AMD Ryzen 7 260 vs Intel Core i7-14701TE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a clear overall winner in the AMD Ryzen 7 260, which claims 12 of the 15 recorded head-to-head comparisons. The margin of victory is not uniform, however, and the Intel Core i7-14701TE secures three decisive wins in specific workloads. The largest advantage for the AMD processor appears in PassMark random string sorting, where it scores 42,383 against Intel's 22,760, a delta of 86.2%. Extended instructions also show a massive gap: 26,544 versus 14,354, a 84.9% lead for AMD. Data encryption favors AMD by 73.2% (20,267 vs. 11,699), and data compression delivers a 59.4% advantage (351,517 vs. 220,520). Integer math is another strong AMD result, winning 96,737 to 65,792, which is a 47% edge.

The multi-threaded PassMark score confirms AMD's lead at 28,078 versus 20,042, a 40.1% difference. Single-thread performance in PassMark also goes to AMD: 3,736 versus 2,637, a 41.7% advantage. Floating-point math is closer, with AMD ahead 59,462 to 50,219 (18.4%). Cinebench R15 multi-core shows AMD at 2,747.5 versus Intel's 1,716, a 60.1% lead, while the single-core R15 test is a narrower 14.3% win for AMD (276.5 vs. 242). Cinebench R23 multi-core is nearly a tie, with AMD at 17,211.5 and Intel at 17,035, a mere 1% difference.

The Intel processor's three wins are concentrated in specific areas. Cinebench R23 single-core is the most striking: Intel scores 2,405 to AMD's 1,770.5, a 26.4% advantage. PassMark find prime numbers goes to Intel at 143 versus 77, a 46.2% lead. PassMark physics also favors Intel, 1,860 to 1,218, which is a 34.5% difference. These results indicate that Intel's architecture retains a distinct edge in certain latency-sensitive or scalar workloads, even while losing the broader multi-threaded and throughput-oriented tests.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. AMD's Ryzen 7 260 uses the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Hawk Point, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. Intel's Core i7-14701TE uses Raptor Lake, specifically Raptor Lake-R from the Core 14th Gen family, on a 10 nm process at Intel. The transistor counts differ dramatically: AMD lists 25,000 million transistors on a 178 mm² die, while Intel's die is larger at 257 mm² but has no transistor count recorded in the database. This suggests AMD's denser manufacturing process allows for a smaller physical footprint.

Both processors have 8 cores and 16 threads, so the core count parity means performance differences arise from other factors. Cache configurations diverge substantially. AMD provides 64 KB of L1 per core and 1 MB of L2 per core, with 16 MB of shared L3. Intel provides 80 KB of L1 per core and 2 MB of L2 per core, with a larger 33 MB of shared L3. The larger L3 on Intel (33 MB vs. 16 MB) likely contributes to its strong single-core Cinebench R23 result, allowing more data to be held closer to the execution units.

Clock speeds also differ. AMD's base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost of 5.10 GHz, while Intel's base clock is 2.10 GHz with a boost of 5.20 GHz. The higher boost clock on Intel supports its single-core wins, but the lower base clock may hurt sustained all-core workloads, which helps explain AMD's multi-threaded dominance. Both are rated at a 45 W TDP, but AMD's socket is FP8 (mobile) while Intel uses Socket 1700 (desktop). The market segments reflect this: AMD is classified as Mobile, Intel as Desktop.

Memory support and PCIe capabilities differ. AMD supports only DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with a recorded bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5 on a dual-channel bus, though no bandwidth figure is recorded. AMD offers PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes, while Intel provides PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes. Intel also supports ECC memory (true), while AMD does not (false). Integrated graphics differ as well: AMD uses Radeon 780M, Intel uses UHD Graphics 770. The release dates are close, with Intel launching on 2024-06-30 and AMD on 2025-01-05.

Where Each One Wins

The data splits the workload landscape into two distinct territories. AMD's Ryzen 7 260 dominates in data-heavy and parallel tasks. The PassMark data compression, encryption, extended instructions, and random string sorting results all show AMD ahead by margins between 59.4% and 86.2%. Integer math and floating-point math also favor AMD, with 47% and 18.4% leads respectively. The multi-threaded PassMark score and both Cinebench R15 tests confirm that AMD excels when many cores are active and when workloads involve memory bandwidth or cryptographic operations.

