AMD Ryzen 7 7730U vs Intel Core 5 120 Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data presents a clear split between these two processors. The Intel Core 5 120 is the stronger performer in the majority of tested workloads, winning 10 of the 15 head-to-head comparisons. Its most decisive victories come in rendering and physics simulations, where the Raptor Lake architecture demonstrates a substantial advantage. The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, while losing the overall count, wins 5 benchmarks and holds its own in specific data processing tasks, particularly encryption and integer math. For users prioritizing raw computational throughput in multi-threaded applications like Cinebench R23, the Intel part is the definitive choice, leading by 40.8% in that specific test. Conversely, the AMD chip shows notable strength in security-related workloads and data compression, making it a viable option for those specific tasks despite its lower overall average score. The database places the AMD part at the 78th percentile of all CPUs, slightly ahead of the Intel part's 77th percentile, indicating that despite the Intel chip winning more head-to-head matchups, the overall average benchmark scores are remarkably close, with only a 1% difference in their average scores (25625 vs 25362).

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core 5 120 dominates in compute-heavy, multi-threaded scenarios. The most striking example is in Cinebench R23 multicore, where it scores 18255 compared to the AMD's 10801.5, a 40.8% advantage. This pattern repeats in Cinebench R15 multicore, though the margin is much smaller at just 0.5% (1840 vs 1830). The Intel chip also excels in single-threaded performance, with a 43.6% lead in Cinebench R23 singlecore and a 10.8% lead in Cinebench R15 singlecore. In PassMark's physics test, the Intel part is 43.7% faster, and it also wins in floating point math by 15.3% and prime number finding by 41.6%. These results point to a processor well-suited for rendering, scientific computation, and any workload that scales with clock speed and core efficiency.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U, despite losing the overall count, secures victories in specific data-centric tasks. Its most significant win is in PassMark data encryption, where it scores 14258 against Intel's 11131, a 28.1% advantage. It also leads in integer math by 19.7% (72352 vs 60462) and in random string sorting by 10% (23651 vs 21499). Smaller wins come in data compression (2.5% ahead) and extended instructions (2.5% ahead). These results suggest the AMD processor is particularly efficient at handling cryptographic operations and structured data manipulation, likely benefiting from its architecture's specific instruction handling. For users whose primary workload involves encryption, compression, or database-style sorting, the AMD chip offers a measurable performance edge.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies and market segments. The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U is a mobile processor from the 7000 series, built on TSMC's 7 nm process with a 15 W TDP. It uses the Zen 3 architecture with the Barcelo-R codename and features 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 2000 MHz with a boost clock of 4500 MHz. The chip has a 16 MB shared L3 cache, with 64 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core. It supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and it includes ECC memory support. The integrated graphics are Radeon Graphics (Vega 8), and it uses AMD Socket FP6 with PCIe Gen 3 (16 lanes). The transistor count is listed at 10,700 million on a 180 mm² die.

The Intel Core 5 120 is a desktop processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a significantly higher 65 W TDP. It uses the Raptor Lake architecture with the Raptor Lake-R codename and features 6 cores and 12 threads. Its base clock is 2500 MHz with a boost clock of 4500 MHz. The cache hierarchy is different: 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, with an 18 MB shared L3 cache. Memory support is broader, accepting both DDR4 and DDR5 in a dual-channel configuration, though memory bandwidth is not recorded in the database. It does not support ECC memory. The integrated graphics are UHD Graphics 730, and it uses Intel Socket 1700 with PCIe Gen 5 (16 lanes). The die size is 163 mm², and the launch MSRP is $211. The AMD chip's smaller process node and lower TDP highlight its mobile efficiency focus, while the Intel chip's higher TDP and newer socket indicate a desktop performance orientation.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core rendering?

A: The Intel Core 5 120 is significantly faster. In Cinebench R23 multicore, it scores 18255 compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U's 10801.5, a 40.8% lead for the Intel chip.

Q: Does the AMD processor win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U wins 5 of the 15 head-to-head tests. Its most notable victories are in PassMark data encryption (28.1% faster), integer math (19.7% faster), and random string sorting (10% faster).

Q: How do their single-threaded performances compare?

A: The Intel Core 5 120 is clearly ahead in single-threaded workloads. It leads by 43.6% in Cinebench R23 singlecore and by 16.4% in PassMark single-thread tests, with scores of 2577 vs 1454.5 and 3595 vs 3004, respectively.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Core 5 120 has 6 cores and 12 threads. Despite having fewer cores, the Intel chip wins more benchmarks.

Q: What memory types does each processor support?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U supports DDR4 memory only, while the Intel Core 5 120 supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Both use a dual-channel memory bus.

Q: Which processor has a higher overall benchmark percentile?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U is at the 78th percentile of all CPUs, while the Intel Core 5 120 is at the 77th percentile. Their average benchmark scores are 25625 and 25362, respectively.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic difference emerges in Cinebench R23 multicore, where the Intel Core 5 120 achieves 18255 points, a massive 40.8% improvement over the AMD Ryzen 7 7730U's 10801.5. This result alone indicates that the Intel chip is in a different performance class for heavily threaded rendering workloads. The gap narrows considerably in the older Cinebench R15 multicore test, where Intel wins by only 0.5% (1840 vs 1830), suggesting that the performance scaling is not consistent across benchmark versions. In single-core tests, Intel maintains a strong lead: 43.6% in Cinebench R23 (2577 vs 1454.5) and 10.8% in Cinebench R15 (259 vs 231). The PassMark single-thread test confirms this trend with a 16.4% Intel advantage (3595 vs 3004).

The AMD Ryzen 7 7730U's strongest counterattack comes in PassMark data encryption, where it scores 14258, a 28.1% lead over Intel's 11131. This is the largest win for the AMD chip in any test. It also shows a significant 19.7% lead in integer math (72352 vs 60462) and a 10% lead in random string sorting (23651 vs 21499). In data compression, the AMD chip wins by a narrow 2.5% margin (225023 vs 219535), and in extended instructions, it wins by the same 2.5% (14619 vs 14264). These wins suggest that the AMD architecture handles specific data processing tasks more efficiently, even though it trails in raw compute throughput.

The Intel chip secures wins in several other PassMark subtests. In physics, it is 43.7% faster (1333 vs 751), and in prime number finding, it is 41.6% faster (77 vs 45). Floating point math goes to Intel by 15.3% (45383 vs 38460), and the overall PassMark multithread score favors Intel by a modest 3% (18597 vs 18037). The pattern is clear: Intel wins where the workload is compute-heavy and scales with clock speed and cache, while AMD wins where the workload involves data manipulation and encryption. The total score tally stands at 10 wins for Intel and 5 for AMD, reflecting the Intel chip's broader performance appeal despite the AMD chip's specialized strengths. The overall average benchmark scores are close, with AMD at 25625 and Intel at 25362, a difference of just 1%, which highlights how the distribution of wins matters more than the average when choosing between these two for a specific use case.