AMD Ryzen 7 170 vs Intel Core 7 251TE Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 7 170 and Intel Core 7 251TE occupy the same performance percentile, both sitting at 88, yet their benchmark profiles could not be more different. The data shows a clear division of labor: one chip is a specialist, the other a generalist with a massive core count advantage. The Ryzen 7 170 secures a single win in the head-to-head tests, while the Intel Core 7 251TE claims the remaining ten, but the magnitude and nature of those wins tell a more nuanced story about workload suitability.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 7 170 is the victor in only one measured category: PassMark extended instructions, where it scores 18107 against Intel's 16974, a 6.7% advantage. This is a narrow but meaningful lead, suggesting the Zen 3+ architecture handles specific instruction sets with greater efficiency. For users running software that leverages these particular extensions, the AMD part holds a tangible edge that the core-count disparity cannot overcome.

Everywhere else, the Intel Core 7 251TE dominates. The largest margins appear in compute-heavy tasks: PassMark find prime numbers shows Intel at 140 versus AMD's 49, a 65% deficit for the Ryzen part. PassMark physics follows with Intel scoring 1938 against 890, a 54.1% gap. PassMark floating point math sees Intel at 85607 versus 44979, a 47.5% difference. These are not marginal improvements; they represent fundamental throughput advantages in mathematical and physics-based workloads.

The Intel chip also wins decisively in memory and I/O stress tests. PassMark data compression shows Intel at 334399 versus 265920, a 20.5% lead. PassMark data encryption gives Intel 22176 against 16078, a 27.5% margin. PassMark random string sorting, a cache and memory latency sensitive test, favors Intel 39643 to 27804, a 29.9% gap. These results indicate the Intel part handles data movement and transformation tasks with significantly more headroom.

The Verdict

The data points to two distinct buyer profiles. The AMD Ryzen 7 170 is for users who prioritize instruction set compatibility and power efficiency in a mobile form factor. Its 35 TDP, 6 nm process node, and Radeon 680M integrated graphics make it a compelling choice for thin-and-light laptops where battery life and thermal output matter more than raw compute. The single extended instructions win suggests it executes certain legacy or specialized code paths better than its rival.

The Intel Core 7 251TE is the workstation-class option. Its 24 cores and 32 threads, combined with a 5.40 GHz boost clock, deliver overwhelming performance in multi-threaded scenarios. The 30.9% lead in PassMark multithread and the 54.1% margin in physics indicate this chip is built for rendering, simulation, and heavy parallel processing. Desktop users with access to Socket 1700 motherboards and Gen 5 PCIe lanes will find this part scales with demanding workloads.

Neither chip is a universal recommendation. The Ryzen 7 170 is a specialist for efficiency and specific instruction sets, while the Intel Core 7 251TE is a brute-force performer for compute-heavy tasks. The recorded data shows the Intel part winning 10 of 11 benchmarks, but the single AMD victory in extended instructions is enough to justify its existence in the mobile segment.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking disparity is in PassMark find prime numbers. Intel's score of 140 dwarfs AMD's 49, a 65% delta. This test is highly sensitive to integer arithmetic and branch prediction, and the 24-core Intel design with its 36 MB shared L3 cache clearly handles this workload with far greater efficiency than the 8-core AMD part with 16 MB of L3.

PassMark physics shows a similar pattern. Intel's 1938 score versus AMD's 890 represents a 54.1% advantage. Physics calculations often rely on floating point throughput and thread scaling, and the data shows Intel's 85607 floating point score versus AMD's 44979, a 47.5% gap, reinforces this interpretation. The Intel part simply has more computational resources to throw at these problems.

The multithread test is closer but still decisively in Intel's favor: 30022 versus 20760, a 30.9% lead. This aligns with the core count difference of 24 versus 8, though the AMD chip's higher base clock of 3.20 GHz versus 1.40 GHz helps narrow the gap somewhat. The boost clocks tell a different story, with Intel reaching 5.40 GHz versus AMD's 4.75 GHz, explaining why single-thread performance also favors Intel.

