AMD Ryzen 5 8500G vs Intel Core Ultra 5 225T Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a decisive overall victory for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225T, which wins 14 of the 17 recorded head-to-head tests. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G takes only 3 wins, but those wins are concentrated in specific workloads where the AMD part demonstrates clear strengths.

The largest margin for the Intel chip appears in the PassMark floating point math test. The Core Ultra 5 225T scores 82,751 against the Ryzen 5 8500G's 39,074, a 52.8% advantage. This is the single biggest performance gap in the entire comparison and indicates a substantial difference in floating-point throughput. Similarly, the find prime numbers test shows a 69.4% lead for Intel (284 versus 87), which is the largest relative delta in the dataset. These two results alone suggest the Intel architecture handles mathematically intensive workloads far more efficiently.

In Cinebench testing, the Intel chip is consistently ahead across every version and both single-thread and multi-thread runs. The Cinebench R23 multicore score is 21,971 for Intel versus 18,368 for AMD, a 16.4% difference. The same 16.4% delta appears in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 for both single-core and multi-core variants. This uniformity across Cinebench versions indicates a stable architectural advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk. The Cinebench R15 multicore result is 2,214 for Intel versus 1,851 for AMD, and the single-core result is 312 versus 261, both showing the same 16.4% gap.

The PassMark multithread test shows Intel ahead by 14.8%, with scores of 25,358 versus 21,610. The physics test follows a similar pattern with Intel at 2,053 versus 1,318, a 35.8% lead. Data encryption also favors Intel by 22.2% (18,289 versus 14,220). Extended instructions testing gives Intel a smaller 4.9% edge (20,083 versus 19,098). Single-thread PassMark results show Intel at 4,348 versus 3,891, a 10.5% advantage.

The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G wins in data compression with a score of 250,197 versus 233,998, a 6.9% margin. Integer math also goes to AMD with 63,123 versus 59,543, a 6% lead. Random string sorting is the narrowest AMD victory at 2.2% (29,407 versus 28,774). These wins show that the AMD chip handles integer-oriented and compression workloads competitively, even while losing heavily in floating-point and physics tests.

The Verdict

The data clearly favors the Intel Core Ultra 5 225T for users whose workloads resemble the majority of these benchmarks. With 14 wins out of 17 tests, the Intel chip delivers higher scores across Cinebench rendering, PassMark multithread, physics simulation, encryption, extended instructions, and single-thread performance. The 16.4% Cinebench advantage across all versions is particularly telling for content creation workloads that rely on rendering performance.

The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G still holds specific advantages in data compression, integer math, and random string sorting. Users running compression-heavy tasks or integer-based calculations would see better results from the AMD part, with its 6.9% compression lead and 6% integer math lead. However, these wins are narrower than the Intel victories and apply to a more limited set of applications.

The overall percentile ranking supports the benchmark results. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T sits at the 82nd percentile of all CPUs in the database, while the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G sits at the 74th percentile. The Intel chip's average benchmark score of 30,468 also exceeds the AMD chip's 20,425, a substantial margin that reflects the broader performance advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G uses the Zen 4 architecture with the Phoenix2 codename, built on a 4 nm TSMC process node. It integrates 6 cores and 12 threads, relying on simultaneous multithreading to reach that thread count. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T uses the Arrow Lake architecture with the Arrow Lake-S codename, built on a 3 nm TSMC process node. It provides 10 cores and 10 threads, with no multithreading support.

The cache configurations differ significantly. The AMD chip provides 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel chip provides 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The larger per-core caches on the Intel part, combined with the larger L3 pool, likely contribute to its single-thread and floating-point advantages.

Manufacturing details also differ. The AMD chip uses 20,900 million transistors on a 137 mm² die. The Intel chip uses 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The Intel die is substantially larger despite fewer transistors, indicating a different physical design approach. Both are produced by TSMC, but at different process nodes.

