AMD Ryzen 5 3500X vs Intel Core i3-10105F Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark record shows a decisive overall victory for the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X, which claims 16 of the 19 direct head-to-head comparisons. The Intel Core i3-10105F manages only 3 wins, but those wins are concentrated in areas that reveal its architectural strengths. The most lopsided result in the entire dataset is the PassMark prime number test, where the Ryzen 5 3500X scores 130 against the Core i3-10105F's 25, a staggering 80.8% advantage. This is not a marginal gap; it indicates a fundamental difference in how the two processors handle integer-heavy, single-threaded workloads that stress branch prediction and execution resources.

The Cinebench suite paints a consistent picture of multi-core dominance for AMD. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Ryzen 5 3500X posts 11196 points versus 7537 for the Intel part, a 32.7% lead. The same 32.7% delta appears across Cinebench R15 multi-core (1128 vs 759), R20 multi-core (4702 vs 3165), and even the single-core variants of all three Cinebench tests. That uniformity is striking: R15 single-core shows 159 vs 107, R20 single-core shows 663 vs 446, and R23 single-core shows 1580 vs 1064. Every Cinebench result, regardless of thread count, favors the AMD chip by exactly 32.7%. This suggests the per-core performance advantage in Cinebench's specific workload is consistent and independent of scaling.

Geekbench results narrow the gap considerably. In multi-core, the Ryzen 5 3500X scores 6331 against 4920, a 22.3% margin. The single-core test is far closer: 1539 versus 1470, a mere 4.5% difference. That is the smallest Cinebench-free margin in the entire comparison and indicates that in lighter single-threaded workloads, the Intel architecture can nearly match the Zen 2 core. However, the multi-core Geekbench result still favors AMD by a substantial margin, reflecting the advantage of two additional physical cores.

PassMark's suite reveals where each processor excels. The data encryption test is a blowout: the Ryzen 5 3500X scores 7276 versus 3045, a 58.2% advantage. This workload likely benefits from the larger L3 cache and the newer instruction set implementation. The extended instructions test shows a 37.7% lead for AMD (14053 vs 8753), and the physics test shows a 53.7% lead (1234 vs 571). Floating-point math favors AMD by 21.3% (23095 vs 18166), while integer math shows a smaller 11.2% gap (32564 vs 28921). Data compression favors AMD by 9.1% (143701 vs 130647), and multi-threaded PassMark shows a 32.2% lead (13172 vs 8930).

The Intel Core i3-10105F wins the single-thread PassMark test with 2647 points against 2502, a 5.8% lead. It also edges out AMD in random string sorting, 16414 to 16263, a slim 0.9% margin. These two wins, alongside its single-thread PassMark duplicate, represent the entirety of Intel's victories. The random string sorting result is particularly interesting because it is the only multi-threaded test where Intel wins, suggesting that the memory subsystem and sorting algorithm interact in a way that favors the Intel design despite its fewer cores.

Overall, the average benchmark score tells a nuanced story. The Intel chip has an average score of 12644 against AMD's 12000, placing both at the 67th percentile among all CPUs. The Intel part's nearest rivals include the Intel Atom x7809C (12607, 0.3% behind) and the Intel Core i3-1215U (12604, 0.3% behind), while the AMD part's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Bronze 3408U (12019, 0.2% ahead) and the Intel Core i3-12100 (12054, 0.4% ahead). Despite losing most head-to-head tests, the Intel part's average score is actually 5.4% higher than AMD's, a paradox explained by the inclusion of the 3DMark tests in AMD's benchmark set. The 3DMark results for the Ryzen 5 3500X (3853 for 16 threads, 1351 for 2 threads, 2644 for 4 threads, 3860 for 8 threads, 3817 for max threads, 680 for single thread) pull its average down, while the Intel part has no corresponding 3DMark entries in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two processors represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The Intel Core i3-10105F is built on a 14 nm process at Intel's foundry, using the Comet Lake architecture with the Comet Lake-R codename. It belongs to the Core 10th Gen family and fits the Intel Socket 1200. The AMD Ryzen 5 3500X, by contrast, uses a 7 nm process at TSMC, employs the Zen 2 architecture with the Matisse codename, and belongs to the 3000 series on the AMD Socket AM4. The process node difference is significant: 14 nm versus 7 nm, with the AMD part also listing 3,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, while the Intel part has no transistor count or die size recorded in the database.

Core configuration diverges sharply. The Intel part has 4 cores and 8 threads, leveraging Hyper-Threading to reach 8 threads from 4 physical cores. The AMD part has 6 cores and 6 threads, with no simultaneous multithreading. This means the AMD processor offers 50% more physical cores, while the Intel processor offers 33% more threads than physical cores. In workloads that scale well with physical cores, the AMD part has a structural advantage; in workloads that benefit from SMT, the Intel part can partially compensate.

Clock speeds favor Intel on paper. The Core i3-10105F has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, while the Ryzen 5 3500X runs at 3.60 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost. Both have a 65 W TDP. The higher boost clock on the Intel part helps explain its single-thread PassMark win (2647 vs 2502, 5.8% ahead), but the AMD part's higher IPC and larger cache overcome the clock deficit in most other single-threaded tests.

