AMD Ryzen 7 5800H vs Intel Core i5-12500H Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H and Intel Core i5-12500H are both 45-watt mobile processors aimed at high-performance laptops, but the benchmark data reveals two very distinct personalities. The Ryzen 7 5800H, built on AMD's Zen 3 architecture, excels in specific computational workloads like integer math, encryption, and data compression. The Core i5-12500H, using Intel's hybrid Alder Lake design, counters with dominant single-thread performance, a massive lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and superior floating-point throughput. The database shows a nearly even split in benchmark wins, with the Intel chip taking 11 tests and the AMD chip taking 10, but the margins in those wins are wildly different, painting a clear picture of which processor suits which type of workload.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-12500H is the clear choice for single-threaded and lightly-threaded tasks. It wins the 3DMark single-thread test by 11.4%, the Cinebench R15 single-core test by 18.8%, and the Cinebench R23 single-core test by a staggering 49.4%. This translates directly to snappier everyday responsiveness, faster application launches, and better performance in software that relies on a few fast cores. The Intel chip also takes the PassMark physics test with an 18.5% lead, a metric often correlated with gaming physics calculations, and the PassMark single-thread test by 11.6%. For users whose primary workloads are office productivity, web browsing, and legacy single-threaded applications, the i5-12500H holds a definitive advantage.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, conversely, is a specialist in heavily threaded and specific mathematical workloads. Its most striking win is in the 3DMark 8-thread test, where it beats the Intel chip by 16.2%. This suggests that AMD's eight full Zen 3 cores are more efficient than Intel's hybrid configuration when all cores are engaged at that specific thread count. The Ryzen also wins the PassMark extended instructions test by 21.6%, the PassMark data encryption test by 15%, and the PassMark integer math test by 12.7%. For tasks like code compilation, virtualization, and encryption-heavy workloads, the Ryzen 7 5800H demonstrates a measurable performance edge. The PassMark multithread test is nearly a tie, with AMD winning by just 0.8%, indicating that overall multi-threaded performance is competitive, but the specific nature of the work can shift the balance.

Architecture Differences

The two processors represent fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H is a monolithic 8-core, 16-thread chip built on TSMC's 7 nm process node. Its architecture is Zen 3, under the codename Cezanne, and it features a base clock of 3.20 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The chip has a die size of 180 mm² and packs 10,700 million transistors. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 16 MB of L3 cache. It supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a memory bandwidth of 68.3 GB/s, and it uses PCIe Gen 3. The integrated graphics are Radeon Vega 8.

The Intel Core i5-12500H is a hybrid 12-core, 16-thread processor built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its architecture is Alder Lake, under the codename Alder Lake-H. The chip has a larger die size of 217 mm² and a base clock of 2.50 GHz with a higher boost clock of 4.50 GHz. The cache design is different, with 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a larger shared 18 MB of L3 cache. The Intel chip supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, a significant generational advantage. It also features PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes for the CPU, and its integrated graphics are Iris Xe with 80 execution units. The hybrid design, combining performance and efficiency cores, is the key architectural difference that drives its strong single-thread and floating-point results.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic divergence in the data appears in Cinebench R23. The Intel Core i5-12500H scores 19,840 in the multi-core test, a 39.1% lead over the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H's score of 12,091.5. This is a massive gap that suggests the Intel chip is far better suited for sustained heavy multi-threaded rendering workloads. In the single-core test, the Intel chip scores 2,801 versus AMD's 1,416, a 49.4% advantage, cementing its dominance in single-threaded performance. These two results alone define the overall performance hierarchy.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H counters in other areas. In the 3DMark 16-thread test, AMD scores 6,143 against Intel's 5,954, a 3.2% win. In the 3DMark 8-thread test, the gap widens to 16.2% in AMD's favor, with scores of 5,105 versus 4,394. The PassMark suite shows AMD's strengths: data compression at 270,608 versus 253,431 (6.8% lead), data encryption at 16,962 versus 14,749 (15% lead), and extended instructions at 18,203 versus 14,965 (21.6% lead). AMD also wins the integer math test with 80,786 versus 71,714 (12.7% lead) and the multithread test with 20,789 versus 20,625 (0.8% lead).

Intel, however, wins the floating-point math test decisively, scoring 52,227 versus AMD's 44,479, a 14.8% lead. Intel also wins the PassMark find prime numbers test with 57 versus 49 (14% lead), the physics test with 1,018 versus 830 (18.5% lead), and the random string sorting test is nearly a tie, with AMD winning by just 0.2% (28,144 versus 28,099). In the Cinebench R15 tests, the results are close: AMD wins multi-core by a slim 0.3% (2,005 versus 1,999), while Intel wins single-core by 18.8% (282 versus 229).

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in single-threaded tasks?

A: The Intel Core i5-12500H is significantly faster. It wins the Cinebench R23 single-core test with a 49.4% lead (2,801 versus 1,416) and the 3DMark single-thread test with an 11.4% lead (924 versus 819).

Q: Which processor is better for multi-threaded rendering?

A: The Intel Core i5-12500H has a substantial advantage in Cinebench R23 multi-core, scoring 19,840 versus AMD's 12,091.5, a 39.1% lead. However, the PassMark multithread test is nearly a tie, with AMD winning by just 0.8%.

Q: How do their core counts compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H has 8 cores and 16 threads. The Intel Core i5-12500H has 12 cores and 16 threads, using its hybrid architecture of performance and efficiency cores.

Q: Which processor has better memory support?

A: The Intel Core i5-12500H supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, while the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H supports only DDR4. Both use a dual-channel memory bus.

Q: Which chip has the higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i5-12500H has a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, which is higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H's boost clock of 4.40 GHz.

Q: What are the key differences in integrated graphics?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H uses Radeon Vega 8 graphics, while the Intel Core i5-12500H uses Iris Xe with 80 execution units.

The Verdict

The data directs users to different processors based on their primary tasks. The Intel Core i5-12500H is the superior processor for general productivity, single-threaded applications, and heavy multi-threaded rendering, as evidenced by its massive Cinebench R23 multi-core lead of 39.1% and its 49.4% win in the single-core test. Its dominance in floating-point math (14.8% lead) and physics (18.5% lead) also makes it the stronger candidate for gaming laptops, despite the absence of a dedicated GPU in the comparison. The support for both DDR4 and DDR5 adds future-proofing flexibility.

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800H is the specialist for specific computational tasks. Its wins in data encryption (15% lead), extended instructions (21.6% lead), and integer math (12.7% lead) make it a compelling choice for security-focused workloads, cryptography, and integer-heavy code. The 16.2% lead in the 3DMark 8-thread test also suggests it handles moderate thread counts with greater efficiency. For users whose workloads involve heavy integer math, data compression, or encryption, the Ryzen 7 5800H offers a clear performance advantage.

Both processors sit at the 76th percentile of all CPUs in the database, and their average benchmark scores are close, 23,277 for AMD versus 22,625 for Intel. However, the distribution of those scores is what matters. The Intel chip has a wider lead in the tests it wins, particularly in Cinebench R23, which is a standard for render performance. The AMD chip wins more narrowly but in a broader set of mathematical workloads. The choice is not about which chip is generally faster, but which set of strengths aligns with the user's specific software demands. For a balanced laptop that excels at rendering and everyday speed, the Core i5-12500H is the data-backed pick. For workloads centered on encryption, integer math, and specific instruction sets, the Ryzen 7 5800H is the stronger option.