AMD Ryzen 5 5560U vs Intel Core i3-12100T Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data splits exactly evenly, with three wins for the Intel Core i3-12100T and three for the AMD Ryzen 5 5560U, but the margins tell a more nuanced story than the raw win count suggests. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Intel part delivers a dominant 36.8% advantage, scoring 10490 against the AMD chip's 7667. That is the largest single delta in the entire comparison and it flips the expected narrative for a 4-core desktop part versus a 6-core mobile part. The Intel chip also takes Cinebench R23 single-core by 17.5%, posting 1481 against 1260, and Geekbench single-core by 19.2%, with 1957 versus 1642.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5560U answers back in the older Cinebench R15 tests, where it wins multi-core by 17.4% (1280 versus 1057) and single-core by a striking 26.2% (202 versus 149). The Geekbench multi-core result also favors AMD, with a 12.5% lead (6922 versus 6055). These older test results suggest that the Ryzen's advantage in certain legacy workloads is substantial, particularly in single-threaded R15 where the delta exceeds a quarter of the Intel score. The pattern is clear: the Intel chip wins the modern Cinebench R23 and Geekbench single-core tests by healthy margins, while the AMD chip wins the R15 suite and Geekbench multi-core.

Looking at the aggregate average benchmark score, the Intel i3-12100T sits at 3277, which places it at the 53rd percentile among all CPUs in the database. The Ryzen 5 5560U averages 3162, also at the 53rd percentile. The nearest rivals for the Intel part include the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 at an identical 3277, the Intel Xeon E-2374G at 3278 (0% delta), the Intel Core i5-11500T at 3288 (-0.3%), and the Intel Xeon E5-1680 v3 at 3265 (0.4%). For the AMD part, the closest neighbors are the Intel Xeon E5-2676 v3 at 3163 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 3 5300GE at 3160 (0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5850U at 3159 (0.1%), and the Intel Xeon E5-2650 v4 at 3154 (0.3%). Both processors occupy the same percentile tier, but the Intel chip's average score is 3.6% higher, which corresponds to roughly 115 points in the aggregate metric.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental architectural split is between Intel's Alder Lake-S design on a 10 nm process and AMD's Zen 3 Cezanne-U on a 7 nm node from TSMC. The Intel part uses 4 cores with 8 threads, while the AMD part brings 6 cores with 12 threads. This core count difference is critical for multi-threaded workloads, yet the benchmark data shows the Intel chip actually wins the most modern multi-core test (Cinebench R23) despite having fewer threads. The Intel die measures 163 mm², while the AMD die is larger at 180 mm², and the AMD chip integrates 10,700 million transistors compared to no transistor count listed for Intel.

Cache configurations differ significantly. The Intel i3-12100T provides 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD Ryzen 5 5560U offers 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and only 8 MB of shared L3. This gives the Intel part a 50% advantage in total L3 capacity, which likely contributes to its strong showing in the R23 multi-core test despite having two fewer physical cores. The Intel chip supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, while the AMD part is limited to DDR4 with a listed memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The Intel platform uses PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes, whereas the AMD mobile platform uses PCIe Gen 3 with only 8 lanes.

The Intel part is built for desktop use with Socket 1700, a 35 W TDP, and a base clock of 2.20 GHz boosting to 4.10 GHz. The AMD part is a mobile processor on Socket FP6 with a 15 W TDP, base clock of 2.30 GHz, and boost clock of 4.00 GHz. The Intel chip integrates UHD Graphics 730, while the AMD chip carries Radeon Vega 6 graphics. The AMD chip supports ECC memory, which the Intel part does not. The Intel chip has a listed launch MSRP of $122, while the AMD part has no MSRP recorded. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier. The AMD part was released on January 11, 2021, and both are listed as active production parts.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i3-12100T is the clear choice for modern rendering workloads. Its 36.8% lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core is decisive, and the 17.5% advantage in R23 single-core reinforces that this chip handles current-generation compute tasks with authority. The Geekbench single-core result (19.2% lead) further confirms that Intel's Alder Lake architecture delivers superior per-thread performance in contemporary test suites. This makes the Intel part the stronger option for content creation, 3D rendering, and any application that relies on recent versions of rendering engines or single-threaded productivity tools.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5560U wins the legacy benchmark territory. The 26.2% margin in Cinebench R15 single-core is the largest single-threaded delta in the entire comparison, and the 17.4% lead in R15 multi-core shows that older software that was optimized for the Zen 3 architecture still runs markedly better on this chip. The Geekbench multi-core result (12.5% lead) also points to AMD's advantage in certain multi-threaded scenarios, likely driven by the extra two cores and four threads. For users running older applications, legacy benchmark suites, or heavily multi-threaded workloads that scale with core count rather than cache size, the Ryzen 5 5560U is the better fit.

