AMD Ryzen 5 3550H vs Intel Core i7-8560U Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H and Intel Core i7-8560U are both 4-core, 8-thread mobile processors, but benchmark data reveals they are not interchangeable. The Ryzen 5 3550H wins the majority of head-to-head tests, taking 3 out of 4 comparisons, while the Intel chip counterattacks decisively in one modern multi-core workload. The data shows two distinct performance profiles: AMD leads in older and single-threaded tests, while Intel's advantage emerges in a specific, current-generation multi-core benchmark.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result belongs to the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H in the Cinebench R15 single-core test. Here, AMD scores 144 against Intel's 80, an 80% advantage. This is not a marginal win; it is a near-doubling of performance. The data indicates that in this legacy rendering workload, the Ryzen 5 3550H's architecture delivers vastly superior single-thread throughput. This result is the single largest delta across all head-to-head comparisons.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Ryzen 5 3550H again takes the lead, scoring 742 versus the Core i7-8560U's 568. This translates to a 30.6% advantage for AMD. The pattern is consistent: in the R15 generation of Cinebench, the Ryzen 5 3550H dominates both single- and multi-threaded performance. The Intel part trails by roughly a third in the multi-core test, a substantial gap that suggests its 15-watt design is significantly constrained in this workload.

The picture flips dramatically when moving to Cinebench R23. In the R23 multi-core test, the Intel Core i7-8560U posts a score of 5641, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H manages 3929.5. This gives Intel a 30.3% victory, nearly mirroring AMD's win in R15 multi-core. The data reveals that Intel's newer architecture scales far better in this modern, demanding workload. The 8 MB of shared L3 cache on the Intel part may contribute to this result, but the benchmark score alone shows a clear generational efficiency improvement for Intel.

The final head-to-head test, Cinebench R23 single-core, returns to AMD's favor. The Ryzen 5 3550H scores 886, beating the Core i7-8560U's 796 by 11.3%. While this is a smaller margin than the R15 single-core win, it confirms that AMD holds the single-thread advantage across both Cinebench versions tested. Across all four benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 3550H wins three, with its losses confined to the R23 multi-core test. However, that single Intel win is significant, representing a modern workload where Intel's performance is not just competitive but superior by over 30%.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is the clear winner for legacy and single-threaded applications. Its 80% lead in Cinebench R15 single-core and 11.3% lead in R23 single-core indicate that any software relying on single-thread performance will favor AMD. The 30.6% win in R15 multi-core further solidifies its position for older multi-threaded workloads. For users running applications from the Cinebench R15 era or software that is not heavily optimized for the latest instruction sets, the Ryzen 5 3550H is the stronger choice. Its 4 MB of shared L3 cache and 12 nm process node are sufficient to deliver these wins.

The Intel Core i7-8560U wins specifically in modern multi-core rendering as measured by Cinebench R23. Its 30.3% advantage here is the only benchmark where it leads, but it is a substantial one. This suggests that for current-generation video encoding, 3D rendering, or other heavily threaded productivity tasks that scale with the R23 workload, the Intel part offers significantly better performance. The 8 MB shared L3 cache and 14 nm process node, combined with a higher boost clock of 4.60 GHz, appear to give it an edge in this specific scenario. The data indicates that if a user's primary applications are modern and multi-threaded, the Core i7-8560U is the better performer despite losing the other three tests.

FAQ

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H wins both single-core tests. It scores 144 versus 80 in Cinebench R15 (80% higher) and 886 versus 796 in Cinebench R23 (11.3% higher).

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-8560U better in any benchmark?

A: Yes. The Intel Core i7-8560U wins the Cinebench R23 multi-core test with a score of 5641, beating the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H's 3929.5 by 30.3%.

Q: How do the overall average benchmark scores compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H has an average benchmark score of 1653, while the Intel Core i7-8560U has an average of 1631. This places them in the 40th and 39th percentiles of all CPUs, respectively.

Q: What is the difference in their L3 cache sizes?

A: The Intel Core i7-8560U has 8 MB of shared L3 cache, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H has 4 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel part has double the L3 cache.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The Intel Core i7-8560U has a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, which is higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H's boost clock of 3.70 GHz.

Q: What is the production status of each chip?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is listed as "Active" in production, while the Intel Core i7-8560U is marked as "End-of-life".

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several key specifications. The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H has a base clock of 2.10 GHz, while the Intel Core i7-8560U has a base clock of 1800.00 MHz. However, Intel's boost clock is higher at 4.60 GHz compared to AMD's 3.70 GHz. The thermal design power (TDP) also differs significantly: the AMD chip is rated at 35 watts, while the Intel chip is rated at 15 watts.

Socket compatibility diverges, with AMD using the Socket FP5 and Intel using the BGA 1528 package. Memory support is another point of difference; the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H supports DDR4 only, while the Intel Core i7-8560U supports both DDR3 and DDR4. The integrated graphics differ as well: AMD includes Radeon Vega 8, while Intel includes UHD Graphics 620. The production status also varies, with AMD listed as "Active" and Intel as "End-of-life". Finally, the release dates differ, with Intel launching on 2018-09-30 and AMD on 2019-01-05.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is fundamental. The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is built on a 12 nm process node by GlobalFoundries, using the Zen+ architecture with the codename "Picasso". It contains 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die. In contrast, the Intel Core i7-8560U uses a 14 nm process node by Intel, based on the Whiskey Lake architecture with the codename "Whiskey Lake-U". Intel does not disclose transistor count or die size in the data.

Cache hierarchy differs substantially. AMD allocates 96 KB of L1 cache per core and 512 KB of L2 cache per core, with a total of 4 MB of shared L3 cache. Intel provides a smaller 64 KB of L1 per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, but compensates with a larger 8 MB of shared L3 cache. This gives Intel double the L3 cache, which likely contributes to its strong R23 multi-core showing.

Memory bandwidth also differs, with Intel explicitly listing a memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s, while AMD does not provide a figure. Both support dual-channel memory and PCIe Gen 3, though Intel specifies 16 lanes for the CPU only. The AMD part is based on the Zen+ architecture, while Intel uses the Whiskey Lake architecture, representing different design philosophies for mobile computing.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split decision based on workload. For users prioritizing legacy application compatibility and single-threaded performance, the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is the definitive choice. It wins 3 of 4 head-to-head benchmarks, including an 80% blowout in Cinebench R15 single-core and a 30.6% win in R15 multi-core. Its 11.3% edge in R23 single-core ensures it remains competitive in modern single-thread tasks as well. The AMD chip's higher TDP of 35 watts likely enables its sustained performance in these tests.

For users running modern, heavily multi-threaded workloads as represented by Cinebench R23, the Intel Core i7-8560U is the better processor. Its 30.3% lead in that specific test demonstrates a clear performance advantage in current-generation rendering and encoding tasks. The Intel chip achieves this despite a much lower 15-watt TDP, indicating superior power efficiency in this scenario. Its larger 8 MB L3 cache and higher 4.60 GHz boost clock are the likely enablers of this performance.

The overall average benchmark scores are nearly identical, with AMD at 1653 and Intel at 1631, placing them in the 40th and 39th percentiles respectively. This parity in aggregate scores masks the divergent workload-specific strengths. The AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is the safer pick for general use and older software, while the Intel Core i7-8560U is the specialist for modern multi-threaded tasks. Given that the Intel part is end-of-life and the AMD part remains active, AMD also holds the advantage in long-term availability. The verdict is workload-dependent, but the benchmark data favors AMD for the majority of comparisons.