AMD Ryzen 3 8440U vs Intel Core i5-11400F Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a decisive overall victory for the Intel Core i5-11400F, which wins 15 of the 17 recorded head-to-head comparisons. However, the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U claims the two most important single-threaded results, making this a split decision depending on workload.

In the Cinebench suite, the Intel part is consistently faster across every test. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the Intel Core i5-11400F scores 14340 against 10884 for the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U, a 24.1% advantage. The same 24.1% delta appears in Cinebench R23 singlecore, where Intel scores 2024 versus 1536. This pattern repeats in Cinebench R20 and R15: the Intel chip leads by 24.1% in R20 multicore (6022 vs 4571) and R20 singlecore (850 vs 645), and by 24.1% in R15 multicore (1445 vs 1097) and R15 singlecore (204 vs 154). The consistency of the 24.1% delta across all six Cinebench tests suggests a structural performance gap rather than workload-specific variation.

The PassMark suite tells a similar story, with Intel winning 9 of 11 recorded comparisons. The largest Intel margin comes in PassMark integer math, where the Core i5-11400F scores 57624 against 37468, a 35% advantage. Floating point math shows a 32.6% gap (34127 vs 23017), while data compression favors Intel by 29.8% (208472 vs 146273). Extended instructions lean Intel by 26.2% (14976 vs 11059), and random string sorting by 26.5% (24124 vs 17725). The Intel chip also leads in data encryption by 21.8% (10247 vs 8012), in multithread by 24.3% (16908 vs 12805), in physics by 18.6% (842 vs 685), and in find prime numbers by 15.7% (51 vs 43).

The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U's only wins are in PassMark single-thread performance, where it scores 3648 against 2981 for Intel, a 22.4% advantage. This result appears twice in the database under two test names (passmark_single_thread and passmark_singlethread), both recording identical scores. This is a substantial single-core win, and it indicates the Zen 4 architecture has a significant per-thread efficiency edge over Rocket Lake.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-11400F wins every heavily threaded and memory-intensive workload in the database. Its 24.1% lead across the entire Cinebench series, from R15 to R23, covers both rendering and general multicore throughput. The PassMark results reinforce this: integer math, floating point math, data compression, data encryption, extended instructions, random string sorting, and the multithread aggregate all favor Intel by margins ranging from 15.7% to 35%. For users running video encoding, 3D rendering, scientific computation, or any workload that scales across cores, the data points squarely to the Intel part.

The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U owns the single-threaded PassMark result. Its 22.4% advantage in passmark_single_thread (3648 vs 2981) means the AMD chip is the better choice for lightly threaded tasks, response-time-sensitive applications, and workloads where per-core speed dominates. This includes many everyday desktop interactions, older games that rely on one or two threads, and certain productivity tasks that are not well parallelized.

The split is clean: Intel for throughput and parallel workloads, AMD for single-threaded speed. Notably, the Intel part does not win a single single-threaded PassMark test, and the AMD part does not win a single multicore or specialized instruction test. There is no overlap in the victory categories.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design generations and market segments. The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U is a mobile part from the 8000 series, built on Zen 4 architecture with the Hawk Point codename. It uses a 4 nm process node from TSMC with 20,900 million transistors on a 137 mm² die. It has 4 cores and 8 threads, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its TDP is 28 watts, and it fits the AMD Socket FP7. The L1 cache is 64 KB per core, L2 is 1 MB per core, and L3 is 8 MB shared. It supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and it includes integrated Radeon 740M graphics. It has 14 PCIe Gen 4 lanes from the CPU. The part supports ECC memory? No, it does not.

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a desktop part from the Core 11th Gen series, built on Rocket Lake architecture. It uses Intel's 14 nm process with a 276 mm² die size. It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its TDP is 65 watts, and it fits the Intel Socket 1200. The L1 cache is 80 KB per core, L2 is 512 KB per core, and L3 is 12 MB shared. It supports DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. It has 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes from the CPU. It has no integrated graphics, which the "F" suffix in its name indicates. It also does not support ECC memory.

