AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U vs Intel Core i9-9880H Comparison

The Intel Core i9-9880H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U are both mobile processors, but they represent different design eras and power envelopes. The i9-9880H is an 8-core, 16-thread Coffee Lake part with a 45W TDP, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U is a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 part with a 15W TDP. In head-to-head testing, the AMD chip wins 6 of 8 benchmarks, all of them Cinebench tests, while the Intel chip takes both Geekbench tests. The data shows a clear split: AMD leads in rendering workloads, Intel leads in Geekbench's mixed workload. Both processors sit at the 54th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with average benchmark scores of 3433 for Intel and 3394 for AMD.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench suite is a decisive win for the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the AMD part scores 1210 against the Intel i9-9880H's 1152, a 4.8% advantage. The single-core test shows a similar margin: 170 versus 162, a 4.7% lead. The pattern repeats in Cinebench R20, where the AMD chip scores 5044 multi-core and 711 single-core, versus Intel's 4803 and 677, both by 4.8%. Cinebench R23 continues the trend: AMD scores 12010 multi-core and 1695 single-core, while Intel scores 11437 and 1614, again a 4.8% gap in both tests. The consistency of the 4.8% margin across all six Cinebench tests suggests a per-clock efficiency advantage for the Zen 3 architecture, despite the Intel part having two more cores and a higher boost clock of 4.80 GHz versus 4.50 GHz.

The Geekbench results flip the script. In Geekbench multi-core, the Intel i9-9880H scores 6248, a 23.6% lead over the AMD's 5057. The single-core test shows a 9.5% advantage for Intel, with 1372 versus 1253. The 23.6% multi-core delta is the largest margin in any head-to-head test, and it indicates that the Intel part can dominate in workloads that Geekbench measures, even though it loses every Cinebench test. The Geekbench single-core win is smaller but still clear. These results show that the two processors have very different strengths, and the overall winner depends entirely on the benchmark suite used.

The head-to-head record is 6 wins for AMD and 2 for Intel. The AMD part wins all Cinebench tests, which are heavily used for rendering and CPU compute. The Intel part wins both Geekbench tests, which are often used for general system performance. The data does not support a single "better" CPU; instead, it shows a workload-dependent split.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has higher multi-core performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U scores 12010, while the Intel Core i9-9880H scores 11437, giving AMD a 4.8% lead.

Q: Which CPU wins Geekbench multi-core?

A: The Intel Core i9-9880H wins with a score of 6248 versus 5057 for the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U, a 23.6% advantage.

Q: How do core counts and thread counts compare?

A: The Intel part has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the AMD part has 6 cores and 12 threads.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The Intel Core i9-9880H has a 45W TDP, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U has a 15W TDP.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U supports ECC memory, while the Intel Core i9-9880H does not.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth figures?

A: The AMD part has a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, while the Intel part has 42.7 GB/s.

Where Each One Wins

For rendering and multi-threaded CPU workloads, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U is the clear choice. It leads by 4.8% in every Cinebench test, including both multi-core and single-core scenarios. This is notable because the Intel part has two additional cores and a higher boost clock, yet still loses. The AMD part also offers a much lower TDP of 15W versus 45W, making it a better fit for thin-and-light laptops where power efficiency is critical. Additionally, the AMD part supports ECC memory and has higher memory bandwidth, which can benefit certain professional applications.

The Intel Core i9-9880H takes the Geekbench tests, with a 23.6% multi-core lead and a 9.5% single-core lead. This suggests that for workloads that resemble Geekbench's mix of integer, floating-point, and memory operations, the Intel part can outperform the AMD chip by a wide margin. The Intel part also has a higher boost clock of 4.80 GHz, which may contribute to its Geekbench success, though the benchmark data alone does not confirm the cause. For users who prioritize Geekbench-style performance, the i9-9880H is the better option.

The use-case split is clear: AMD wins in Cinebench and power efficiency, Intel wins in Geekbench. The AMD part is also newer, with a release date of 2023-01-03 versus 2019-04-22 for Intel, and it is still in active production, while the Intel part is end-of-life.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every core specification. The Intel Core i9-9880H has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7530U has 6 cores and 12 threads. Base clocks are 2.30 GHz for Intel and 2.00 GHz for AMD, while boost clocks are 4.80 GHz and 4.50 GHz, respectively. TDP is 45W for Intel and 15W for AMD. The sockets differ: Intel BGA 1440 versus AMD Socket FP6. The architecture and codename are also different: Coffee Lake (Coffee Lake-HR) for Intel, Zen 3 (Barcelo-R) for AMD. The process node is 14 nm for Intel and 7 nm for AMD, with Intel as the foundry for the former and TSMC for the latter. The AMD part lists 10,700 million transistors and a die size of 180 mm², while Intel lists a die size of 149 mm² with no transistor count. L2 cache is 256 KB per core on Intel and 512 KB per core on AMD. Memory bandwidth is 42.7 GB/s for Intel and 51.2 GB/s for AMD. ECC support is false for Intel and true for AMD. PCIe is listed as Gen 3 for Intel, and Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only) for AMD. Integrated graphics are UHD 630 for Intel and Radeon Graphics (Vega 7) for AMD. Production status is end-of-life for Intel and active for AMD. Release dates are 2019-04-22 and 2023-01-03, respectively. Part numbers are SRFD1 and 100-000000949.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is substantial. Intel uses a 14 nm process from its own foundry, while AMD uses a 7 nm process from TSMC. The AMD part integrates 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die, while Intel's die is 149 mm² with no transistor count listed. The L2 cache differs: 256 KB per core on Intel versus 512 KB per core on AMD, though both share 16 MB of L3 cache. The AMD part supports ECC memory, a feature absent on Intel. The integrated graphics are different: Intel's UHD 630 versus AMD's Radeon Graphics (Vega 7). Memory bandwidth is higher on AMD at 51.2 GB/s versus 42.7 GB/s. The PCIe implementation also differs, with AMD listing Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only) while Intel simply lists Gen 3. These architectural differences explain the benchmark results: the newer 7 nm Zen 3 design delivers better per-core efficiency, as seen in the Cinebench wins, while the older 14 nm Coffee Lake part still holds an advantage in Geekbench's specific workload mix.