AMD Ryzen 5 3501U vs Intel Core 7 350 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the Intel Core 7 350 wins every single head-to-head test against the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U. Out of 11 recorded comparisons, Intel takes all 11, with the largest margins appearing in compute-heavy workloads. The most dramatic gap is in the PassMark find prime numbers test, where Intel scores 107 versus AMD’s 21, a delta of 80.4 percent. This test is highly sensitive to single-thread efficiency and raw clock speed, and the Intel part’s 4.80 GHz boost clock versus AMD’s 3.70 GHz explains much of that chasm.

Floating-point math shows a similar pattern. Intel records 42,809 points against AMD’s 12,707, a 70.3 percent advantage. Extended instruction workloads, which include SIMD and cryptographic primitives, also heavily favor Intel: 12,045 versus 3,274, a 72.8 percent lead. Data encryption doubles the AMD score, with Intel at 10,933 and AMD at 5,580, a 49 percent delta. Integer math is the closest race, yet Intel still leads by 22 percent, scoring 33,734 against AMD’s 26,321.

Multi-threaded performance is a clear win for Intel, with a PassMark multithread score of 15,170 versus AMD’s 7,071, a 53.4 percent advantage. The physics test, which often reflects multi-core scaling, shows Intel at 1,173 and AMD at 483, a 58.8 percent gap. Data compression, a workload that benefits from both memory bandwidth and core count, gives Intel 143,123 against AMD’s 87,380, a 38.9 percent lead. Random string sorting, which tests memory access patterns and cache behavior, sees Intel at 17,238 versus AMD’s 10,414, a 39.6 percent margin.

Single-thread performance is arguably the most important metric for everyday responsiveness, and here Intel is decisively ahead: 4,100 points versus AMD’s 2,136, a 47.9 percent delta. This result is consistent across both the “single_thread” and “singlethread” entries in the database, which both show the same scores. The average benchmark score tells the same story: Intel’s 17,779 average versus AMD’s 14,320, placing the Intel part in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, while AMD sits in the 69th percentile.

Relative to their nearest rivals, both parts are competitive within their own tiers. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U’s average score of 14,320 is within 1 percent of the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14,336), the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14,277), the Intel Core 7 160UL (14,232), and the Intel Core i5-10400F (14,185). The Intel Core 7 350’s average of 17,779 is similarly close to the Intel Core 5 221TE (17,860), the AMD EPYC 9374F (17,693), the AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT (17,891), and the Intel Core 5 120U (17,898). Neither part is an outlier among its peers, but the gap between the two is substantial.

Where Each One Wins

Given the sweep, the Intel Core 7 350 is the obvious choice for any task that demands raw computational throughput. Its wins span integer math, floating-point math, encryption, compression, and physics simulations, meaning it excels in video encoding, 3D rendering, scientific computing, and file archiving workflows. The 80.4 percent lead in prime-number finding suggests strong branch prediction and clock scaling, which matters for single-threaded legacy applications. The 49 percent encryption lead points to better support for AES-NI or similar instructions, which is relevant for VPNs, disk encryption, and secure communications.

The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U, while it loses every benchmark, still holds a niche in scenarios where its specific platform characteristics matter. It uses DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, which can be advantageous for memory-sensitive workloads that do not require the latest memory standards. Its integrated Radeon Vega 8 graphics may offer different driver support or feature sets compared to Intel’s Xe3 Graphics. However, the recorded data does not include any graphics benchmark, so any comparison there would be speculative. For CPU-bound tasks, the AMD part delivers a baseline of 21,321 in integer math and 12,707 in floating-point math, which is adequate for basic office productivity, web browsing, and light spreadsheet work, but it is clearly outclassed by Intel in every measured discipline.

The single-thread score is where the divide is most painful for AMD. A 47.9 percent deficit means that even simple actions like opening applications or parsing JavaScript will feel slower on the Ryzen 5 3501U. The Intel Core 7 350’s 4,100 single-thread points place it in a higher performance class, rivaling desktop parts from a few generations ago. For users who prioritize snappy, responsive systems over multi-core throughput, the Intel part is the only sensible pick from these two.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher multi-threaded score?

A: The Intel Core 7 350 scores 15,170 in PassMark multithread, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U scores 7,071, a 53.4 percent difference in Intel’s favor.

