AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS vs Intel Core i5-1240U Comparison

The Intel Core i5-1240U and AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS are two mobile processors that occupy very different positions in the market, yet their average benchmark scores place them within 0.3% of each other. The Intel part holds a 13-to-4 win advantage across the head-to-head tests, but the AMD chip takes the most important victory in the modern Cinebench R23 multi-core workload. This creates a fascinating split: the i5-1240U dominates in raw single-threaded and legacy multi-threaded tests, while the Ryzen 5 7235HS pulls ahead in sustained rendering and extended instruction workloads. Both sit at the 70th percentile of all CPUs, with the i5-1240U averaging 16957 points and the Ryzen 5 7235HS averaging 16902 points.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive Intel victory comes in the PassMark find prime numbers test, where the i5-1240U scores 63 against the Ryzen 5 7235HS’s 31, a 103.2% advantage. This is a workload that clearly favors Intel’s architecture, and the margin is staggering. Similarly, in PassMark physics, the Intel chip scores 981 versus 574, a 70.9% lead. These two tests alone demonstrate that the i5-1240U has a fundamental efficiency advantage in certain integer and simulation workloads. The Cinebench R15 single-core test shows another massive gap, with the i5-1240U at 226 versus 148, a 52.7% delta. This early-generation benchmark rewards the Intel chip’s higher boost clock of 4.40 GHz compared to the AMD’s 4.20 GHz.

Moving to more modern tests, the i5-1240U continues to win in Cinebench R20 multi-core with a score of 5013 versus 4375, a 14.6% margin, and the same 14.6% delta appears in the R20 single-core test (707 versus 617). The PassMark floating point math test also goes to Intel, with 29726 versus 23091, a 28.7% lead, and integer math shows an 11.9% advantage (44968 versus 40174). In PassMark single-thread, the i5-1240U scores 3239 against 2873, a 12.7% edge. The multithread test shows a narrower 9.5% win for Intel (13406 versus 12243), and random string sorting is close at 4.6% (15996 versus 15294).

The AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS’s biggest win is in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where it scores 10418 versus the i5-1240U’s 7902, a 24.2% advantage. This is a substantial reversal from the R20 results, suggesting the longer-duration R23 workload allows the AMD chip’s higher 45 W TDP to sustain performance better than the Intel’s 9 W design. The AMD part also wins PassMark extended instructions with 10887 versus 7932, a 27.1% lead, showing strength in vectorized code. The data compression test goes to AMD at 152168 versus 143102, a 6% edge, and data encryption is nearly tied at 9051 versus 8964, a 1% AMD win. Notably, the i5-1240U still wins Cinebench R23 single-core (1559 versus 1470, a 6.1% margin), so the AMD multi-core victory is not from superior per-core speed but from sustained all-core throughput.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-1240U has an average benchmark score of 16957, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS scores 16902, a difference of 0.3%.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS win any major multi-core benchmark?

A: Yes, the AMD chip wins Cinebench R23 multi-core with a score of 10418 versus 7902 for the Intel, a 24.2% advantage.

Q: What is the largest single-core performance gap between the two?

A: The largest single-core gap is in Cinebench R15 single-core, where the Intel i5-1240U scores 226 versus 148 for the AMD, a 52.7% lead.

Q: How do the two compare in data compression workloads?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS leads in PassMark data compression with 152168 points versus 143102 for the Intel, a 6% margin.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core i5-1240U has 10 cores and 12 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: Are the two processors in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i5-1240U and the AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS are at the 70th percentile of all CPUs.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Core i5-1240U is built on the Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node from Intel, using the Alder Lake-U codename. It features a hybrid core design with 10 cores and 12 threads, which is typical for Intel’s performance-plus-efficiency core layout. The AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS, in contrast, uses the Zen 3+ architecture on a 6 nm process node from TSMC, with the Rembrandt-R codename. This is a more traditional homogeneous design with 4 cores and 8 threads. The process node difference is significant: 10 nm versus 6 nm, which gives AMD a density and efficiency advantage in theory, though the Intel chip’s lower 9 W TDP suggests a different design philosophy.

