AMD Ryzen 3 7440U vs AMD Ryzen 5 40 Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 40 and AMD Ryzen 3 7440U are both 4-core, 8-thread mobile processors, but the benchmark data reveals they serve very different performance profiles. The Ryzen 5 40 claims a single victory in the entire head-to-head comparison, while the Ryzen 3 7440U dominates the remaining 14 tests, often by substantial margins. This is a story of architectural generation gaps and power envelopes, where the newer Phoenix2 silicon decisively outperforms the older Mendocino design in nearly every measurable workload.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 5 40 has exactly one winning benchmark: Cinebench R15 single-core, where it scores 165.5 against the Ryzen 3 7440U's 156, a 6.1% advantage. This is a narrow, legacy-test victory that does not carry over to newer single-threaded workloads. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Ryzen 3 7440U leads by 26.2% (1558 vs 1150), and in PassMark single-thread it leads by 5.2% (2614 vs 2477). The Ryzen 5 40's win appears isolated to that specific rendering test's older scoring methodology.

The AMD Ryzen 3 7440U wins everywhere else, and its advantages scale from moderate to massive. In multi-threaded rendering, the gap is enormous: Cinebench R23 multi-core shows 11042 for the 7440U versus 4841 for the Ryzen 5 40, a 56.2% deficit for the latter. The physics simulation test shows a 54% gap (939 vs 432), and prime number finding shows a 50% gap (40 vs 20). These are not marginal differences; the 7440U is in a different performance class for heavily threaded and compute-intensive tasks.

Architecture Differences

The two CPUs come from different architectural eras. The Ryzen 5 40 uses Zen 2 architecture on a 6 nm TSMC process, with the codename Mendocino. The Ryzen 3 7440U uses Zen 4 on a 4 nm TSMC process, with the codename Phoenix2. This process node difference—6 nm versus 4 nm—is a primary driver of the performance disparity, allowing the newer chip to pack more transistors (20,900 million versus no listed count for the Ryzen 5 40) into a larger die (137 mm² versus 100 mm²).

Cache configurations differ significantly. Both have 64 KB L1 per core, but the Ryzen 3 7440U doubles the L2 to 1 MB per core (versus 512 KB) and doubles the shared L3 to 8 MB (versus 4 MB). This additional cache directly benefits workloads that repeatedly access data sets larger than 4 MB.

Memory support also diverges: the Ryzen 5 40 uses LPDDR5, while the Ryzen 3 7440U uses DDR5. Memory bandwidth is similar (88.0 GB/s vs 89.6 GB/s), and both run dual-channel. The 7440U supports ECC memory; the Ryzen 5 40 does not. PCIe connectivity differs too: the Ryzen 5 40 offers Gen 3 with 4 lanes, while the 7440U offers Gen 4 with 14 lanes. The 7440U also has a higher TDP at 28 W versus 15 W, and higher clock speeds (base 3.00 GHz vs 2.80 GHz, boost 4.70 GHz vs 4.30 GHz). The integrated graphics differ as well: Radeon 610M on the Ryzen 5 40 versus Radeon 740M on the 7440U.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The AMD Ryzen 3 7440U is the superior processor for virtually all workloads measured. It leads in 14 of 15 head-to-head benchmarks, including every modern multi-core test, every PassMark subtest, and the newer single-core Cinebench R23 test. The only exception is the legacy Cinebench R15 single-core test, where the Ryzen 5 40's 6.1% edge is an outlier.

The Ryzen 5 40's only realistic use case, strictly from this data, is if a system requires its specific socket (AMD Socket FT6) or its lower 15 W TDP for power-constrained designs. Its lower power draw is a qualitative advantage, but the benchmark scores do not compensate for the performance gap. The Ryzen 3 7440U, with its 28 W TDP, delivers 56.2% more multi-core rendering performance and 26.2% more single-core rendering performance in Cinebench R23. The data suggests the 7440U is the choice for anyone prioritizing compute capability, while the Ryzen 5 40 is only defensible in scenarios where its specific platform attributes (FT6 socket, LPDDR5 memory) are required.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has a higher single-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 7440U scores 1558, which is 26.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 40's 1150.

Q: How large is the multi-core performance gap in Cinebench R23?

A: The Ryzen 3 7440U scores 11042, while the Ryzen 5 40 scores 4841. This represents a 56.2% deficit for the Ryzen 5 40.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Ryzen 5 40 wins?

A: Yes, it wins the Cinebench R15 single-core test with a score of 165.5 versus 156 for the Ryzen 3 7440U, a 6.1% lead.

Q: Do both CPUs have the same number of cores and threads?

A: Yes, both have 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: What is the difference in L3 cache size?

A: The Ryzen 5 40 has 4 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Ryzen 3 7440U has 8 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: Which CPU has a higher TDP?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 7440U has a TDP of 28 W, compared to the 15 W TDP of the AMD Ryzen 5 40.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive benchmark is Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the Ryzen 3 7440U scores 11042 against the Ryzen 5 40's 4841. This 56.2% gap is the largest in the entire comparison and reflects the combined effect of newer architecture, higher clocks, and double the L3 cache. The same test's single-core variant shows a 26.2% gap (1558 vs 1150), confirming that the 7440U's advantage is not just about scaling across cores but also about per-thread efficiency.

In PassMark tests, the 7440U leads across the board. The physics test shows a 54% gap (939 vs 432), which is the second-largest margin. Prime number finding shows a 50% gap (40 vs 20), indicating a major advantage in integer-heavy algorithmic work. Extended instructions show a 37.8% gap (10356 vs 6437), suggesting better SIMD and vector processing capabilities. Random string sorting shows a 29.6% gap (21479 vs 15124), and data encryption shows a 27.9% gap (9215 vs 6646).

The smallest PassMark gap is in single-thread performance, at 5.2% (2614 vs 2477), which aligns with the Cinebench R15 single-core result where the Ryzen 5 40 actually wins by 6.1%. This suggests that in lightly threaded, older workloads, the Ryzen 5 40 can hold its own, but the moment the workload is modern or multi-threaded, the 7440U pulls ahead decisively. The Cinebench R15 multi-core test shows a 29% gap (1112 vs 790) in favor of the 7440U, even in that older benchmark.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every major specification except core count, thread count, and memory channel configuration. The Ryzen 5 40 has a base clock of 2.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz, while the Ryzen 3 7440U has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The TDP differs by 13 W (15 W vs 28 W). The process node is 6 nm for the Ryzen 5 40 and 4 nm for the 7440U. The die size is 100 mm² versus 137 mm². The 7440U has 20,900 million transistors; the Ryzen 5 40 has no listed transistor count.

Cache hierarchy differs in L2 and L3: 512 KB per core versus 1 MB per core for L2, and 4 MB shared versus 8 MB shared for L3. Memory support is LPDDR5 for the Ryzen 5 40 and DDR5 for the 7440U, with nearly identical bandwidth (88.0 GB/s vs 89.6 GB/s). ECC memory is supported only on the 7440U. PCIe generation and lane count differ: Gen 3 with 4 lanes versus Gen 4 with 14 lanes. The integrated GPU is Radeon 610M on the Ryzen 5 40 and Radeon 740M on the 7440U. Sockets differ: AMD Socket FT6 versus AMD Socket FP7. The release dates are 2025-09-30 for the Ryzen 5 40 and 2023-05-02 for the 7440U. Neither CPU has an unlocked multiplier.