The split is not simply "desktop vs mobile" or "Intel vs AMD." The data shows that the Intel part wins the newer Cinebench R23 suite and Geekbench single-core, while the AMD part wins the older R15 suite and Geekbench multi-core. The 6-core Ryzen has a natural advantage in thread-count-heavy workloads, but the Intel chip's larger L3 cache and newer architecture compensate effectively in the R23 multi-core test. Users should match the processor to the specific benchmark generation or workload type they care about most.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher multi-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100T scores 10490, which is 36.8% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5560U's 7667.

Q: How large is the single-core gap in Geekbench?

A: The Intel part leads by 19.2%, scoring 1957 versus the AMD chip's 1642.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 5 5560U win any multi-core tests?

A: Yes, it wins Cinebench R15 multi-core by 17.4% (1280 versus 1057) and Geekbench multi-core by 12.5% (6922 versus 6055).

Q: What is the core and thread configuration for each processor?

A: The Intel i3-12100T has 4 cores and 8 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5560U has 6 cores and 12 threads.

Q: Which processor has more L3 cache?

A: The Intel part has 12 MB of shared L3 cache, while the AMD part has 8 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: What are the TDP values for the two chips?

A: The Intel i3-12100T has a 35 W TDP, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5560U has a 15 W TDP.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i3-12100T | AMD Ryzen 5 5560U |

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

| Cores | 4 | 6 |

| Threads | 8 | 12 |

| Base Clock | 2.20 GHz | 2.30 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.10 GHz | 4.00 GHz |

| TDP | 35 W | 15 W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1700 | AMD Socket FP6 |

| Architecture | Alder Lake | Zen 3 |

| Codename | Alder Lake-S | Cezanne-U |

| Process Node | 10 nm | 7 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| Die Size | 163 mm² | 180 mm² |

| Transistors | Not listed | 10,700 million |

| L1 Cache | 80 KB (per core) | 64 KB (per core) |

| L2 Cache | 1.25 MB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |

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

| Memory Support | DDR4, DDR5 | DDR4 |

| Memory Bandwidth | Not listed | 51.2 GB/s |

| ECC Memory | No | Yes |

| PCIe | Gen 5, 20 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 3, 8 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 730 | Radeon Vega 6 |

| Market Segment | Desktop | Mobile |

| Launch MSRP | $122 | Not listed |

| Release Date | Not listed | 2021-01-11 |

The Verdict

The data presents two processors with equal win counts but opposite strengths. The Intel Core i3-12100T is the better choice for anyone running modern rendering workloads, current-generation productivity software, or single-threaded applications that benefit from the newer Alder Lake architecture. Its 36.8% margin in Cinebench R23 multi-core is the single most important benchmark result in this comparison, because it shows that the Intel chip can outpace a 6-core rival in a demanding multi-threaded test despite having only 4 cores. The larger 12 MB L3 cache and the 10 nm process node contribute to this result.

The AMD Ryzen 5 5560U should be selected for legacy software, older benchmark suites, and workloads that scale with raw thread count. The 26.2% single-core win in Cinebench R15 is the largest single-threaded delta in the entire dataset, and the Geekbench multi-core win by 12.5% confirms that the extra two cores provide a real benefit in certain multi-threaded scenarios. The 15 W TDP also makes it the more power-efficient option, which matters for mobile or thermally constrained systems.

Both processors sit at the 53rd percentile in the database, so neither is a standout in absolute terms. The Intel part has a higher average benchmark score (3277 versus 3162), but the difference is modest. The deciding factor should be the specific application mix: modern rendering favors Intel, legacy and thread-heavy workloads favor AMD. Pick the Intel i3-12100T for Cinebench R23-class work, pick the Ryzen 5 5560U for older software and multi-threaded general computing.