AMD Ryzen 3 8440U vs Intel Core i5-12450H Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U and Intel Core i5-12450H are two very different mobile processors with distinct design philosophies. The AMD chip is a 4-core, 8-thread part built on a modern 4nm process with a 28W TDP, while the Intel chip is an 8-core, 12-thread part on an older 10nm node with a 45W TDP. The database records 17 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, with the Intel chip winning 14 of them and the AMD chip winning 3. However, the AMD chip holds a significant single-thread advantage in PassMark testing, and it also wins the Cinebench R23 multi-core test despite having fewer cores. This creates a nuanced picture where the Intel chip dominates in raw throughput and traditional multi-core workloads, but the AMD chip shows remarkable efficiency and single-thread strength.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-12450H is the clear winner for heavily threaded workloads and compute-intensive tasks. Its 8 cores and 12 threads provide a substantial advantage in floating-point math, integer math, and data compression. The database shows the Intel chip winning 14 of the 17 head-to-head benchmarks, with particularly large margins in floating-point math (43.3% ahead), integer math (31.6% ahead), and data compression (25% ahead). This makes it the better choice for video encoding, 3D rendering, and other parallel workloads that can utilize its extra cores and threads. The Intel chip also wins in all Cinebench tests except R23 multi-core, which suggests it generally excels in rendering tasks.

The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U, despite having only 4 cores and 8 threads, wins in PassMark single-thread testing by 10.3% (3648 vs 3306). This indicates that its Zen 4 architecture delivers superior per-core performance, which is valuable for lightly threaded applications like web browsing, office productivity, and some older games. The AMD chip also wins the Cinebench R23 multi-core test with a 23.4% advantage (10884 vs 8822.5), which is surprising given its core disadvantage. This suggests that the AMD chip's higher boost clock (4.70 GHz vs 4.40 GHz) and more efficient architecture allow it to outperform the Intel chip in certain sustained multi-threaded scenarios, particularly those that benefit from the newer process node.

For users who prioritize battery life and portability, the AMD chip's 28W TDP versus the Intel chip's 45W TDP makes it a more suitable option for thin-and-light laptops. The AMD chip also uses DDR5 memory exclusively, which offers higher bandwidth (89.6 GB/s) compared to the Intel chip's support for both DDR4 and DDR5. The Intel chip does offer more PCIe lanes (20 vs 14), which could be beneficial for systems with multiple storage drives or discrete GPUs.

FAQ

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

A: The Intel Core i5-12450H wins Cinebench R15 multi-core (1350 vs 1097, an 18.7% advantage) and Cinebench R20 multi-core (5671 vs 4571, a 19.4% advantage). However, the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U wins Cinebench R23 multi-core with a 23.4% advantage (10884 vs 8822.5), making the overall multi-core picture mixed depending on the specific test.

Q: How do the single-thread performances compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U wins PassMark single-thread testing by 10.3% (3648 vs 3306). The Intel chip wins Cinebench R15 single-core (238 vs 154, a 35.3% advantage), R20 single-core (800 vs 645, a 19.4% advantage), and R23 single-core (1661 vs 1536, a 7.5% advantage).

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core i5-12450H has 8 cores and 12 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U has 4 cores and 8 threads. The Intel chip also has a larger L3 cache at 12 MB shared versus 8 MB shared for the AMD chip.

Q: What is the process technology difference?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U is built on a 4nm process at TSMC, while the Intel Core i5-12450H uses a 10nm process at Intel. The AMD chip also has a smaller die size at 137 mm² versus 217 mm² for the Intel chip.

Q: Which processor supports faster memory?

A: The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U supports only DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The Intel Core i5-12450H supports both DDR4 and DDR5, but the database does not list its memory bandwidth figure.

Q: How do the two processors rank overall in the database?

