AMD Ryzen 5 3550H vs Intel Core i7-6700TE Comparison

The Intel Core i7-6700TE and AMD Ryzen 5 3550H are both 4-core, 8-thread processors with a 35 W TDP, but they deliver nearly opposite performance profiles depending on the workload. The Ryzen 5 3550H wins four of six head-to-head benchmarks, including a commanding 48.6% lead in single-core Cinebench R15, while the Core i7-6700TE counters with a massive 34.2% victory in Cinebench R23 multi-core and a narrow 2.7% edge in Geekbench single-core. Both processors sit at the 40th percentile among all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores are nearly identical (1666 vs 1653), making the choice entirely dependent on which specific application mix matters most.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-6700TE edges out the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H with an average score of 1666 versus 1653, a difference of only 13 points. Both processors occupy the 40th percentile among all CPUs, indicating they are statistically equivalent in overall aggregate performance.

Q: How do the two compare in Cinebench R15 multi-core performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is decisively faster, scoring 742 versus the Intel Core i7-6700TE's 531. This represents a 28.4% advantage for the AMD part, which is the second-largest performance gap in the entire head-to-head comparison.

Q: What is the largest performance difference between the two chips?

A: The biggest gap is in Cinebench R15 single-core, where the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H scores 144 compared to the Intel Core i7-6700TE's 74. That is a 48.6% lead for AMD, more than double the Intel chip's score in this specific test.

Q: Does the Intel processor win any benchmark by a significant margin?

A: Yes, in Cinebench R23 multi-core the Intel Core i7-6700TE scores 5273 versus 3929.5 for the AMD, a 34.2% advantage. This is the largest win for either chip across all six tested workloads.

Q: Are these processors comparable in Geekbench performance?

A: They are very close. In Geekbench multi-core, the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H wins narrowly at 3217 versus 3154 (a 2% gap), while in Geekbench single-core, the Intel Core i7-6700TE wins by 2.7% with 1028 versus 1001. Neither result represents a decisive advantage.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H has a boost clock of 3.70 GHz, while the Intel Core i7-6700TE boosts to 3.40 GHz. However, the Intel chip has a higher base clock at 2.40 GHz versus 2.10 GHz for the AMD.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split: the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is the better choice for legacy single-threaded workloads and older Cinebench versions, while the Intel Core i7-6700TE dominates modern multi-threaded rendering tasks. If your primary application is Cinebench R23 multi-core rendering, the Intel chip delivers a 34.2% performance advantage, which is the single largest win in the entire comparison. Conversely, if you are running software that scales like Cinebench R15, the AMD part is 28.4% faster in multi-core and 48.6% faster in single-core, making it the overwhelming pick for that generation of workloads.

For users who need consistent performance across both old and new benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 3550H wins four of six tests, including both Geekbench multi-core (3217 vs 3154) and Cinebench R15 single-core (144 vs 74). The Intel chip only wins two tests, but one of those wins is the modern Cinebench R23 multi-core test, which is often the most representative of current rendering and encoding workloads. The Geekbench single-core result for Intel (1028 vs 1001) is too small to swing a decision. Ultimately, the Ryzen 5 3550H is the safer all-rounder, but the Core i7-6700TE is the specialist for modern multi-threaded tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results reveal a pattern of generational divergence. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H scores 742 against the Intel Core i7-6700TE's 531, a 28.4% gap that demonstrates the AMD part's superiority in this particular test. The single-core R15 result is even more lopsided: 144 for AMD versus 74 for Intel, a 48.6% difference that is the most dramatic margin in the entire dataset. These two R15 results alone would suggest the AMD chip is the clear winner.

However, the picture flips dramatically in Cinebench R23. The Intel Core i7-6700TE scores 5273 in multi-core, which is 34.2% higher than the AMD's 3929.5. This is the largest raw score difference in the comparison, and it shows the Intel architecture scaling far better with the newer benchmark's threading model. In R23 single-core, AMD still wins with 886 versus 744 (a 16% lead), but the margin is much smaller than in R15 single-core.

