AMD Ryzen 7 250 vs Intel Core Ultra 3 205 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear split between the AMD Ryzen 7 250 and the Intel Core Ultra 3 205. Out of 15 recorded comparisons, the Intel part claims 11 wins, while the AMD processor takes 4. The most dramatic Intel victory appears in Cinebench R23 single-core, where the Core Ultra 3 205 scores 2803 against 1715 for the Ryzen 7 250, a 38.8% advantage. This pattern repeats in multi-core Cinebench R23, with Intel leading 19856 to 14676, a 26.1% margin. The older Cinebench R15 multi-core test flips the result, as AMD wins 2302 to 2001, a 15% lead.

The Passmark suite shows a more nuanced picture. Intel dominates floating-point math, scoring 75136 versus 53285, a 29.1% gap. The find prime numbers test delivers the largest single delta of the entire comparison: Intel scores 268, AMD scores 73, giving Intel a 72.8% advantage. Intel also wins the physics test, 2016 to 1147, a 43.1% margin, and the single-thread test, 4575 to 3678, a 19.6% advantage. Data encryption goes to Intel by a narrower 5.9% (18772 vs 17661), and extended instructions follow with a 4.3% Intel lead (22578 vs 21613). The multithread Passmark test shows a modest 4.1% Intel win, 26167 to 25089.

AMD's wins are concentrated in specific workloads. Integer math shows a decisive AMD victory: 91565 versus 54755, a 67.2% margin. Data compression favors AMD by 15.4%, with scores of 300708 against 260651. Random string sorting also goes to AMD by 15.4%, 35861 versus 31083. The Cinebench R15 multi-core result, already noted, completes the AMD set. Notably, the two processors deliver nearly identical results on the Passmark single-thread duplicate entries, with AMD at 3678 and Intel at 4575 in both recorded instances.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins more benchmark comparisons?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 3 205 wins 11 of the 15 head-to-head tests. The AMD Ryzen 7 250 wins 4.

Q: What is the largest performance gap in either direction?

A: The largest gap favors Intel in the Passmark find prime numbers test, where the Core Ultra 3 205 leads by 72.8% (268 vs 73). The largest AMD advantage is in Passmark integer math, with a 67.2% lead (91565 vs 54755).

Q: How do the two compare on Cinebench R23 single-core?

A: Intel holds a substantial lead. The Core Ultra 3 205 scores 2803, while the Ryzen 7 250 scores 1715, a 38.8% difference in favor of Intel.

Q: Does the AMD processor win any Cinebench test?

A: Yes. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Ryzen 7 250 scores 2302 against 2001 for the Intel part, a 15% win for AMD. Intel wins Cinebench R15 single-core by 4.6% (282 vs 269).

Q: How close are the overall average benchmark scores?

A: The database lists AMD's average benchmark score as 38221, while Intel's average is 31473. However, these averages include different test sets, so direct comparison should be treated with caution. AMD's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245T, has an average score of 38194 with a 0.1% delta, while Intel's nearest rival, the Intel Core 7 240H, scores 31483 with a 0% delta.

Q: What are the percentile rankings for each CPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 250 sits in the 86th percentile against all CPUs. The Intel Core Ultra 3 205 is in the 82nd percentile.

Where Each One Wins

The data indicates distinct workload preferences. The Intel Core Ultra 3 205 is the stronger choice for single-threaded and lightly threaded tasks. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2803, which is 38.8% ahead of AMD, points to strong per-core performance. The Passmark single-thread result (4575 vs 3678, a 19.6% lead) reinforces this. Applications that rely on floating-point math, such as scientific simulations or certain rendering tasks, will favor Intel, as shown by the 29.1% advantage in Passmark floating-point math. The physics test, where Intel leads by 43.1%, suggests an advantage in simulated physics workloads.

The AMD Ryzen 7 250 wins where integer operations and data handling dominate. The 67.2% lead in Passmark integer math is the strongest AMD result, indicating a clear edge in integer-heavy code. Data compression and random string sorting both go to AMD by 15.4%, which covers tasks like file archiving, database operations, and text processing. The Cinebench R15 multi-core win, though on an older test version, shows AMD can take some multi-threaded workloads.

For general multi-threaded productivity, the picture is mixed. Intel leads Cinebench R23 multi-core by 26.1%, but AMD leads Cinebench R15 multi-core by 15%. The Passmark multithread test shows only a 4.1% Intel edge, so the multi-core winner depends heavily on the specific workload. The data suggests Intel for single-thread and floating-point performance, AMD for integer and data-compression tasks, and a near tie for mixed multi-threaded use.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several fundamental specifications. The AMD Ryzen 7 250 has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Core Ultra 3 205 has 8 cores and 8 threads. Intel's base clock of 3.80 GHz is higher than AMD's 3.30 GHz, but AMD's boost clock of 5.10 GHz exceeds Intel's 4.90 GHz. Thermal design power differs substantially: AMD is rated at 28 W, Intel at 57 W. The AMD part uses the AMD Socket FP8, while Intel uses the Intel Socket 1851. AMD's market segment is Mobile; Intel's is Desktop.

Memory bandwidth also differs. Intel supports 102.4 GB/s, while AMD lists 89.6 GB/s. Both use dual-channel DDR5 and do not support ECC memory. PCIe capability differs: AMD uses Gen 4 with 20 lanes, Intel uses Gen 5 with 20 lanes. The integrated graphics are different as well, with AMD featuring the Radeon 780M and Intel featuring the Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $140. Release dates differ, with AMD listed as 2025-01-05 and Intel as 2025-07-31.

Architecture Differences

The architectural split is significant. AMD uses the Zen 4 architecture under the Hawk Point codename, built on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Intel uses the Arrow Lake architecture, codenamed Arrow Lake-S, on a 3 nm process, also by TSMC. The transistor counts differ: AMD packs 25,000 million transistors on a 178 mm² die, while Intel uses 17,800 million transistors on a larger 243 mm² die. This gives AMD a higher transistor density on a smaller die.

Cache layouts diverge considerably. AMD provides 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3. Intel provides 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 15 MB of shared L3. Intel's per-core L1 and L2 caches are larger, while AMD's shared L3 pool is slightly bigger. Neither uses 3D V-Cache.

The core topology explains the thread difference. AMD's 8 cores support simultaneous multithreading, yielding 16 threads. Intel's 8 cores do not, yielding 8 threads. This is a key architectural divergence that directly impacts multi-threaded benchmark behavior, as seen in the mixed multi-core results across different Cinebench versions. The process node difference, 4 nm for AMD versus 3 nm for Intel, combined with the higher Intel TDP, indicates different design priorities: AMD targets efficiency in a mobile form factor, while Intel targets desktop performance with higher power headroom.