Cache hierarchies also differ substantially. The Intel chip has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD chip has 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. This means the Intel part has more total cache per core, which likely contributes to its single-threaded wins. The AMD chip has a larger die size at 210 mm², while no die size is listed for the Intel. The integrated graphics also differ: Intel uses Iris Xe 80EU, while AMD uses Radeon 660M. The AMD chip supports ECC memory, which the Intel does not, and has a memory bandwidth rating of 76.8 GB/s, while the Intel lists no such figure. Both support PCIe Gen 4, but AMD specifies 20 lanes (CPU only).

Specification Differences

The two processors diverge on nearly every key specification. The Intel Core i5-1240U has 10 cores and 12 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS has 4 cores and 8 threads. Base clocks are 1100 MHz for Intel versus 3200 MHz for AMD, but boost clocks are closer: 4.40 GHz for Intel versus 4.20 GHz for AMD. TDP is a major differentiator, with the Intel chip rated at 9 W and the AMD at 45 W. Sockets are incompatible: Intel BGA 1781 versus AMD Socket FP7. The manufacturing process is 10 nm for Intel and 6 nm for AMD, with different foundries (Intel versus TSMC).

Memory support differs, with the Intel chip supporting DDR4 and DDR5, while the AMD chip supports only DDR5. Both use dual-channel memory buses, but only AMD lists a memory bandwidth figure of 76.8 GB/s. ECC memory support is present on AMD but absent on Intel. The cache configurations are distinct, as detailed above, with Intel having larger per-core L1 and L2 caches and a larger shared L3 (12 MB versus 8 MB). The AMD chip has a listed die size of 210 mm², while no die size is given for Intel. The Intel chip was released on 2022-02-22, while no release date is listed for the AMD. The AMD part has a part number of 100-000001507, while the Intel has none listed.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-1240U is the clear winner in single-threaded and short-duration multi-threaded workloads. It dominates in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 single-core tests, with the R15 margin being particularly large at 52.7%. The PassMark single-thread test also favors Intel by 12.7%. For integer-heavy tasks, the Intel chip wins in find prime numbers by 103.2%, integer math by 11.9%, and floating point math by 28.7%. Physics simulations heavily favor Intel with a 70.9% lead. The multithread test shows Intel ahead by 9.5%, and random string sorting is a modest 4.6% Intel win. This makes the i5-1240U suitable for responsive, bursty workloads, general productivity, and applications that rely on strong per-core performance.

The AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS wins in sustained, longer-running workloads that can leverage its higher TDP. The Cinebench R23 multi-core result is the standout, with a 24.2% advantage over Intel. Extended instruction workloads also strongly favor AMD, with a 27.1% lead in PassMark extended instructions. Data compression and encryption tasks show smaller AMD wins of 6% and 1%, respectively. These results suggest the AMD chip is better suited for rendering, video encoding, and other all-core sustained tasks where the 45 W power envelope can be utilized. The AMD chip’s 8 MB of L3 and 6 nm process may help in these scenarios, though the benchmark data alone shows the trend.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the Intel Core i5-1240U is the better choice for users who prioritize single-threaded responsiveness and a wide variety of everyday tasks. Its 13 benchmark wins out of 17 head-to-head tests demonstrate broad superiority in most measured scenarios. The 52.7% lead in Cinebench R15 single-core and the 103.2% lead in find prime numbers indicate that any application relying on quick, per-core calculations will perform noticeably better on the Intel chip. The lower 9 W TDP also makes it a more plausible candidate for thin-and-light designs, though no efficiency benchmark is provided in the data.

The AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS is the better option for sustained multi-threaded workloads, specifically those that resemble Cinebench R23 multi-core. A 24.2% advantage in that test is significant, and the 27.1% lead in extended instructions suggests that heavily vectorized code will run faster. The AMD chip also wins in data compression and encryption, making it a reasonable pick for content creation or data processing tasks that run for extended periods. However, the AMD part loses in every single-core test and most other benchmarks, so its appeal is narrow. The 4-core, 8-thread configuration with a 45 W TDP is a different design philosophy, trading burst performance for sustained throughput. Ultimately, the data shows that the Intel i5-1240U is the more versatile processor, while the Ryzen 5 7235HS excels in a specific niche of long-duration multi-core work.