The Geekbench results are the closest of all. In multi-core, AMD wins 3217 to 3154, a mere 2% difference. In single-core, Intel wins 1028 to 1001, a 2.7% edge. These two tests indicate that for general-purpose Geekbench-style workloads, the processors are functionally equivalent, with neither able to establish a meaningful lead. The overall win count of 4-2 in favor of AMD is real, but the magnitude of Intel's R23 multi-core win means that the "winner" depends entirely on which benchmark suite you trust most.

Specification Differences

The most striking difference is the process node: the Intel Core i7-6700TE is built on a 14 nm process by Intel, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H uses a 12 nm process from GlobalFoundries. The AMD chip also has significantly more transistors at 4,940 million versus null for Intel, and a larger die size at 210 mm² versus null for Intel. These physical differences underpin the performance divergence.

Cache configurations vary substantially. The Intel chip has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, while the AMD provides 96 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core. However, Intel takes the lead in L3 cache with 8 MB shared, exactly double the AMD's 4 MB shared. Both support DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus, but the Intel chip specifies 34.1 GB/s memory bandwidth while the AMD does not list a figure.

The socket and platform differ completely: Intel uses Socket 1151, while AMD uses Socket FP5. The Intel part is a desktop processor, while the AMD is a mobile part. Both have integrated graphics, with Intel offering HD Graphics 530 and AMD featuring Radeon Vega 8. Neither supports ECC memory, and both have locked multipliers. The Intel chip specifies PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the AMD only lists PCIe Gen 3 without lane details. Release dates are also far apart, with Intel launching on 2015-08-31 and AMD on 2019-01-05.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Core i7-6700TE is built on the Skylake architecture, a 14 nm design that powers the desktop Core i7 generation. The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H uses the Zen+ architecture, codenamed Picasso, which is a 12 nm refinement of the original Zen design produced by GlobalFoundries. This generational gap is reflected in the benchmark results: the newer Zen+ cores deliver superior single-thread performance in older tests, while the older Skylake cores show unexpected strength in Cinebench R23 multi-core.

The AMD part's architecture includes 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die, which is a substantial chip for a mobile processor. Intel does not list transistor count or die size for the 6700TE. The cache hierarchy differs fundamentally: AMD allocates more L1 (96 KB per core) and L2 (512 KB per core) but halves the shared L3 (4 MB), while Intel uses smaller per-core caches but doubles the L3 to 8 MB. This suggests Intel's design favors shared cache access patterns, while AMD's favors per-core locality.

Both processors integrate graphics, but they come from different eras: Intel's HD Graphics 530 is a Skylake-era GPU, while AMD's Radeon Vega 8 is a more modern integrated solution. The memory controller supports DDR4 in both cases, but Intel lists an explicit 34.1 GB/s bandwidth figure. The PCIe implementation also differs, with Intel offering 16 dedicated CPU lanes versus AMD's unspecified lane count on a Gen 3 interface.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is the clear winner in legacy single-threaded workloads, as demonstrated by its 48.6% lead in Cinebench R15 single-core (144 vs 74) and its 16% advantage in Cinebench R23 single-core (886 vs 744). It also takes the older multi-core test, Cinebench R15, with a 28.4% margin (742 vs 531), and edges out the Intel chip in Geekbench multi-core (3217 vs 3154, a 2% lead). If your software suite includes older benchmark versions or single-thread-sensitive applications, the Ryzen 5 3550H is the stronger choice.

The Intel Core i7-6700TE wins exclusively in modern multi-threaded rendering and general single-core Geekbench tasks. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 5273 is 34.2% higher than the AMD's 3929.5, making it the definitive pick for current rendering workloads that scale across cores. It also takes Geekbench single-core at 1028 versus 1001, a 2.7% margin, though this is too small to be meaningful in practice. For users running the latest Cinebench version or similar modern multi-threaded benchmarks, the Intel chip provides a substantial performance advantage that outweighs its losses elsewhere.

For balanced workloads that mix old and new benchmark types, the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H wins more tests overall (4 out of 6) and has the larger average lead across its victories. However, the Intel chip's single dominant win in R23 multi-core is the largest performance delta in any test, suggesting that if your primary application is modern multi-threaded rendering, the Intel Core i7-6700TE is the superior processor despite losing the overall benchmark count.