AMD Ryzen 5 1600 vs Intel Core 5 330 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear overall winner in the Intel Core 5 330, which takes 11 of the 15 head-to-head benchmark comparisons. The remaining four wins go to the AMD Ryzen 5 1600. This is not a close contest in most categories, though the AMD chip does claim several specialized workloads.

The single largest margin belongs to the Intel part in the passmark find prime numbers test. The Core 5 330 scores 114 against the Ryzen 5 1600's 35, a difference of 225.7 percent. This is an extreme outlier in the dataset, and it reflects a workload that heavily favors the newer Intel architecture. The floating point math test is similarly lopsided: Intel scores 43885 versus AMD's 21402, a 105.1 percent advantage. The Cinebench R23 multicore result shows Intel at 13150 against AMD's 6468, a 103.3 percent lead, while the single-core variant shows 1856 versus 915, a 102.8 percent gap.

The extended instructions test also favors Intel decisively, with 12808 against 6667, a 92.1 percent difference. The passmark physics score goes to Intel at 1201 versus 643, an 86.8 percent margin. Single-thread performance, measured by passmark single thread, shows Intel at 4088 versus 2066, a 97.9 percent advantage, and the same result appears under the passmark singlethread entry. The Cinebench R15 tests are closer but still favor Intel: multicore at 1325 versus 1129 is a 17.4 percent lead, and singlecore at 186 versus 147 is a 26.5 percent lead. The passmark multithread score goes to Intel at 15471 versus 12270, a 26.1 percent margin.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 wins the remaining four tests. The largest of these is passmark integer math, where AMD scores 41470 against Intel's 33258, a 19.8 percent advantage. Data compression also goes to AMD at 172053 versus 145287, a 15.6 percent lead. Random string sorting favors AMD at 20240 versus 17771, a 12.2 percent margin, and data encryption is the closest of the AMD wins at 11683 versus 11076, a 5.2 percent difference.

Looking at the broader picture, the Intel part leads in rendering, physics simulation, prime number computation, floating point math, extended instruction workloads, and essentially all single-threaded measurements. The AMD part leads in integer math, compression, string sorting, and encryption. This split is meaningful: the Intel chip dominates compute-heavy synthetic loads and anything that relies on per-core efficiency, while the AMD chip holds ground in data manipulation and cryptographic tasks.

The average benchmark scores place the two chips close together overall. The Core 5 330 has an average benchmark score of 18345, while the Ryzen 5 1600 sits at 17994. That is a difference of roughly 2 percent, despite the Intel chip winning 11 of 15 individual tests. This indicates that the AMD wins come in tests that carry significant weight in the average, and that the Intel wins, while numerous, do not fully translate into a much larger overall average. Both processors sit at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs in the database, meaning they are statistically equivalent in overall standing despite their very different workload profiles.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the Intel Core 5 330 is the better processor for most users. It wins the majority of benchmarks, and its wins include the most widely cited rendering and single-thread tests. The Cinebench R23 multicore and singlecore results are often used as general indicators of CPU capability, and the Intel part leads both by over 100 percent.

The Ryzen 5 1600 should be considered only if the specific workload falls into its four winning categories. Integer math, data compression, random string sorting, and data encryption are all areas where the AMD chip leads, and in integer math the margin is nearly 20 percent. For users whose primary tasks are heavily integer-based or involve compression and encryption, the Ryzen 5 1600 remains competitive.

However, the Intel part has the advantage in nearly every other measured area, and its leads are frequently massive. The 225.7 percent lead in prime number finding and the 105.1 percent lead in floating point math are not marginal differences; they represent generational strides in compute capability. The single-thread results, at 97.9 percent ahead, are particularly relevant for everyday responsiveness and lightly threaded applications.

The percentile ranking reinforces this: both chips sit at the 72nd percentile, so the database overall considers them peers. But the benchmark-by-benchmark breakdown shows that the Intel chip achieves its standing through breadth, while the AMD chip relies on a narrower set of strengths. The average benchmark score difference of 18345 versus 17994 is small, but the distribution of wins is not.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core 5 330 wins in all measured rendering workloads. Cinebench R15 multicore, R15 singlecore, R23 multicore, and R23 singlecore all favor Intel, with margins ranging from 17.4 percent to over 100 percent. This makes the Intel part the clear choice for 3D rendering, video encoding, and any workload that relies on Cinebench-style multithreaded execution.

The Intel part also dominates physics simulation, scoring 86.8 percent higher in passmark physics. This test often correlates with gaming physics and simulation workloads, so the Intel chip has an edge there as well. Floating point math, extended instructions, and prime number finding all favor Intel heavily, indicating that the newer architecture handles complex mathematical operations and SIMD-style instructions far more efficiently.

Single-thread performance is entirely in Intel's favor. Both the passmark single thread and passmark singlethread entries show the same result: 4088 versus 2066, a 97.9 percent lead. This carries over to the Cinebench R15 and R23 singlecore tests, where Intel leads by 26.5 percent and 102.8 percent respectively. For web browsing, office applications, and any software that does not scale across many cores, the Intel part is the stronger option.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 wins in data compression, where it scores 172053 against 145287. This is a 15.6 percent margin, and it suggests that the AMD chip handles compression algorithms more effectively despite its older architecture. The Intel part is not weak here, but the AMD chip is measurably better.