The transistor count for Intel is not recorded in the database, but the die size difference is notable: 137 mm² for AMD versus 276 mm² for Intel, despite the Intel chip being on a much older 14 nm node. The AMD part's more modern 4 nm TSMC process allows it to pack 20,900 million transistors into roughly half the die area. The Intel part compensates with more cores (6 vs 4), more threads (12 vs 8), and double the L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB). The AMD chip has a higher boost clock (4.70 GHz vs 4.40 GHz) and significantly higher memory bandwidth (89.6 GB/s vs 51.2 GB/s) thanks to DDR5 support.

In terms of market status, the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U is listed as Active production, while the Intel Core i5-11400F is End-of-life. The AMD part was released later in the product cycle, and the Intel part is a desktop chip with no integrated graphics, whereas the AMD part includes Radeon 740M graphics for systems without a discrete GPU.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear decision for users who prioritize parallel throughput: the Intel Core i5-11400F is the stronger processor in the majority of benchmarks. It wins 15 of 17 head-to-head tests, including every Cinebench result and every multicore PassMark test. Its 35% lead in integer math and 32.6% lead in floating point math are commanding margins. For rendering, encoding, compilation, or any workload that uses more than one core effectively, the Intel part is the one to choose based on the recorded scores.

The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U has one decisive advantage: single-threaded performance. Its 22.4% lead in PassMark single-thread scoring (3648 vs 2981) is significant and consistent across the two recorded test entries. For users who run mostly single-threaded applications, or who value fast response times in lightly threaded workloads, the AMD chip is the better fit. It also brings integrated Radeon 740M graphics, which the Intel part lacks entirely, making the AMD chip viable in systems without a discrete GPU.

The Intel part carries a launch MSRP of $157, but the database provides no pricing for the AMD chip, so a direct cost comparison is not possible from the available data. What the data does show is a performance tradeoff: the Intel chip offers substantially higher multicore throughput and a wider set of benchmark wins, while the AMD chip offers superior single-thread speed and integrated graphics. The choice depends on whether the workload is parallel or serial in nature.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core workloads?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F wins every multicore benchmark in the database. It leads by 24.1% in Cinebench R23 multicore (14340 vs 10884), by 24.3% in PassMark multithread (16908 vs 12805), and by 35% in PassMark integer math (57624 vs 37468).

Q: Which processor is faster in single-core workloads?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U wins the PassMark single-thread test with a score of 3648 against 2981 for Intel, a 22.4% advantage. However, Intel leads in Cinebench R23 singlecore by 24.1% (2024 vs 1536).

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No. Neither the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U nor the Intel Core i5-11400F supports ECC memory.

Q: Which processor has integrated graphics?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U includes Radeon 740M integrated graphics. The Intel Core i5-11400F has no integrated graphics.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: What is the production status of each processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U is listed as Active production. The Intel Core i5-11400F is listed as End-of-life.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Ryzen 3 8440U | Intel Core i5-11400F |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 4 | 6 |

| Threads | 8 | 12 |

| Base clock | 3.00 GHz | 2.60 GHz |

| Boost clock | 4.70 GHz | 4.40 GHz |

| TDP | 28 W | 65 W |

| Socket | AMD Socket FP7 | Intel Socket 1200 |

| Architecture | Zen 4 | Rocket Lake |

| Codename | Hawk Point | Rocket Lake |

| Process node | 4 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| Die size | 137 mm² | 276 mm² |

| Transistors | 20,900 million | Not recorded |

| L1 cache | 64 KB per core | 80 KB per core |

| L2 cache | 1 MB per core | 512 KB per core |

| L3 cache | 8 MB shared | 12 MB shared |

| Memory support | DDR5 | DDR4 |

| Memory bandwidth | 89.6 GB/s | 51.2 GB/s |

| PCIe lanes | Gen 4, 14 lanes | Gen 4, 20 lanes |

| Integrated graphics | Radeon 740M | None |

| Market segment | Mobile | Desktop |

| Production status | Active | End-of-life |

| Release date | 2023-12-05 | 2021-03-15 |

| Launch MSRP | Not recorded | $157 |