AMD Ryzen 7 6800H vs Intel Core i7-11700KF Comparison

The Intel Core i7-11700KF and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H occupy an unusual position in the database: two eight-core, sixteen-thread processors that land in the same overall performance band despite coming from opposite ends of the power and mobility spectrum. The i7-11700KF is an end-of-life desktop Rocket Lake part with a 125 W TDP and a 5.00 GHz boost clock, while the Ryzen 7 6800H is an active mobile Rembrandt chip running at 45 W. The head-to-head record shows 19 wins for the Intel chip and 4 for the AMD chip, yet their percentile placement against all CPUs is identical at 77, and their average benchmark scores are separated by a hair: 25423 versus 25201. That tension, a lopsided win column next to a near-identical aggregate, is what makes this pairing worth investigating.

Where Each One Wins

The data splits cleanly by workload type. The Intel Core i7-11700KF dominates anything that rewards clock speed and sustained all-core throughput. It wins every 3DMark CPU profile: single-thread (978 versus 872, 12.2 percent ahead), 4 threads (3645 versus 3214, 13.4 percent), 8 threads (6294 versus 5392, 16.7 percent), and max threads (8049 versus 6532, 23.2 percent). Cinebench R23 is the starkest example: 20214 versus 13094 in multi-core, a 54.4 percent gap, and 2853 versus 1542 in single-core, an 85 percent blowout. Geekbench, Passmark integer-heavy tests, string sorting, compression, floating point math, and prime finding all go Intel's way as well.

The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H has four wins, and they are not random noise; they cluster in specific domains. It takes Cinebench R15 multi-core with 2136 against 2037, a 4.6 percent edge. It wins Passmark data encryption outright, 18260 versus 15229, a 16.6 percent lead, which suggests a genuine strength in cryptographic workloads rather than measurement luck. It also edges the physics test, 1046 versus 985, and posts the higher integer math score, 85397 versus 85377, though the recorded delta for that last one is zero, effectively a tie. So the Ryzen 7 6800H is the pick where encryption throughput or physics simulation matters most, while the i7-11700KF is the default for rendering, general single-threaded applications, and heavy multi-threaded loads.

Architecture Differences

These chips could hardly be more different under the hood despite matching core and thread counts. The i7-11700KF uses Intel's Rocket Lake architecture on a 14 nm process from Intel's own foundries, with a 276 mm² die. The Ryzen 7 6800H uses AMD's Zen 3+ architecture, codename Rembrandt, built on TSMC's 6 nm node with a smaller 208 mm² die. That node advantage is the obvious explanation for the power disparity: AMD fits comparable aggregate performance into a 45 W envelope, while Intel needs a 125 W TDP to deliver its larger margins.

Clock behavior differs accordingly. The Intel part runs a 3.60 GHz base and a 5.00 GHz boost; the AMD part runs 3.20 GHz base and 4.70 GHz boost. Cache configurations are nearly identical at the L2 and L3 levels, 512 KB per core of L2 and 16 MB of shared L3 on both, but L1 differs: 80 KB per core on Intel versus 64 KB per core on AMD.

Memory support is a generational split. The i7-11700KF supports DDR4 on a dual-channel bus with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The 6800H supports DDR5, also dual-channel, with 76.8 GB/s of bandwidth, half again as much. Whether that bandwidth advantage explains the encryption win is a fair question the data invites but cannot fully answer. Both offer PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes. The Intel chip has no integrated graphics listed, consistent with its KF suffix; the AMD chip includes Radeon 680M integrated graphics, a meaningful feature for a mobile part. The Intel chip has an unlocked multiplier; the AMD chip does not. And their market segments differ fundamentally: desktop on Socket 1200, now end-of-life, versus mobile on Socket FP7, still active.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: The Intel Core i7-11700KF. It wins 19 of 23 head-to-head benchmarks, including every 3DMark and Cinebench R23 test, and posts the higher average benchmark score, 25423 versus 25201. Both sit at the 77th percentile against all CPUs in the database.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 6800H win anything?

A: Yes, four tests: Cinebench R15 multi-core (2136 versus 2037), Passmark data encryption (18260 versus 15229, a 16.6 percent lead), Passmark physics (1046 versus 985), and Passmark integer math (85397 versus 85377, effectively a tie at zero percent delta).

Q: How large is the single-core gap?