A: The Intel Core i5-12450H has a percentile of 71 versus 70 for the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U. The Intel chip also has a higher average benchmark score at 17239 versus 16663 for the AMD chip.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result in the head-to-head data is the Cinebench R23 multi-core test, where the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U beats the Intel Core i5-12450H by 23.4% (10884 vs 8822.5). This is a significant victory for the 4-core AMD chip over the 8-core Intel chip, suggesting that the newer Zen 4 architecture and higher boost clock (4.70 GHz vs 4.40 GHz) can overcome the core deficit in this particular workload. The AMD chip also wins PassMark single-thread testing by 10.3% (3648 vs 3306), which is a strong indicator of its per-core efficiency.

The Intel Core i5-12450H has its biggest win in PassMark floating-point math, where it scores 40568 versus 23017 for the AMD chip, a 43.3% advantage. This is followed by a 31.6% advantage in integer math (54782 vs 37468) and a 26% advantage in data encryption (10832 vs 8012). The Intel chip also shows a 25% advantage in data compression (195132 vs 146273) and a 21.3% advantage in multithreaded performance (16265 vs 12805). In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Intel chip scores 1350 versus 1097 (an 18.7% advantage), and in R20 multi-core it scores 5671 versus 4571 (a 19.4% advantage). The Intel chip also wins Cinebench R15 single-core by 35.3% (238 vs 154) and R20 single-core by 19.4% (800 vs 645), though the AMD chip closes the gap in R23 single-core with only a 7.5% deficit (1661 vs 1536).

The remaining tests all favor the Intel chip, including extended instructions (11992 vs 11059, a 7.8% advantage), prime number finding (46 vs 43, a 6.5% advantage), physics (883 vs 685, a 22.4% advantage), and random string sorting (20838 vs 17725, a 14.9% advantage). Overall, the Intel chip wins 14 of 17 comparisons, but the AMD chip's victories in R23 multi-core and PassMark single-thread are significant enough to make it a compelling alternative for specific use cases.

Specification Differences

The fundamental difference lies in core count and process technology. The Intel Core i5-12450H has 8 cores and 12 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 3 8440U has 4 cores and 8 threads. The Intel chip has a base clock of 2.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, while the AMD chip has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The TDP also differs significantly, with the Intel chip rated at 45W and the AMD chip at 28W.

The memory support differs as well. The AMD chip supports only DDR5 with dual-channel memory and a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, while the Intel chip supports both DDR4 and DDR5 with dual-channel memory, though its bandwidth is not listed in the database. The PCIe configurations also differ, with the AMD chip offering Gen 4 with 14 lanes (CPU only) and the Intel chip offering Gen 4 with 20 lanes (CPU only). The integrated graphics are different too, with the AMD chip featuring Radeon 740M and the Intel chip featuring UHD Graphics.

The sockets are incompatible: the AMD chip uses AMD Socket FP7, while the Intel chip uses Intel BGA 1744. The Intel chip has a larger die size at 217 mm² versus 137 mm² for the AMD chip. The AMD chip's transistor count is listed as 20,900 million, while the Intel chip's transistor count is not recorded. The release dates also differ, with the AMD chip released in December 2023, while the Intel chip's release date is not recorded in the database.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 3 8440U is based on the Zen 4 architecture with the codename Hawk Point, part of the 8000 series. It is built on a 4nm process at TSMC, which is significantly more advanced than the Intel chip's 10nm process. The AMD chip's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Core i5-12450H is based on the Alder Lake architecture with the codename Alder Lake-H, part of Core 12th Gen. It uses a 10nm process at Intel and has 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache.

The AMD chip's Zen 4 architecture is designed for efficiency and high single-thread performance, which is reflected in its PassMark single-thread win of 3648 versus 3306 for the Intel chip. The Intel chip's Alder Lake architecture uses a hybrid core design, but the database does not specify whether it uses performance and efficiency cores. The AMD chip has a smaller die size (137 mm² vs 217 mm²), which, combined with the 4nm process, suggests better power efficiency and potentially lower thermals. Both chips are unlocked, meaning their multipliers are locked, and both are production-active mobile parts. Neither supports ECC memory. The AMD chip has a part number of 100-000001325 (FP7r2) and 100-000001332 (FP7), while the Intel chip has the part number SRLCX.