AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640HS vs Intel Core i5-12600 Comparison

The Intel Core i5-12600 and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640HS present a fascinating statistical near-parity, with overall average benchmark scores of 28,646 and 28,478 respectively. Both processors sit at the 80th percentile among all CPUs, and their closest rivals in the database are nearly identical, with the Intel chip trading blows with the Intel Core i5-13500T and AMD EPYC 7203P within a 0.3% margin. Yet the head-to-head results reveal that this statistical tie masks two very different performance personalities, split across 17 individual tests where Intel claims 12 wins and AMD takes 5.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking finding is the absolute dead heat in all six Cinebench tests. In Cinebench R15 multicore, both chips score exactly 1824 points, and the single-core test is also a perfect tie at 257. The pattern continues through R20 (7604 vs 7603 multicore, 1073 vs 1073 single-core) and R23 (18105 vs 18104 multicore, 2556 vs 2555 single-core). The deltas are all exactly 0%, making these two processors functionally indistinguishable in rendering workloads.

The Passmark suite tells a different story. Intel’s largest victories come in physics and floating-point math. The Core i5-12600 scores 1365 in Passmark physics against the Ryzen’s 1043, a commanding 30.9% advantage. In floating-point math, Intel leads 50,838 to 43,019, an 18.2% margin. Prime number finding also favors Intel decisively at 83 vs 71, a 16.9% lead. The Intel part also edges out AMD in data compression (252,160 vs 246,446, +2.3%) and single-thread performance (3,823 vs 3,561, +7.4%).

AMD’s wins are concentrated in different domains. The largest is in random string sorting, where the Ryzen 5 PRO 8640HS scores 30,235 against Intel’s 25,832, a 14.6% advantage. Data encryption shows a 12.6% lead for AMD (14,962 vs 13,084). Extended instructions favor AMD by 8% (18,507 vs 17,027), and integer math goes to AMD by 5.3% (69,839 vs 66,123). The multithread test is nearly tied, with AMD taking it by just 0.3% (21,465 vs 21,399). Notably, the Cinebench tie extends to the overall average benchmark score, where Intel’s 28,646 trails its closest rival by only 0.1%, while AMD’s 28,478 sits just 0.2% behind the same Intel Core 5 220H.

Where Each One Wins

The data suggests Intel’s Alder Lake design excels in workloads that stress the memory hierarchy and branch prediction. The 30.9% physics win and 18.2% floating-point advantage indicate superior handling of scientific and simulation workloads, while the 16.9% prime-number result points to strong integer loop performance. The single-thread lead of 7.4% also makes the Core i5-12600 the better choice for lightly threaded applications where per-core efficiency matters most.

AMD’s Ryzen 5 PRO 8640HS has a clear edge in data manipulation and cryptography. The 14.6% random string sorting win and 12.6% encryption advantage suggest the Zen 4 architecture processes variable-length data and cryptographic operations more efficiently. The 8% extended-instructions lead and 5.3% integer-math win reinforce this pattern, making the AMD chip preferable for compression, hashing, and general integer-heavy database workloads. With the multithread test nearly tied, users should select based on workload type rather than raw throughput.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from fundamentally different design philosophies. Intel’s Core i5-12600 uses the Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm process, fabricated by Intel with a die size of 163 mm². It has a per-core L1 cache of 80 KB, a per-core L2 of 1.25 MB, and a shared L3 of 18 MB. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640HS is built on Zen 4 under the Hawk Point codename, using TSMC’s 4 nm node, with a die size of 178 mm². Its cache hierarchy is tighter per core — 64 KB L1 and 1 MB L2 — with a shared L3 of 16 MB. AMD’s design packs 25,000 million transistors, while Intel’s transistor count is not listed.

Memory support is another differentiator. Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5, giving platform flexibility, while AMD is DDR5-only. Both use dual-channel memory buses, but AMD lists an explicit memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, a figure Intel does not provide. The PCIe implementation differs as well: Intel offers Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes, while AMD provides Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes. AMD also supports ECC memory, which Intel does not. The integrated graphics differ — Intel uses UHD Graphics 770, AMD uses Radeon 760M — and the market segments diverge: Intel is a desktop part on Socket 1700 with a 65 W TDP, while AMD is a mobile part on Socket FP7 with a 28 W TDP.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: They are effectively identical. The Intel Core i5-12600 scores 18,105, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640HS scores 18,104, a delta of 0%.

Q: Does the AMD chip have a meaningful advantage in any test?

A: Yes, in random string sorting (30,235 vs 25,832, +14.6%) and data encryption (14,962 vs 13,084, +12.6%). It also wins extended instructions by 8% and integer math by 5.3%.

Q: Is the Intel processor better for single-threaded workloads?

A: The data shows a 7.4% lead in Passmark single-thread (3,823 vs 3,561), and it also wins Passmark physics by 30.9% and floating-point math by 18.2%.

Q: What are the main architectural differences?

A: Intel uses Alder Lake on a 10 nm process with 18 MB L3 and support for DDR4/DDR5 and PCIe Gen 5. AMD uses Zen 4 (Hawk Point) on a 4 nm process with 16 MB L3, DDR5-only memory, and PCIe Gen 4 with more lanes (20 vs 16).

Q: Do both processors have the same core and thread counts?

A: Yes, both have 6 cores and 12 threads. Their base and boost clocks are also very close: Intel is 3.30 GHz base with 4.80 GHz boost, while AMD is 3.50 GHz base with 4.90 GHz boost.

Q: Which processor is better for data compression?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600 leads in Passmark data compression with 252,160 against AMD’s 246,446, a 2.3% advantage. However, AMD wins random string sorting by 14.6%, so the winner depends on the specific compression algorithm.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i5-12600 | AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8640HS |

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

| Base Clock | 3.30 GHz | 3.50 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 4.80 GHz | 4.90 GHz |

| TDP | 65 W | 28 W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1700 | AMD Socket FP7 |

| Architecture | Alder Lake | Zen 4 (Hawk Point) |

| Process Node | 10 nm | 4 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| Transistors | Not listed | 25,000 million |

| Die Size | 163 mm² | 178 mm² |

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

| L2 Cache | 1.25 MB (per core) | 1 MB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 18 MB (shared) | 16 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR4, DDR5 | DDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | Not listed | 89.6 GB/s |

| ECC Memory | No | Yes |

| PCIe | Gen 5, 16 Lanes | Gen 4, 20 Lanes |

| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 770 | Radeon 760M |

| Market Segment | Desktop | Mobile |

| Release Date | Not listed | 2024-04-15 |

| Launch MSRP | $233 | Not listed |