Integer math is the AMD chip's biggest win, at 41470 versus 33258, a 19.8 percent advantage. This is a significant margin for a core compute workload, and it indicates that the AMD architecture still holds an edge in certain integer-heavy tasks. Random string sorting also goes to AMD at 20240 versus 17771, a 12.2 percent lead, and data encryption follows at 11683 versus 11076, a 5.2 percent margin.

The practical takeaway is that the Intel Core 5 330 is the better all-rounder, while the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is specialized. Users who run compression tools, encryption workloads, or integer-heavy scientific code may prefer the AMD chip. Everyone else should lean toward the Intel part.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher single-core performance?

A: The Intel Core 5 330 wins all single-core tests. In Cinebench R15 singlecore it scores 186 versus 147, a 26.5 percent lead. In Cinebench R23 singlecore it scores 1856 versus 915, a 102.8 percent lead. In passmark single thread it scores 4088 versus 2066, a 97.9 percent lead.

Q: How do the two processors compare in overall average score?

A: The Intel Core 5 330 has an average benchmark score of 18345, while the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 has an average of 17994. Both sit at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs in the database.

Q: In which benchmarks does the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 win?

A: The AMD chip wins four tests: passmark data compression at 172053 versus 145287, passmark data encryption at 11683 versus 11076, passmark integer math at 41470 versus 33258, and passmark random string sorting at 20240 versus 17771.

Q: What is the largest benchmark margin between the two?

A: The largest margin is in passmark find prime numbers, where the Intel Core 5 330 scores 114 versus the AMD chip's 35, a 225.7 percent difference.

Q: Do both processors have the same number of cores?

A: Yes, both have 6 cores. However, the Intel Core 5 330 has 6 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 has 12 threads due to simultaneous multithreading.

Q: What is the difference in Cinebench R23 multicore scores?

A: The Intel Core 5 330 scores 13150, while the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 scores 6468. The Intel part leads by 103.3 percent.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different generations and manufacturing processes. The Intel Core 5 330 is built on a 3 nm process at Intel's own foundry, while the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 uses a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. This process gap explains much of the performance difference, as the smaller node allows for higher efficiency and higher clock speeds.

The Intel chip uses the Wildcat Lake codename and belongs to the Core 5 (Wildcat Lake) generation. The AMD chip uses the Zen architecture, specifically the Zen (Summit Ridge) generation from the 1000 series. These are fundamentally different designs from different eras, with the Intel part releasing on 2026-04-15 and the AMD part releasing on 2017-04-10.

Both processors have 6 cores, but the thread counts differ. The Intel chip has 6 threads, meaning no simultaneous multithreading, while the AMD chip has 12 threads, doubling its thread count through SMT. Despite having half the thread count, the Intel chip still wins most multithreaded benchmarks, which indicates that its per-core performance is substantially higher.

The cache configurations are also very different. The Intel chip has 192 KB of L1 cache, 2.5 MB of L2 cache, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD chip has 96 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD chip has significantly more L3 cache at 16 MB versus 6 MB, which may contribute to its wins in compression and encryption workloads.

Memory support differs as well. The Intel chip supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X memory with a single-channel memory bus and a memory bandwidth of 59.7 GB/s. The AMD chip supports DDR4 with a dual-channel memory bus and a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The Intel chip has higher theoretical memory bandwidth, but the AMD chip's dual-channel configuration may offer better real-world latency characteristics.

The Intel chip has integrated graphics in the form of Intel Xe3 Graphics with 2 Xe cores, while the AMD chip has no integrated graphics at all. This makes the Intel part viable for systems without a discrete GPU, while the AMD chip requires a separate graphics card.

Specification Differences

The Intel Core 5 330 has a base clock of 1.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 3.60 GHz. Despite the AMD chip starting at a higher base clock, the Intel chip's boost clock is significantly higher, and the benchmark results show that the Intel chip is much faster in practice.

The thermal design power differs substantially. The Intel chip has a TDP of 15 watts, while the AMD chip has a TDP of 65 watts. This makes the Intel chip far more power-efficient, which is consistent with its mobile market segment. The AMD chip targets desktop systems and draws more power.

The sockets are incompatible. The Intel chip uses Intel BGA 1516, while the AMD chip uses AMD Socket AM4. This means they cannot be used interchangeably in the same motherboard.

The Intel chip has 6 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (CPU only), while the AMD chip has 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes (CPU only). The AMD chip offers more PCIe lanes, which can be important for expansion cards, but the Intel chip uses the newer Gen 4 standard.

The AMD chip supports ECC memory, while the Intel chip does not. This makes the AMD part more suitable for error-sensitive workloads such as file servers or scientific computing.

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 has an unlocked multiplier, while the Intel Core 5 330 does not. This means the AMD chip can be overclocked, while the Intel chip is locked to its specified clocks.

The Intel chip has a launch MSRP of $309, while the AMD chip has a launch MSRP of $219. The AMD chip is also substantially older, having been released in 2017, while the Intel chip is a 2026 release. The AMD chip remains in active production, as does the Intel chip.