AMD Ryzen 7 260 vs Intel Core i9-14901E Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 7 260 and Intel Core i9-14901E are both 8-core, 16-thread processors, yet they represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The Ryzen 7 260 is a mobile-focused, power-efficient part built on a 4 nm process, while the Core i9-14901E is a desktop processor with a higher boost clock and a larger cache. The benchmark data shows a clear split: Intel dominates in raw computational throughput in several tests, while AMD counters with significant wins in specific workloads like data compression and extended instructions.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher multi-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i9-14901E wins decisively with a score of 25753, which is 33.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 260's 17211.5.

Q: How do the two compare in single-thread performance?

A: The Intel Core i9-14901E leads in Cinebench R23 single-core, scoring 3635 compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 260's 1770.5, a 51.3% advantage. In Passmark single-thread, Intel also leads with 4354 versus 3736, a 14.2% difference.

Q: In which benchmark does the AMD Ryzen 7 260 show its largest victory?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 260's biggest win is in Passmark extended instructions, where it scores 26544 against Intel's 17249, a 53.9% advantage.

Q: What is the difference in their average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 260 has an average benchmark score of 43717, while the Intel Core i9-14901E has an average of 37911. This places the AMD part at the 88th percentile of all CPUs and the Intel part at the 86th percentile.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: The Intel Core i9-14901E supports ECC memory, while the AMD Ryzen 7 260 does not.

Q: What are the market segments for these two chips?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 260 is classified as a Mobile processor, while the Intel Core i9-14901E is classified as a Desktop processor.

Architecture Differences

The two processors diverge at the architectural level. The AMD Ryzen 7 260 is built on the Zen 4 architecture with the codename Hawk Point, fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It uses a transistor count of 25,000 million and a die size of 178 mm². The Intel Core i9-14901E uses the Raptor Lake architecture with the codename Raptor Lake-R, fabricated on a 10 nm process by Intel, with a die size of 257 mm². The Intel part is part of the Core 14th Gen series.

Cache configurations also differ substantially. The AMD Ryzen 7 260 has 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 1 MB of L2 cache per core, with 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Core i9-14901E has 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, with a much larger 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The larger L3 cache on the Intel part suggests a potential advantage in workloads that benefit from larger pools of quickly accessible data.

The platform support differs as well. The AMD Ryzen 7 260 uses the AMD Socket FP8 and supports PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes (CPU only). The Intel Core i9-14901E uses the Intel Socket 1700 and supports PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only). Memory support shows the AMD part only supports DDR5, while the Intel part supports both DDR4 and DDR5. The AMD part features integrated Radeon 780M graphics, while the Intel part features UHD Graphics 770.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data reveals a clear split in performance leadership. The Intel Core i9-14901E wins 10 of the 15 head-to-head benchmarks, while the AMD Ryzen 7 260 wins 5.

Intel's most dominant wins are substantial. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Intel part scores 25753 against AMD's 17211.5, a 33.2% lead. The single-core Cinebench R23 result shows an even larger gap, with Intel at 3635 and AMD at 1770.5, a 51.3% difference. In Passmark physics, Intel scores 3041 versus AMD's 1218, a 59.9% advantage. The Passmark find prime numbers test shows Intel at 189 versus AMD's 77, a 59.3% lead. Intel also wins in Passmark floating point math with 81089 against 59462, a 26.7% edge, and in Passmark integer math with 112736 versus 96737, a 14.2% lead. The Passmark multithread score favors Intel at 30298 versus 28078, a 7.3% difference, and the single-thread score favors Intel at 4354 versus 3736, a 14.2% gap. In Cinebench R15 single-core, Intel leads with 366 versus 276.5, a 24.5% difference.

