AMD Ryzen 5 4680U vs Intel Xeon E-2226GE Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data splits these two six-core processors along clear lines. The AMD Ryzen 5 4680U takes three of the four head-to-head comparisons, while the Intel Xeon E-2226GE claims one, but the margins tell a more interesting story than the win count alone.

The Ryzen 5 4680U dominates in Cinebench R15. In the multicore test, it scores 1291 against the Xeon’s 824, a lead of 56.7%. That is not a close race; it is a rout. The single-core R15 result repeats the pattern, with the AMD part at 170 versus 116, a 46.6% advantage. These are older workloads, but they still reflect how each chip handles lightly threaded and moderately threaded tasks in legacy software.

The Xeon E-2226GE fights back in Cinebench R23 multicore. Here it scores 8177 against the Ryzen’s 7073, a 13.5% deficit for the AMD chip. That is a substantial reversal. The R23 workload stresses sustained multicore throughput, and the Xeon’s higher base clock and larger shared cache appear to pay off in that specific scenario.

The final head-to-head, Cinebench R23 single-core, is nearly a tie. The Ryzen scores 1163, the Xeon 1154, a difference of only 0.8% in favor of AMD. For practical purposes, these two are indistinguishable in that test.

Looking at the broader database averages, the Ryzen 5 4680U sits at an average benchmark score of 2424, with a 48th percentile ranking across all CPUs. The Xeon E-2226GE averages 2365, also at the 48th percentile. The Ryzen’s nearest rivals are the Intel Core i5-8500B (2423, a 0% difference), the Intel Core i7-9850HE (2421, a 0.1% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U (2413, a 0.5% difference). The Xeon’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 2500X (2361, a 0.2% difference), the Intel Xeon E-2234 (2374, a 0.4% deficit for the Xeon), and the Intel Core i5-9600 (2354, a 0.5% difference). Both chips land in the same performance neighborhood overall, but they achieve that standing through very different workload profiles.

The practical takeaway: if your software resembles older Cinebench R15, the Ryzen is dramatically faster. If your software resembles Cinebench R23 multicore, the Xeon pulls ahead. The Ryzen wins the single-core R23 by a hair, which suggests its architecture handles lightly threaded modern code slightly better, but the margin is not meaningful for real-world decisions.

The Verdict

The choice between these two depends entirely on your workload and platform constraints.

Pick the AMD Ryzen 5 4680U if you run older applications that scale with raw core count and efficiency. Its 6 cores and 12 threads give it a major advantage in multithreaded legacy workloads, as shown by the 56.7% lead in Cinebench R15 multicore. It also wins single-core tests in both R15 and R23, so it is the better option for lightly threaded tasks across the board. The 15 watt thermal design power makes it suitable for thin, power-constrained mobile systems. The 4000 series part is end-of-life, but it remains a capable choice for laptops where sustained multicore performance in older software matters more than peak throughput in modern renderers.

Pick the Intel Xeon E-2226GE if your work is dominated by modern multicore rendering like Cinebench R23. Its 8177 score in that test beats the Ryzen by 13.5%, and that gap will matter for prolonged CPU-bound workloads. The Xeon also supports ECC memory, which the Ryzen does not, and it offers higher memory bandwidth at 42.7 GB/s versus 34.1 GB/s. It draws 80 watts, so it needs a proper workstation cooling solution, not a thin laptop chassis. The launch MSRP was $286. This is a server or workstation part, and its higher power envelope reflects that positioning.

If your workload is mixed, the data slightly favors the Ryzen because it wins three of four benchmarks and ties the single-core R23 result. The only scenario where the Xeon is clearly the better buy is when Cinebench R23 multicore performance is your primary metric, or when you need ECC memory support.

Do not overthink the overall average scores. The Ryzen’s 2424 average versus the Xeon’s 2365 is a 2.5% difference, and both sit at the 48th percentile. The real differentiators are the workload-specific deltas and the platform features.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single gap in the comparison is Cinebench R15 multicore. The Ryzen 5 4680U scores 1291, the Xeon E-2226GE scores 824, and the AMD part leads by 56.7%. This is the clearest signal in the entire dataset. The Ryzen’s simultaneous multithreading allows it to process 12 threads on 6 physical cores, while the Xeon is limited to 6 threads on 6 cores. In a benchmark that scales well with thread count, that structural difference becomes a massive performance gap.

Cinebench R15 single-core shows a similar but smaller gap. The Ryzen scores 170, the Xeon 116, a 46.6% advantage for AMD. This is surprising given the Xeon’s higher base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz versus the Ryzen’s 2.20 GHz base and 4.00 GHz boost. The Ryzen’s Zen 2 architecture appears to extract more instructions per clock in this workload, overcoming the raw frequency disadvantage.

Cinebench R23 multicore flips the script. The Xeon scores 8177, the Ryzen 7073, giving Intel a 13.5% win. This is the only benchmark where the Xeon leads, and it is a meaningful lead. The R23 test is more demanding and likely better optimized for Intel’s architecture, or the Xeon’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache provides an advantage over the Ryzen’s 8 MB shared L3 in repeated data access patterns.

Cinebench R23 single-core is the closest contest. The Ryzen scores 1163, the Xeon 1154, a 0.8% margin for AMD. This is within run-to-run variance and should be treated as a tie. Both chips deliver essentially identical single-threaded performance in the modern Cinebench version.

