dual-channel memory buses.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No, only the AMD Ryzen 3 7335U supports ECC memory; the Intel Core Ultra 5 115U does not list ECC support.

Q: Which chip wins in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U scores 10855 versus 10703 for the AMD chip, a 1.4% margin in favor of Intel.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen 3 7335U uses the Zen 3+ architecture on the Rembrandt-R codename, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U employs the Meteor Lake architecture, built on a 7 nm process at Intel's own foundry. This node advantage for AMD suggests better transistor density, though the Intel chip compensates with a larger core count.

Cache hierarchies diverge significantly. The AMD chip allocates 64 KB of L1 per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, with a shared 8 MB L3 cache. The Intel chip offers 112 KB of L1 per core and a massive 2 MB of L2 per core, with a shared 10 MB L3 cache. Intel's larger per-core L2 cache likely contributes to its floating-point and physics performance, while AMD's smaller but faster cache design may aid encryption and compression.

Memory support differs in important ways. AMD supports DDR5 with ECC memory enabled, while Intel supports DDR5 but without ECC capability. Both use dual-channel memory buses, but Intel's memory bandwidth is higher at 89.6 GB/s versus AMD's 76.8 GB/s. PCIe connectivity also differs: AMD provides Gen 4 with 20 lanes, while Intel offers Gen 4 with only 12 lanes, giving AMD a substantial advantage in expansion capability.

The integrated graphics solutions are distinct: AMD pairs the CPU with a Radeon 660M, while Intel uses Arc Xe-LPG with 48 execution units. The production status for both is listed as active, and neither processor has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking.

Specification Differences

The most striking specification gap is core count: the Intel Core Ultra 5 115U has 8 cores and 10 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 3 7335U has 4 cores and 8 threads. Despite this, the AMD chip has a higher base clock of 3.00 GHz versus Intel's 1.50 GHz, though Intel's boost clock of 4.20 GHz trails AMD's 4.30 GHz by a narrow margin.

Thermal design power differs sharply: the AMD chip is rated at 28W, while the Intel chip draws only 15W, making Intel the more power-efficient option on paper. Process nodes also differ—AMD uses 6 nm TSMC, Intel uses 7 nm Intel—and the die sizes reflect this, with AMD listed at 208 mm² and Intel at no listed die size. AMD's socket is FP7, while Intel uses BGA 2049.

Memory bandwidth favors Intel at 89.6 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s, but AMD counters with ECC support. PCIe lanes favor AMD at 20 lanes versus Intel's 12. Cache allocations differ per core as noted, and total L3 cache is 8 MB for AMD versus 10 MB for Intel. The release dates show AMD shipped nearly a year earlier (January 2023) than Intel (December 2023).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 115U dominates the Cinebench suite, winning all six tests. The largest margin is in Cinebench R15 multicore, where Intel scores 1094 versus 1078 for AMD, a 1.5% lead. Single-core results are similarly close: 154 vs 152 in R15 (1.3% lead), 643 vs 634 in R20 (1.4% lead), and 1532 vs 1511 in R23 (1.4% lead). These margins are small but consistent, indicating Intel has a slight architectural efficiency edge in rendering workloads.

PassMark results tell a more polarized story. The AMD Ryzen 3 7335U wins five tests, with its most significant victory being extended instructions at 10314 vs 8620, a 19.7% blowout. Data encryption shows AMD leading 9335 vs 8606 (8.5%), while data compression favors AMD 146309 vs 141945 (3.1%). Integer math goes to AMD at 42493 vs 41043 (3.5%), and random string sorting is a narrow AMD win at 15361 vs 15124 (1.6%).

The Intel chip responds with equally decisive wins in other PassMark tests. Physics is the biggest gap: Intel scores 898 versus 647 for AMD, a 28% advantage. Floating-point math follows with Intel at 30538 vs 24298, a 20.4% lead. Prime number finding shows Intel at 53 vs 36, a 32.1% margin that highlights Intel's integer throughput in specific algorithms. Multithread performance favors Intel at 13024 vs 12592 (3.3%), while single-thread scores are effectively identical at 3057 vs 3053 (0.1%).

The split is clear: AMD wins in encryption, compression, and extended instruction workloads, while Intel wins in physics, floating-point math, and Cinebench rendering. The overall win count of 12 for Intel versus 5 for AMD reflects Intel's broader strength, but AMD's targeted advantages are substantial where they appear.