AMD Ryzen 5 220 vs Intel Core i7-10700K Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 220 and Intel Core i7-10700K land nearly on top of each other in aggregate performance, with average benchmark scores of 22289 and 22230 respectively. That 0.3% gap in favor of AMD is the tightest margin among the Ryzen 5 220's nearest rivals, which also include the Intel Core i5-13500H (22468) and AMD Ryzen 5 3600X (21992). The 19 benchmark comparisons split 13-6 in Intel's favor, yet the Ryzen 5 220 wins decisively in several key single-threaded and specialized tests. This is not a case of one chip dominating; it is a study in architectural trade-offs where the final choice hinges on workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Intel Core i7-10700K sweeps the entire Cinebench suite, though by narrow margins. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, Intel scores 15727 against AMD's 15502, a 1.4% advantage. The single-core R23 result shows the same pattern: Intel at 2220 versus AMD's 2188, again a 1.4% lead. Cinebench R20 and R15 follow suit, with Intel winning multi-core by 1.4% (6605 vs 6510) and 1.5% (1585 vs 1562), and single-core by 1.5% (932 vs 918) and 1.3% (223 vs 220). These are consistent, but they are also the narrowest wins Intel records in this comparison.

The Geekbench results break the trend sharply. Intel wins Geekbench multi-core with a dominant 9430 versus AMD's 7974 — a 15.4% blowout that stands as Intel's largest margin in any test. However, the Geekbench single-core result flips dramatically: AMD scores 2027 against Intel's 1701, a 19.2% win for the Ryzen 5 220. That single-core advantage is AMD's second-largest victory of the entire comparison.

PassMark's suite reveals the true separation. The Ryzen 5 220 wins PassMark single-thread by 19.8%, scoring 3646 versus Intel's 3043. Data encryption is AMD's biggest win: 12493 versus 6468, a massive 93.2% advantage. AMD also takes prime number finding (65 vs 55, +18.2%) and physics (983 vs 933, +5.4%).

Intel's PassMark victories are equally lopsided in the other direction. Random string sorting goes to Intel at 36633 versus 25433, a 30.6% gap. Data compression favors Intel by 28% (295418 vs 212739). Extended instructions see Intel ahead 20% (19387 vs 15512), floating point math by 14.1% (41306 vs 35500), and integer math by 13% (66642 vs 57987). The PassMark multi-thread test is essentially a tie: 18609 for Intel versus 18582 for AMD, a 0.1% difference.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from opposite ends of the design spectrum. The AMD Ryzen 5 220 is built on a 4nm process at TSMC, packing 20,900 million transistors into a 137 mm² die. It uses the Zen 4 architecture under the Hawk Point codename and fits into AMD Socket FP8. The Intel Core i7-10700K, by contrast, is a 14nm Intel-fabricated part based on the Comet Lake architecture, using Intel Socket 1200. The process node gap is generational, and it shows in the specifications.

Core counts differ: the Ryzen 5 220 has 6 cores and 12 threads, while the Core i7-10700K has 8 cores and 16 threads. Both share 64 KB of L1 cache per core, but L2 cache diverges — AMD provides 1 MB per core, Intel only 256 KB per core. L3 cache is identical at 16 MB shared. Clock speeds favor Intel on paper: the i7-10700K runs a 3.80 GHz base and 5.10 GHz boost, versus 3.20 GHz base and 4.90 GHz boost for the Ryzen 5 220.

The memory and platform ecosystems are entirely different. AMD supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus delivering 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Intel supports DDR4 with a dual-channel bus at 46.9 GB/s. PCIe connectivity also differs: AMD offers Gen 4 with 14 lanes (CPU only), while Intel offers Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The integrated graphics are Radeon 740M on the AMD side and UHD Graphics 630 on the Intel side. Neither supports ECC memory.

The TDP figures are starkly different — the Ryzen 5 220 is rated at 28 watts, the Core i7-10700K at 125 watts. The Ryzen 5 220's multiplier is locked, while the i7-10700K's is unlocked. The AMD part is classified as a mobile processor, released on 2025-01-05, whereas the Intel part is a desktop processor released on 2020-04-29. Both remain in active production.

Where Each One Wins

The Core i7-10700K is the clear choice for multi-threaded rendering and compute workloads that scale with core count. Its Cinebench wins, while narrow, are consistent across every version of the benchmark. The Geekbench multi-core result amplifies this: a 15.4% lead suggests the extra two cores and four threads provide real headroom in workloads that use them well. PassMark's integer math, floating point math, extended instructions, data compression, and random string sorting all favor Intel by double digits, indicating broad strength in general-purpose compute and data manipulation tasks.

The Ryzen 5 220's wins are more specialized but no less meaningful. Its 93.2% lead in data encryption points to a significant advantage in cryptographic workloads. The 19.8% single-thread PassMark win and 19.2% Geekbench single-core win suggest superior per-core performance despite the lower boost clock. Prime number finding (+18.2%) and physics (+5.4%) round out a profile that favors single-threaded responsiveness and specific algorithmic tasks.

The multi-thread PassMark result is the tiebreaker that isn't: 18582 versus 18609, a 0.1% difference that effectively means parity. Similarly, Cinebench multi-core deltas of 1.4-1.5% are within noise for many real-world applications. The data suggests Intel wins sustained multi-threaded throughput, but AMD wins latency-sensitive and single-threaded tasks — and does so with a fraction of the power draw.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split based on platform and workload. The Intel Core i7-10700K is the better choice for users who need maximum multi-threaded performance, particularly in Cinebench rendering and Geekbench multi-core scenarios where it leads by up to 15.4%. Its 8-core/16-thread configuration and 5.10 GHz boost clock deliver consistent wins across the PassMark compute suite, making it the stronger option for content creation and heavy multitasking on a desktop platform.

The AMD Ryzen 5 220 is the better pick for single-threaded performance and cryptographic workloads. Its 19.8% PassMark single-thread and 19.2% Geekbench single-core leads are substantial, and the 93.2% encryption advantage is transformative for security-related tasks. The 28-watt TDP versus 125 watts also positions it as the efficient choice, though the locked multiplier and mobile socket limit its desktop appeal.

For a desktop builder seeking raw multi-core muscle, the i7-10700K's 13 benchmark wins and 0.3% aggregate edge justify its selection. For a mobile or power-constrained system where single-thread speed and encryption matter more, the Ryzen 5 220 is the data-backed winner. The 75th percentile ranking for both chips against all CPUs confirms they are evenly matched overall — the right pick comes down to which benchmarks mirror your actual usage.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 220 edges out the Intel Core i7-10700K with an average benchmark score of 22289 versus 22230, a 0.3% difference in AMD's favor.

Q: How large is the single-thread performance gap?

A: The Ryzen 5 220 leads by 19.8% in PassMark single-thread (3646 vs 3043) and by 19.2% in Geekbench single-core (2027 vs 1701).

Q: What is the biggest performance margin in either direction?

A: The largest win is AMD's 93.2% advantage in PassMark data encryption (12493 vs 6468). Intel's biggest win is 30.6% in PassMark random string sorting (36633 vs 25433).

Q: How do the core counts compare?

A: The Intel Core i7-10700K has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 220 has 6 cores and 12 threads.

Q: Which CPU supports faster memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 220 supports DDR5 with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, while the Intel Core i7-10700K supports DDR4 with 46.9 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Are the Cinebench multi-core results close?

A: Yes, Intel wins Cinebench R23 multi-core by 1.4% (15727 vs 15502), and the margins are similar in R20 (1.4%) and R15 (1.5%).