AMD Ryzen 5 6600H vs AMD Ryzen 5 7640U Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 5 6600H and AMD Ryzen 5 7640U are both 6-core, 12-thread mobile processors, yet they belong to different design generations and target different power envelopes. The 7640U is a 15W part built on Zen 4, while the 6600H is a 45W part built on Zen 3+, which makes their benchmark comparison particularly intriguing. Despite the 6600H’s higher power budget, the data shows a decisive victory for the newer 7640U across every single benchmark in the head-to-head set.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 7640U wins all 17 head-to-head benchmarks, but the margin varies dramatically by workload. The smallest advantage comes in PassMark data encryption, where the 7640U scores 14954 versus 14277, a modest 4.5% lead. Similarly, data compression shows a 4.2% edge (240032 vs 229879). These are the only two tests where the gap is below 5%, indicating that the 6600H’s higher TDP helps it stay competitive in memory-bound and simple parallel tasks.

The largest deltas appear in Cinebench multi-core tests. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the 7640U posts 17936 against 10322 for the 6600H — a massive 42.5% advantage. The single-core variant is nearly identical in percentage terms: 2532 vs 1458, a 42.4% lead. This is a striking result because the 6600H has a 45W TDP, three times the 7640U’s 15W, yet loses by over 40% in both single and multi-threaded rendering. The architectural leap from Zen 3+ to Zen 4 appears to outweigh the power budget difference entirely.

Geekbench results follow a similar pattern, though with smaller margins. The 7640U’s multi-core score of 8595 beats 7444 by 13.4%, while its single-core score of 2127 beats 1566 by 26.4%. The single-core gap is larger than the multi-core gap here, which suggests the 7640U’s higher boost clock (4.90 GHz vs 4.50 GHz) and newer core design provide a disproportionate benefit in lightly-threaded workloads.

PassMark tests show consistent but moderate wins for the 7640U. Integer math: 70483 vs 64927 (7.9% lead). Floating point math: 41093 vs 36796 (10.5% lead). Extended instructions: 17019 vs 15903 (6.6% lead). The physics test shows a larger gap at 23.8% (1169 vs 891), and random string sorting is 18.7% in favor of the 7640U (29382 vs 23888). Prime number finding shows a 29.7% advantage (74 vs 52), which is notable because this test often reacts strongly to memory latency and cache efficiency.

The average benchmark score paints a closer picture: 25550 for the 6600H and 25485 for the 7640U, a difference of just 0.3%. This average includes a broader set of tests than the head-to-head set, and it places the two chips as near-peers overall. Both sit at the 78th percentile among all CPUs, and their nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 (0.1% ahead of the 6600H, 0.1% behind the 7640U) and the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (0.1% ahead of the 6600H, 0.2% behind the 7640U).

Architecture Differences

The 6600H uses the Zen 3+ architecture, codenamed Rembrandt, while the 7640U uses Zen 4, codenamed Phoenix. This is a full generation apart, and the process node reflects it: the 6600H is built on TSMC’s 6nm process, whereas the 7640U uses TSMC’s 4nm process. The die size also shrinks from 208 mm² to 178 mm², even though the 7640U integrates 25,000 million transistors — a figure not listed for the 6600H, making direct transistor-density comparison impossible from the data alone.

Both chips have 6 cores and 12 threads, and both share 16 MB of L3 cache. The L1 cache is identical at 64 KB per core. The L2 cache, however, differs: the 6600H has 512 KB per core, while the 7640U has 1 MB per core. This doubling of L2 cache likely contributes to the 7640U’s strong performance in latency-sensitive tests like prime number finding and random string sorting.

Clock speeds favor the 7640U on both ends. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz versus 3.30 GHz, and its boost clock is 4.90 GHz versus 4.50 GHz. The TDP difference is stark: 15W for the 7640U versus 45W for the 6600H. This means the 7640U achieves higher performance while drawing one-third the power, which is an extraordinary efficiency gain attributable to the combination of the newer architecture and smaller process node.

Memory support is DDR5 for both, with dual-channel buses, but the bandwidth differs: 76.8 GB/s for the 6600H and 89.6 GB/s for the 7640U. The 6600H does not support ECC memory, while the 7640U does. Both use PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes (CPU only). The integrated graphics also differ: the 6600H has a Radeon 660M, while the 7640U has a Radeon 760M, suggesting the latter has a more capable iGPU, though no graphics benchmarks are provided.