PassMark single-thread gives Intel 3568 versus AMD's 3128, a 12.3% margin. This is a smaller gap than the multi-threaded tests, indicating the Ryzen 7 170's Zen 3+ cores are competitive per-thread, but the Intel chip's higher peak frequency gives it the edge. The extended instructions test is the sole AMD victory, with 18107 versus 16974, showing that raw core count is not the only factor in every workload.

Data compression and encryption both favor Intel by substantial margins: 20.5% and 27.5% respectively. These tests are often memory bandwidth and cache sensitive, and Intel's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth versus AMD's 76.8 GB/s provides a clear hardware advantage. The random string sorting test, which relies on cache hierarchy, also goes to Intel by 29.9%, reinforcing the memory subsystem superiority.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores?

A: The Intel Core 7 251TE has 24 cores and 32 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 7 170 has 8 cores and 16 threads.

Q: How much faster is the Intel chip in multi-threaded workloads?

A: The Intel Core 7 251TE scores 30022 in PassMark multithread compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 170's 20760, a 30.9% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD processor win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, the AMD Ryzen 7 170 wins the PassMark extended instructions test with a score of 18107 versus Intel's 16974, a 6.7% lead.

Q: What is the difference in boost clock speeds?

A: The Intel Core 7 251TE boosts to 5.40 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen 7 170 boosts to 4.75 GHz.

Q: Which chip has a larger L3 cache?

A: The Intel Core 7 251TE has 36 MB of shared L3 cache, while the AMD Ryzen 7 170 has 16 MB.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth figures for each processor?

A: The Intel Core 7 251TE supports 89.6 GB/s, while the AMD Ryzen 7 170 supports 76.8 GB/s.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen 7 170 uses the Zen 3+ architecture on TSMC's 6 nm process node, codenamed Rembrandt-R. It is built for the mobile segment with a 35 TDP and an AMD Socket FP7. The Intel Core 7 251TE uses the Bartlett Lake codename on Intel's 10 nm process, targeting the desktop segment with a 45 TDP and Intel Socket 1700.

Cache hierarchies differ significantly. AMD allocates 64 KB of L1 per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, while Intel provides 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core. The shared L3 cache is where the gap widens: Intel's 36 MB versus AMD's 16 MB. This larger cache pool likely contributes to Intel's wins in cache-sensitive tests like random string sorting.

Memory support also diverges. The AMD chip supports only DDR5 with dual-channel memory, while the Intel chip supports both DDR4 and DDR5. Both have the same dual-channel bus, but Intel's memory bandwidth is higher at 89.6 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s. Both support ECC memory, which is relevant for workstation applications.

PCIe connectivity favors Intel with Gen 5 and 16 lanes, while AMD offers Gen 4 with 20 lanes. The newer PCIe standard on Intel could matter for future expansion, though the lane count on AMD is higher. Integrated graphics also differ: AMD uses Radeon 680M, while Intel uses UHD Graphics 770.

Specification Differences

The most obvious specification gap is core count: Intel's 24 cores and 32 threads versus AMD's 8 cores and 16 threads. This is a 3x core advantage for Intel. Clock speeds tell a mixed story, with AMD starting at 3.20 GHz base but only reaching 4.75 GHz boost, while Intel starts at 1.40 GHz base but boosts to 5.40 GHz.

Process node and foundry differ: AMD uses 6 nm at TSMC, while Intel uses 10 nm at its own foundry. The die size is similar, with AMD at 210 mm² and Intel at 215 mm². TDP favors AMD at 35 watts versus Intel's 45 watts, though the mobile versus desktop market segments explain this difference.

Cache specifications are starkly different. AMD provides 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 16 MB shared L3. Intel provides 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB shared L3. Memory support sees AMD limited to DDR5, while Intel supports DDR4 and DDR5. Memory bandwidth favors Intel at 89.6 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s.

PCIe generation and lanes differ: AMD offers Gen 4 with 20 lanes, Intel offers Gen 5 with 16 lanes. Integrated graphics are Radeon 680M on AMD and UHD Graphics 770 on Intel. Release dates show AMD launching on September 30, 2025, while Intel arrived on January 12, 2025. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $384, while the AMD part has no listed launch MSRP.