Intel's Core i7-14701TE wins in three specific scenarios that highlight its architectural strengths. The prime number search test (find prime numbers) shows a 46.2% lead for Intel, which suggests a strong performance in loop-heavy, branch-predictor-friendly integer workloads. The physics test, which often relies on deterministic simulation and vectorized calculations, gives Intel a 34.5% edge. The single-core Cinebench R23 result, a 26.4% win, is the most notable, indicating that Intel's higher boost clock and larger L3 cache provide a real advantage for lightly threaded tasks that depend on a single core's peak speed.

The practical implication is that AMD wins the majority of throughput-oriented benchmarks, while Intel holds ground in specific latency-sensitive or scalar workloads. The Cinebench R23 multi-core near-tie (1% difference) suggests that for certain rendering tasks, the two processors are nearly interchangeable, but the broader PassMark suite reveals AMD's superiority in general-purpose computing.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher single-core Cinebench R23 score?

A: The Intel Core i7-14701TE scores 2,405 in Cinebench R23 single-core, while the AMD Ryzen 7 260 scores 1,770.5. Intel leads by 26.4% in this test.

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

A: The largest gap is in PassMark random string sorting, where AMD scores 42,383 and Intel scores 22,760, giving AMD an 86.2% advantage.

Q: Do both processors have the same number of cores and threads?

A: Yes, both have 8 cores and 16 threads. The differences in performance come from architecture, cache size, clock speeds, and process node.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: The Intel Core i7-14701TE supports ECC memory (true), while the AMD Ryzen 7 260 does not (false).

Q: What is the difference in L3 cache size?

A: Intel has 33 MB of shared L3 cache, while AMD has 16 MB of shared L3 cache. Intel's L3 is over twice the size.

Q: How does the multi-threaded PassMark score compare?

A: AMD scores 28,078 in PassMark multithread, while Intel scores 20,042, representing a 40.1% lead for AMD.

The Verdict

The recorded data indicates that the AMD Ryzen 7 260 is the stronger processor overall, with 12 wins out of 15 head-to-head benchmarks and an average benchmark score of 43,717 compared to Intel's 26,013. AMD's percentile ranking of 88 against all CPUs also exceeds Intel's 78. The AMD processor delivers substantial advantages in data compression, encryption, extended instructions, integer math, and random string sorting, all by margins of 47% or more. For users running multi-threaded workloads, data processing, or general productivity tasks, the data clearly favors AMD.

The Intel Core i7-14701TE, however, is not without merit. Its wins in Cinebench R23 single-core, prime number finding, and physics tests indicate superior performance in specific scalar or latency-sensitive workloads. The 26.4% lead in single-core Cinebench R23 is particularly notable for applications that rely heavily on a single thread's peak performance. Intel's larger 33 MB L3 cache and higher 5.20 GHz boost clock likely contribute to these wins. The near-tie in Cinebench R23 multi-core (1% difference) also shows that Intel can match AMD in some rendering scenarios.

The choice depends on workload type. The data supports AMD for encryption, compression, and broad multi-threaded tasks. The data supports Intel for single-core-heavy applications, prime number calculations, and physics simulations. The overall average score and percentile ranking put AMD ahead for general use, but Intel's specific wins should not be dismissed for targeted applications.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Ryzen 7 260 | Intel Core i7-14701TE |

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

| Architecture | Zen 4 | Raptor Lake |

| Codename | Hawk Point | Raptor Lake-R |

| Generation | Ryzen 7 (Zen 4 (Hawk Point)) | Core i7 (Raptor Lake Refresh) |

| Process Node | 4 nm | 10 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| Transistors | 25,000 million | Not recorded |

| Die Size | 178 mm² | 257 mm² |

| Base Clock | 3.80 GHz | 2.10 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 5.10 GHz | 5.20 GHz |

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

| L2 Cache | 1 MB (per core) | 2 MB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 16 MB (shared) | 33 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR5 | DDR4, DDR5 |

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

| ECC Memory | No | Yes |

| PCIe | Gen 4, 20 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 5, 16 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | Radeon 780M | UHD Graphics 770 |

| Socket | AMD Socket FP8 | Intel Socket 1700 |

| Market Segment | Mobile | Desktop |

| Release Date | 2025-01-05 | 2024-06-30 |

| Part Number | 100-000001724 | Q49GSRNJL |