Cache hierarchy shows a major divergence. Both parts have 64 KB of L1 cache per core. The L2 cache differs: Intel provides 256 KB per core, while AMD provides 512 KB per core, double the capacity. The L3 cache is the most dramatic difference: Intel offers 6 MB shared, while AMD offers 32 MB shared, more than five times as much. This large L3 cache likely contributes to AMD's massive lead in data encryption (58.2%) and prime number finding (80.8%), both of which are sensitive to cache capacity and memory latency.

Memory bandwidth also favors AMD. The Intel part lists 42.7 GB/s, while the AMD part lists 51.2 GB/s, a 20% gap. Both support DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration, and neither supports ECC. PCIe connectivity differs: Intel provides Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, while AMD provides Gen 4 with 24 lanes from the CPU. The newer PCIe generation and additional lanes give AMD an advantage for storage and expansion.

The Intel part has a locked multiplier, while the AMD part has an unlocked multiplier, meaning the Ryzen 5 3500X can be overclocked by the user. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $97, while the AMD part has no recorded launch MSRP. The Intel part was released on 2021-03-15, while the AMD part was released on 2019-09-23. Both are desktop parts with no integrated graphics, and both are listed as Active in production status. The Intel part number is SRH8V, while the AMD part number is 100-000000158.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear recommendation for users who prioritize multi-threaded performance: the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X is the stronger processor in almost every measured workload. Its 32.7% lead across all Cinebench tests, 22.3% lead in Geekbench multi-core, and 32.2% lead in PassMark multi-thread demonstrate consistent superiority in rendering, encoding, and general productivity tasks. The 58.2% lead in data encryption and 80.8% lead in prime number finding further cement its position for computationally intensive workloads.

The Intel Core i3-10105F is the better choice for users who value raw single-threaded performance in specific workloads. Its 5.8% lead in PassMark single-thread and 0.9% lead in random string sorting are the only victories in the dataset, but they are real. For applications that rely heavily on single-threaded PassMark-style operations, the Intel part offers a measurable advantage. Additionally, the Intel part's average benchmark score of 12644 exceeds AMD's 12000, and both sit at the 67th percentile, indicating that the Intel part holds its own in the broader benchmark landscape despite losing the head-to-head tests.

The locked multiplier on the Intel part and the unlocked multiplier on the AMD part should inform purchasing decisions for overclockers. The AMD part's 7 nm process, 32 MB L3 cache, 512 KB L2 per core, PCIe Gen 4 support, and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth provide a modern platform foundation. The Intel part's 14 nm process, 6 MB L3 cache, 256 KB L2 per core, PCIe Gen 3 support, and 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth represent an older platform design, but its higher boost clock and Hyper-Threading compensate in some scenarios.

Users with existing AM4 motherboards or those planning to overclock should choose the Ryzen 5 3500X. Users with Intel Socket 1200 boards or those who prioritize the specific single-threaded workloads where Intel wins should consider the Core i3-10105F. The database does not record any price for the AMD part, so no cost comparison is possible from the available data.

Specification Differences

The recorded specifications differ in several key areas. The Intel Core i3-10105F has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X has 6 cores and 6 threads. Base clocks are 3.70 GHz for Intel and 3.60 GHz for AMD; boost clocks are 4.40 GHz and 4.10 GHz respectively. Both have a 65 W TDP. The Intel part uses the Intel Socket 1200 with Comet Lake architecture on a 14 nm node from Intel's foundry. The AMD part uses the AMD Socket AM4 with Zen 2 architecture on a 7 nm node from TSMC, with 3,800 million transistors on a 74 mm² die. L2 cache is 256 KB per core for Intel and 512 KB per core for AMD. L3 cache is 6 MB shared for Intel and 32 MB shared for AMD. Memory bandwidth is 42.7 GB/s for Intel and 51.2 GB/s for AMD. PCIe support is Gen 3 with 16 lanes for Intel and Gen 4 with 24 lanes for AMD. The Intel multiplier is locked; the AMD multiplier is unlocked. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $97; the AMD part has no recorded launch MSRP. Release dates are 2021-03-15 for Intel and 2019-09-23 for AMD.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins more head-to-head benchmark comparisons?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3500X wins 16 of the 19 recorded head-to-head tests, while the Intel Core i3-10105F wins 3.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two processors?

A: The PassMark find prime numbers test shows the largest gap, with the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X scoring 130 against the Intel Core i3-10105F's 25, an 80.8% advantage for AMD.

Q: In which benchmarks does the Intel Core i3-10105F outperform the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X?

A: The Intel part wins PassMark single-thread (2647 vs 2502, a 5.8% lead) and PassMark random string sorting (16414 vs 16263, a 0.9% lead). The single-thread result appears twice in the database as passmark_single_thread and passmark_singlethread.

Q: How do the core and thread counts differ?

A: The Intel Core i3-10105F has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X has 6 cores and 6 threads. The AMD part offers more physical cores, while the Intel part uses simultaneous multithreading to reach 8 threads.

Q: What is the difference in L3 cache size?

A: The Intel Core i3-10105F has 6 MB of shared L3 cache, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X has 32 MB of shared L3 cache, more than five times as much.

Q: Are both processors at the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i3-10105F and the AMD Ryzen 5 3500X are recorded at the 67th percentile among all CPUs. The Intel part has an average benchmark score of 12644, while the AMD part has an average score of 12000.