The sockets are different — FP7 for the 6600H and FP8 for the 7640U — which means they are not drop-in compatible. The 7640U’s part number also lists FP7r2 and FP7 variants, indicating some flexibility, but the primary socket designation is FP8.

Where Each One Wins

The 7640U wins every workload category in the head-to-head data, so the question is not where each wins, but where the 6600H comes closest to closing the gap. The smallest deltas are in PassMark data encryption (4.5%) and data compression (4.2%), which are typical of memory-bound and integer-heavy tasks that benefit from raw throughput rather than single-core speed. If a workload is dominated by simple data movement, the 6600H’s higher TDP and similar core count keep it within a few percent.

The 6600H’s best relative performance also appears in extended instructions (6.6% behind) and integer math (7.9% behind). These are multi-threaded, long-running tasks where the 45W TDP allows sustained high clocks. In contrast, the 7640U’s dominance is most pronounced in Cinebench R23 (over 42% ahead), which is a rendering workload that stresses both single-core efficiency and multi-core scaling. The 42% lead in single-core R23 is particularly telling, as it shows the Zen 4 core’s instruction-level improvements are not just about clock speed — the 7640U boosts only 0.40 GHz higher than the 6600H, yet delivers 42.4% more score.

For users prioritizing battery life and portability, the 7640U’s 15W TDP is a clear advantage, and the data shows no performance penalty for that efficiency. For users with sustained heavy multi-threaded workloads, the 6600H’s 45W TDP does not translate into a win anywhere — the 7640U still beats it by 11.6% in PassMark multithread and 13.4% in Geekbench multi-core.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7640U boosts to 4.90 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H boosts to 4.50 GHz.

Q: How much faster is the 7640U in Cinebench R23 multi-core?

A: The 7640U scores 17936 versus 10322, which is a 42.5% advantage.

Q: Do both processors support the same memory type?

A: Yes, both support DDR5 with dual-channel buses, but the 7640U has higher memory bandwidth at 89.6 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two?

A: The 6600H has a 45W TDP, while the 7640U has a 15W TDP.

Q: Are the sockets compatible?

A: No, the 6600H uses AMD Socket FP7, and the 7640U uses AMD Socket FP8.

Q: Which CPU has more L2 cache per core?

A: The 7640U has 1 MB per core, double the 512 KB per core of the 6600H.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Ryzen 5 7640U outperforms the 6600H in every single head-to-head benchmark, with margins ranging from 4.2% to 42.5%. The average benchmark scores are nearly identical (25485 vs 25550, a 0.3% difference), but that average includes tests not in the head-to-head set and obscures the 7640U’s clear dominance in rendering and single-threaded tasks.

The 7640U is the better choice for virtually every use case. It offers superior performance in Cinebench, Geekbench, and all PassMark sub-tests, while consuming one-third the power (15W vs 45W). The efficiency gain is remarkable: the 7640U achieves a 42.5% higher Cinebench R23 multi-core score while drawing 30W less power. This makes it the obvious pick for thin-and-light laptops, where both performance and battery life matter.

The 6600H’s only conceivable advantage is its older socket (FP7), which might be more common in existing chassis, and its higher TDP could theoretically sustain longer all-core boosts in a well-cooled laptop. However, no benchmark in the data set shows the 6600H winning, so that theoretical advantage never materializes. The 7640U is the clear winner for anyone choosing between these two.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Ryzen 5 6600H | AMD Ryzen 5 7640U |

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

| Series | 6000 series | 7000 series |

| Base Clock | 3.30 GHz | 3.50 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.50 GHz | 4.90 GHz |

| TDP | 45W | 15W |

| Socket | AMD Socket FP7 | AMD Socket FP8 |

| Architecture | Zen 3+ (Rembrandt) | Zen 4 (Phoenix) |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 4 nm |

| Die Size | 208 mm² | 178 mm² |

| Transistors | Not listed | 25,000 million |

| L2 Cache | 512 KB (per core) | 1 MB (per core) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 76.8 GB/s | 89.6 GB/s |

| ECC Memory | No | Yes |

| Integrated Graphics | Radeon 660M | Radeon 760M |

| Release Date | Not listed | 2023-05-02 |