The Ryzen wins three benchmarks, the Xeon wins one. However, the Xeon’s win is in the most modern and demanding multicore test, which may carry more weight for current workloads. The Ryzen’s wins are larger in percentage terms, but two of them are in an older benchmark suite.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has better multicore performance in modern workloads?

A: The Intel Xeon E-2226GE scores 8177 in Cinebench R23 multicore, beating the AMD Ryzen 5 4680U’s 7073 by 13.5%. However, in the older Cinebench R15 multicore test, the Ryzen wins by 56.7% with 1291 against 824.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 5 4680U support ECC memory?

A: No. The Ryzen 5 4680U does not support ECC memory. The Intel Xeon E-2226GE does support ECC memory, which makes it the only option of the two for systems that require error-correcting memory.

Q: How do their single-core performances compare?

A: In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Ryzen scores 1163 and the Xeon scores 1154, a 0.8% difference in favor of AMD. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the Ryzen scores 170 against the Xeon’s 116, a 46.6% lead for AMD.

Q: What are the thermal design power ratings?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 4680U has a 15 watt TDP. The Intel Xeon E-2226GE has an 80 watt TDP. The Xeon requires substantially more cooling and power delivery.

Q: Which chip has more threads?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 4680U has 12 threads across its 6 cores. The Intel Xeon E-2226GE has 6 threads across its 6 cores. The Ryzen’s thread advantage is the primary reason it dominates the Cinebench R15 multicore test.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each?

A: The Ryzen 5 4680U has an average benchmark score of 2424. The Xeon E-2226GE has an average benchmark score of 2365. Both rank at the 48th percentile of all CPUs in the database.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen 5 4680U uses the Zen 2 architecture under the Renoir codename, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The Intel Xeon E-2226GE uses the Coffee Lake architecture under the Coffee Lake-S WS codename, manufactured on a 14 nm process at Intel’s own foundry. The process node difference is significant: 7 nm versus 14 nm means the AMD chip packs 9,800 million transistors into a 156 mm² die, while the Intel chip uses a 154 mm² die (transistor count not recorded).

The Ryzen’s Zen 2 design employs a chiplet-like layout that separates compute and I/O functions, which contributes to its efficiency at 15 watts. The Xeon’s Coffee Lake design is a monolithic die, which is simpler but less power-efficient. The Xeon compensates with much higher clock speeds: a 3.40 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost versus the Ryzen’s 2.20 GHz base and 4.00 GHz boost.

Cache configurations differ substantially. The Ryzen has 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3. The Xeon has 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3. The Xeon’s larger L3 pool likely contributes to its Cinebench R23 multicore performance, while the Ryzen’s larger L2 per core helps in other scenarios.

Integrated graphics also differ. The Ryzen includes Radeon Graphics with 448 shader processors. The Xeon includes UHD Graphics P630. Neither is a gaming powerhouse, but the Ryzen’s Radeon implementation typically offers more compute capability.

Socket compatibility is entirely different. The Ryzen uses AMD Socket FP6, a mobile socket. The Xeon uses Intel Socket 1151, a desktop/workstation socket. These are not interchangeable, and the platforms they serve are different: the Ryzen is a mobile part, while the Xeon is a server or workstation part.

Memory support diverges as well. The Ryzen supports LPDDR4 memory, while the Xeon supports DDR4. The Xeon offers higher memory bandwidth at 42.7 GB/s versus the Ryzen’s 34.1 GB/s. The Xeon also supports ECC memory, which is critical for servers and workstations that require data integrity. The Ryzen does not support ECC.

PCIe support is similar in generation: both are Gen 3. The Xeon specifies 16 lanes from the CPU, while the Ryzen’s lane count is not explicitly recorded. Both are end-of-life products, with the Xeon released in June 2019 and the Ryzen released in April 2021.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights only the fields where the two processors differ:

| Specification | AMD Ryzen 5 4680U | Intel Xeon E-2226GE |

|---|---|---|

| Series | 4000 series | Xeon E-2200 series |

| Threads | 12 | 6 |

| Base Clock | 2.20 GHz | 3.40 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.00 GHz | 4.60 GHz |

| TDP | 15 W | 80 W |

| Socket | AMD Socket FP6 | Intel Socket 1151 |

| Architecture | Zen 2 | Coffee Lake |

| Codename | Renoir | Coffee Lake-S WS |

| Generation | Ryzen 5 (Zen 2 (Renoir)) | Xeon E (Coffee Lake) |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| Transistors | 9,800 million | Not recorded |

| Die Size | 156 mm² | 154 mm² |

| L2 Cache | 512 KB (per core) | 256 KB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 8 MB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | LPDDR4 | DDR4 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 34.1 GB/s | 42.7 GB/s |

| ECC Memory | No | Yes |

| Integrated Graphics | Radeon Graphics 448SP | UHD Graphics P630 |

| Market Segment | Mobile | Server/Workstation |

| Release Date | April 2021 | June 2019 |

| Launch MSRP | Not recorded | $286 |

| Part Number | 100-000000356 | SRGQW |

The Ryzen offers twice the threads, a smaller process node, and a dramatically lower TDP. The Xeon offers higher clocks, more L3 cache, ECC support, higher memory bandwidth, and a higher launch MSRP. The core count is identical at 6, but the thread count difference and power envelope define their distinct roles. The Ryzen is designed for mobile efficiency, the Xeon for workstation reliability.