Memory support shows both chips using DDR5 with dual-channel buses, but the Intel chip has a higher theoretical memory bandwidth at 102.4 GB/s versus 83.2 GB/s for AMD. The Intel chip also supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes, while the AMD chip is limited to PCIe Gen 4 with 14 CPU lanes. ECC memory is supported by the AMD chip but not by the Intel chip. The integrated graphics differ as well: AMD uses Radeon 740M, while Intel uses Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU.

The AMD chip is classified as a mobile segment part in the database, while the Intel chip is classified as desktop. The AMD chip has a launch MSRP of $179 and was released on January 7, 2024. The Intel chip has no recorded launch MSRP and was released on December 31, 2024.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher Cinebench R23 multicore score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T scores 21,971, which is 16.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G's 18,368.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G win any benchmark tests?

A: Yes, it wins 3 tests: PassMark data compression (250,197 versus 233,998), PassMark integer math (63,123 versus 59,543), and PassMark random string sorting (29,407 versus 28,774).

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two processors?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark find prime numbers, where the Intel chip scores 284 versus 87 for AMD, a 69.4% difference.

Q: How many cores and threads does each processor have?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G has 6 cores and 12 threads. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T has 10 cores and 10 threads.

Q: Which processor has a higher memory bandwidth rating?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T has a rated memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, compared to 83.2 GB/s for the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G.

Q: What are the process node sizes for each chip?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G uses a 4 nm TSMC process node. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T uses a 3 nm TSMC process node.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T wins in rendering workloads, as shown by its consistent 16.4% lead across all Cinebench versions. The 2,214 Cinebench R15 multicore score and 21,971 R23 multicore score indicate strong multi-threaded rendering performance. Physics simulation also favors Intel significantly, with a 35.8% lead in PassMark physics. Floating-point math, encryption, and extended instruction workloads all go to Intel with margins ranging from 4.9% to 52.8%. The single-thread advantage of 10.5% in PassMark and 16.4% in Cinebench makes Intel the better choice for lightly threaded applications.

The AMD Ryzen 5 8500G wins in data compression with a 6.9% margin, making it the better option for archive handling and compression-based tasks. Integer math goes to AMD by 6%, which matters for workloads like database operations or integer-heavy calculations. Random string sorting shows a narrow 2.2% AMD lead, indicating a slight edge in sorting algorithms. The AMD chip also supports ECC memory, which the Intel chip does not, making it suitable for systems requiring error-correcting memory. The AMD chip uses the AMD Socket AM5 platform with PCIe Gen 4, while the Intel chip uses Intel Socket 1851 with PCIe Gen 5.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts differ: 6 cores and 12 threads for AMD versus 10 cores and 10 threads for Intel. Base clocks are 3.50 GHz for AMD and 2.50 GHz for Intel. Boost clocks are 5.00 GHz for AMD and 4.90 GHz for Intel. Both have a 65 TDP rating.

The sockets differ: AMD Socket AM5 versus Intel Socket 1851. The architectures are Zen 4 (Phoenix2) for AMD and Arrow Lake (Arrow Lake-S) for Intel. Process nodes are 4 nm for AMD and 3 nm for Intel. Transistor counts are 20,900 million for AMD and 17,800 million for Intel. Die sizes are 137 mm² for AMD and 243 mm² for Intel.

Cache configurations differ across all levels: L1 is 64 KB per core for AMD versus 192 KB per core for Intel. L2 is 1 MB per core for AMD versus 3 MB per core for Intel. L3 is 16 MB shared for AMD versus 20 MB shared for Intel.

Memory bandwidth is 83.2 GB/s for AMD versus 102.4 GB/s for Intel. ECC memory is supported on AMD but not on Intel. PCIe support is Gen 4 with 14 lanes for AMD versus Gen 5 with 20 lanes for Intel. Integrated graphics are Radeon 740M for AMD and Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU for Intel. The market segment is mobile for AMD and desktop for Intel.