AMD's wins are equally significant in their specific domains. The largest is in Passmark extended instructions, where AMD scores 26544 against Intel's 17249, a 53.9% advantage. In Passmark data compression, AMD scores 351517 versus Intel's 288777, a 21.7% lead. AMD also wins in Passmark data encryption with 20267 versus 18571, a 9.1% edge, and in Passmark random string sorting with 42383 versus 39138, an 8.3% difference. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, AMD manages a win with 2747.5 against Intel's 2595, a 5.9% lead.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across several key specification fields. The base clock of the AMD Ryzen 7 260 is 3.80 GHz, while the Intel Core i9-14901E has a base clock of 2.80 GHz. The boost clock favors Intel, with the Core i9-14901E reaching 5.60 GHz compared to the AMD part's 5.10 GHz. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45 watts for the AMD part and 65 watts for the Intel part.

The process node shows AMD at 4 nm and Intel at 10 nm. The foundry is TSMC for AMD and Intel for the Intel part. The die size is 178 mm² for AMD and 257 mm² for Intel. The transistor count is 25,000 million for AMD, while the Intel part has no recorded transistor count in the database.

Memory support differs, with AMD supporting only DDR5 and Intel supporting both DDR4 and DDR5. The memory bandwidth is recorded as 89.6 GB/s for AMD, while the Intel part has no recorded memory bandwidth figure. ECC memory support is present on the Intel part but absent on the AMD part. The PCIe interface differs: AMD uses Gen 4 with 20 lanes, while Intel uses Gen 5 with 16 lanes. The integrated graphics are Radeon 780M on the AMD side and UHD Graphics 770 on the Intel side.

The market segment is Mobile for AMD and Desktop for Intel. The release dates differ, with the AMD Ryzen 7 260 released on 2025-01-05 and the Intel Core i9-14901E released on 2024-06-30. The part numbers are 100-000001724 for AMD and Q49ESRNJH for Intel. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 7 260 establishes clear dominance in specific computational tasks. The Passmark extended instructions benchmark, with a 53.9% lead, suggests the AMD part handles specialized instruction sets more efficiently. The 21.7% win in data compression and the 9.1% win in data encryption indicate strengths in data processing workloads. The 8.3% win in random string sorting points to advantages in sorting and text manipulation tasks. The 5.9% win in Cinebench R15 multi-core shows AMD can still hold its own in some older multi-threaded tests.

The Intel Core i9-14901E wins across a broader range of conventional compute benchmarks. The 33.2% advantage in Cinebench R23 multi-core and the 51.3% advantage in Cinebench R23 single-core show Intel's strength in modern rendering and general productivity workloads. The 59.9% win in Passmark physics and the 59.3% win in find prime numbers indicate a significant edge in mathematical and physics-based calculations. The 26.7% win in floating point math and the 14.2% win in integer math further solidify Intel's position in number-crunching tasks. The 7.3% win in Passmark multithread and the 14.2% win in single-thread show consistent superiority in general-purpose throughput.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the Intel Core i9-14901E is the stronger choice for users who prioritize raw compute performance across a wide array of standard benchmarks. Its wins in Cinebench R23, Passmark physics, floating point math, and integer math demonstrate a versatile high-performance profile. The 65 watt TDP and desktop market segment position it as a processor for systems where power consumption is less of a constraint.

The AMD Ryzen 7 260 is the better option for workloads that specifically benefit from its architectural strengths. The 53.9% lead in extended instructions and the 21.7% lead in data compression are substantial margins that could translate into real-world advantages for applications leveraging those features. Its 45 watt TDP and mobile market segment suggest a design optimized for efficiency, and the Radeon 780M integrated graphics offer a different feature set compared to Intel's UHD Graphics 770.

The average benchmark score of 43717 for the AMD part, compared to 37911 for the Intel part, places the Ryzen 7 260 at a higher percentile overall. This is notable given that Intel wins the majority of individual head-to-head tests. The data implies that the AMD part's wins are in tests that carry more weight in the average score calculation, or that its performance profile is more balanced across the full suite of recorded benchmarks.