A: It ranges from 4.9 percent in Passmark single-thread (3368 versus 3212) to 85 percent in Cinebench R23 single-core (2853 versus 1542), with Geekbench showing 10.1 percent (1938 versus 1761). The spread across suites is wide enough that real-world single-threaded performance depends heavily on which application you run.

Q: Do they support the same memory?

A: No. The i7-11700KF supports DDR4 with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth; the Ryzen 7 6800H supports DDR5 with 76.8 GB/s. Both are dual-channel and neither supports ECC.

Q: Can either chip be overclocked?

A: Only the Intel chip. The i7-11700KF has an unlocked multiplier; the Ryzen 7 6800H does not.

Q: Which is more power efficient?

A: The recorded data shows the AMD chip delivers its performance at a 45 W TDP versus 125 W for the Intel chip, a substantially lower rated envelope for broadly comparable aggregate output.

Specification Differences

Only the fields where the two differ:

• Base clock: 3.60 GHz (Intel) versus 3.20 GHz (AMD)
• Boost clock: 5.00 GHz (Intel) versus 4.70 GHz (AMD)
• TDP: 125 W (Intel) versus 45 W (AMD)
• Socket: Intel Socket 1200 versus AMD Socket FP7
• Architecture: Rocket Lake versus Zen 3+ (Rembrandt)
• Process node: 14 nm at Intel versus 6 nm at TSMC
• Die size: 276 mm² versus 208 mm²
• L1 cache: 80 KB per core versus 64 KB per core
• Memory: DDR4 at 51.2 GB/s versus DDR5 at 76.8 GB/s
• Integrated graphics: none listed versus Radeon 680M
• Market segment: Desktop versus Mobile
• Production status: End-of-life versus Active
• Multiplier: unlocked versus locked
• Release date: the Intel chip launched on 2021-03-15; no release date is recorded for the AMD part
• Launch MSRP: $374 for the Intel chip; none recorded for the AMD part

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Start with the biggest number in the table: Cinebench R23 single-core, where the i7-11700KF scores 2853 against 1542, an 85 percent lead. That is the single largest gap recorded, and it is not an isolated artifact, since the R23 multi-core result is also a 54.4 percent Intel win, 20214 to 13094. Cinebench R15 tells a more nuanced story, with Intel ahead 18.4 percent in single-core (287 versus 242.5) but AMD actually winning multi-core by 4.6 percent (2136 versus 2037). A questioning read: the older suite's shorter runtime appears to flatter the mobile part, while the longer R23 run rewards the desktop chip's sustained power budget.

The 3DMark scaling is instructive. Intel's lead grows steadily with thread count, from 12.2 percent at one thread to 12.6 percent at two, 13.4 percent at four, 16.7 percent at eight, and 23.2 percent at maximum threads. The pattern implies the AMD part threads off its boost more aggressively as load increases, a plausible consequence of its tighter thermal envelope.

AMD's counterpunch comes in encryption, where 18260 versus 15229 is a 16.6 percent win, and physics, where 1046 versus 985 is a 5.8 percent edge. Integer math is a dead heat at 85397 versus 85377. Everything else, Geekbench multi (9.6 percent), compression (8.1 percent), string sorting (18.4 percent), extended instructions (10.6 percent), floating point (5.4 percent), Passmark multithread (3.3 percent), favors Intel by margins ranging from modest to large.

The Verdict

The data points in one direction for raw performance and another for platform pragmatics. For a rendering box, a high-refresh gaming rig paired with a discrete GPU, or any workload that leans on single-thread speed or sustained all-core output, the i7-11700KF is clearly the stronger performer: 19 wins, an 85 percent peak single-core lead in Cinebench R23, and the higher average score. Its unlocked multiplier adds headroom, and its launch MSRP of $374 is recorded once here for reference. The caveat is its status: it is end-of-life, has no listed integrated graphics, and carries a 125 W TDP.

The Ryzen 7 6800H makes its case on a completely different axis. It sits in the same 77th percentile and within 222 points on average score while doing so at 45 W, on a modern 6 nm node, with DDR5 bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s, Radeon 680M graphics, and an active production status. It also wins the encryption test outright. The database verdict: choose the Intel chip when plugged-in throughput is the only question; choose the AMD chip when that throughput must arrive in a power-constrained, graphics-capable mobile platform.