Q: How do the single-thread scores compare?

A: Intel records 4,100 points in PassMark single-thread, versus AMD’s 2,136, giving Intel a 47.9 percent advantage.

Q: What is the closest benchmark result between the two?

A: The closest margin is in integer math, where Intel scores 33,734 and AMD scores 26,321, a 22 percent delta. All other tests show larger gaps.

Q: Does the AMD processor win any benchmark?

A: No. The database lists 11 head-to-head tests, and the Intel Core 7 350 wins all 11. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U has zero wins.

Q: How do the average scores compare?

A: Intel’s average benchmark score is 17,779, while AMD’s is 14,320. That places Intel in the 71st percentile of all CPUs and AMD in the 69th percentile.

Q: Are these parts close to their nearest competitors?

A: Yes. AMD’s average is within 1 percent of four rivals, including the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 and the Intel Core 7 160UL. Intel’s average is within 0.7 percent of the Intel Core 5 221TE and the Intel Core 5 120U.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every specification field. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the Intel Core 7 350 has 6 cores and 6 threads. Base clocks are 2.10 GHz for AMD versus 1.50 GHz for Intel, but boost clocks reverse the order: 3.70 GHz for AMD and 4.80 GHz for Intel. Both parts have a 15 W TDP, but they use different sockets: AMD Socket FP5 versus Intel BGA 1516.

Memory support is a major divergence. AMD uses DDR4 with a dual-channel bus and 38.4 GB/s bandwidth. Intel supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X with a single-channel bus and 59.7 GB/s bandwidth. The PCIe version also differs: AMD is Gen 3, while Intel is Gen 4 with 6 CPU lanes. Neither part supports ECC memory.

Cache configurations are not comparable. AMD has 96 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 4 MB shared L3. Intel has 192 KB L1 per core, 2.5 MB L2 per core, and 6 MB shared L3. This means Intel has more than double the L1 and nearly five times the L2 per core, plus 50 percent more L3.

The integrated graphics differ as well: AMD uses Radeon Vega 8, while Intel uses Xe3 Graphics with 2 Xe cores. The AMD part is unlocked for multipliers, but the Intel part is not. Manufacturing details also separate them: AMD is built on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries with 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, while Intel uses a 3 nm process at Intel’s own foundry with no transistor count or die size recorded.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is stark. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U is based on the Picasso codename, which is a Zen+ design from the Ryzen 5 generation. It uses a 12 nm process node, which is several generations behind the Intel part’s 3 nm node. The Zen+ architecture is a refined version of the original Zen, with modest IPC improvements over its predecessor, but it lacks the newer instruction set features and power efficiency of later designs. The AMD part’s 4 MB shared L3 cache is small by modern standards, and its dual-channel DDR4 memory interface caps bandwidth at 38.4 GB/s.

The Intel Core 7 350, in contrast, uses the Wildcat Lake codename from the Core 5 generation. It is built on a 3 nm process, which allows for significantly higher transistor density and lower power consumption per operation. The 6 MB shared L3, 192 KB L1 per core, and 2.5 MB L2 per core indicate a newer, more cache-heavy design. Intel’s support for DDR5 and LPDDR5X memory, even with a single-channel bus, provides 59.7 GB/s bandwidth, which is 55 percent higher than AMD’s dual-channel DDR4 implementation. The PCIe Gen 4 interface with 6 CPU lanes also outpaces AMD’s Gen 3, which is relevant for fast NVMe storage and external GPU connectivity.

The integrated graphics architecture is another differentiator. AMD’s Radeon Vega 8 is based on the older Vega architecture, which has been superseded by multiple generations of RDNA. Intel’s Xe3 Graphics with 2 Xe cores is a much newer design, likely offering better hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding, though no graphics benchmarks are available in the database to confirm this. The Intel part also has a higher boost clock at 4.80 GHz, which, combined with a newer architecture, explains its commanding lead in single-thread and floating-point tests.

The foundry choice is also notable: AMD uses GlobalFoundries for the 12 nm process, while Intel uses its own in-house 3 nm fabrication. This difference in process maturity is a key factor in the performance gap, as smaller nodes typically provide better transistor switching speed and lower leakage. The lack of a recorded transistor count or die size for Intel makes a direct density comparison impossible, but the architectural generational gap is clear from the benchmark data.