AMD Ryzen 7 7735H vs Intel Core i9-12900T Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 7 7735H and Intel Core i9-12900T are both 35-watt processors that land within 0.1% of each other in average benchmark score, yet their performance profiles could hardly be more different. The Ryzen 7 7735H, a mobile chip built on TSMC’s 6 nm process, posts an average score of 37161, while the Intel Core i9-12900T, a desktop part on Intel’s 10 nm node, averages 37112. Despite this near-identical overall standing, the head-to-head results show a clear pattern: the i9-12900T dominates in nearly every test, with the Ryzen 7 7735H winning only a single benchmark. The following analysis breaks down where each chip excels, what the underlying architectures reveal, and which processor suits which workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Intel Core i9-12900T wins 14 of the 15 head-to-head comparisons, and the margins are often substantial. The largest gap appears in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the i9-12900T scores 24528 against the Ryzen 7 7735H’s 10920, a 55.5% advantage. Single-core performance tells a similar story in Cinebench R23, with Intel at 3462 versus AMD’s 1536, a 55.6% deficit. These are not subtle differences; the Intel part is delivering roughly double the multi-threaded render score.

The Cinebench R15 results reinforce the trend, though with smaller margins. The i9-12900T posts 2472 in multi-core versus 1825 for the Ryzen 7 7735H, a 26.2% lead, and 348 versus 246 in single-core, a 29.3% gap. Moving to PassMark’s integer math, Intel wins 108211 to 86788, a 19.8% edge, while floating-point math shows a 35% advantage for Intel, 75741 to 49260. The physics test is another decisive win for Intel, 1811 versus 1056, a 41.7% margin.

The i9-12900T also leads in data compression (345021 to 303502, a 12% gap) and data encryption (20750 to 18990, an 8.5% gap). Random string sorting favors Intel at 39771 versus 31676, a 20.4% difference, and the multithread PassMark score goes to Intel at 29601 against 23765, a 19.7% lead. Even in find prime numbers, Intel’s 116 dwarfs AMD’s 59, a 49.1% advantage. Single-thread PassMark scores show Intel at 3810 versus 3288, a 13.7% lead.

The single AMD victory comes in PassMark extended instructions, where the Ryzen 7 7735H scores 21214 against Intel’s 20054, a 5.8% margin. This is the only test where AMD comes out ahead, and it is a modest win compared to the scale of Intel’s other victories. The data is unambiguous: across rendering, math, physics, and encryption workloads, the i9-12900T is consistently faster, often by double-digit percentages.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i9-12900T is the clear winner for multi-threaded productivity. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24528 is more than double the Ryzen 7 7735H’s 10920, making it the obvious choice for video rendering, 3D modeling, or any workload that scales across cores. The 41.7% lead in PassMark physics and the 35% lead in floating-point math further cement its position for scientific computing and simulation tasks. Data-heavy operations also favor Intel: data compression and encryption are both faster on the i9-12900T, with 12% and 8.5% margins respectively.

For single-threaded responsiveness, the i9-12900T again takes the crown. A 13.7% lead in PassMark single-thread and a 55.6% lead in Cinebench R23 single-core mean everyday applications that rely on a few fast cores will feel snappier on the Intel chip. The 49.1% advantage in find prime numbers, a test sensitive to per-core efficiency, reinforces this pattern.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7735H’s only win is in extended instructions, where it beats the i9-12900T by 5.8%. This suggests AMD has a slight edge in workloads that leverage AVX or similar instruction sets, but the practical impact is limited given the narrow margin. For users running such specific code, the Ryzen part offers a small advantage, but for everything else in the benchmark suite, Intel is faster. The Ryzen 7 7735H is competitive in absolute terms—its average score of 37161 is nearly identical to Intel’s 37112—but its wins are too few and too small to recommend it on performance grounds alone.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen 7 7735H uses the Zen 3+ architecture, codenamed Rembrandt-R, built on TSMC’s 6 nm process with a die size of 208 mm². It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.75 GHz. The cache layout is 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3. Memory support is DDR5 only, running dual-channel with 76.8 GB/s of bandwidth, and ECC memory is supported.

The Intel Core i9-12900T uses the Alder Lake architecture, codenamed Alder Lake-S, built on Intel’s 10 nm process with a die size of 215 mm². It offers 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 1400.00 MHz (1.40 GHz) and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The cache hierarchy is larger: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. Memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5, dual-channel, though the memory bandwidth figure is not listed in the data. ECC memory is not supported.

The most striking architectural difference is core count. Intel’s 16 cores and 24 threads give it a 2x core advantage over AMD’s 8 cores and 16 threads, which directly explains its dominance in multi-threaded benchmarks. The larger L3 cache (30 MB versus 16 MB) also helps Intel in data-heavy workloads. Both chips run at a 35 W TDP, but the Intel part is a desktop processor on Socket 1700, while the AMD chip is mobile on Socket FP7. Intel’s PCIe is Gen 5 with 20 lanes, while AMD offers Gen 4 with 20 lanes. Integrated graphics differ as well: AMD uses the Radeon 680M, while Intel pairs with UHD Graphics 770.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7735H has an average benchmark score of 37161, while the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112. The difference is 0.1%, making them statistically tied in overall performance.

Q: How much faster is the Intel Core i9-12900T in Cinebench R23 multi-core?

A: The i9-12900T scores 24528 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which is 55.5% higher than the Ryzen 7 7735H’s 10920.

Q: Does the AMD Ryzen 7 7735H win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, the Ryzen 7 7735H wins in PassMark extended instructions, scoring 21214 versus the i9-12900T’s 20054, a 5.8% advantage. It loses the other 14 head-to-head tests.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7735H has 8 cores and 16 threads. The Intel Core i9-12900T has 16 cores and 24 threads.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7735H supports ECC memory. The Intel Core i9-12900T does not.

Q: What is the difference in process node?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7735H is built on a 6 nm process by TSMC. The Intel Core i9-12900T uses a 10 nm process from Intel.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every major specification. The AMD Ryzen 7 7735H has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Core i9-12900T offers 16 cores and 24 threads. Base clocks are 3.20 GHz for AMD and 1400.00 MHz (1.40 GHz) for Intel, though boost clocks are closer: 4.75 GHz for AMD and 4.90 GHz for Intel. The L1 cache is 64 KB per core on AMD versus 80 KB per core on Intel; L2 is 512 KB per core versus 1.25 MB per core; L3 is 16 MB shared versus 30 MB shared.

Memory support diverges: AMD uses only DDR5, while Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5. AMD lists a memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s; Intel does not provide a figure. ECC memory is available on AMD but not Intel. PCIe generations differ, with AMD at Gen 4 and Intel at Gen 5, both with 20 lanes. Integrated graphics are Radeon 680M on AMD and UHD Graphics 770 on Intel. The socket is AMD Socket FP7 versus Intel Socket 1700. The process node is 6 nm (TSMC) for AMD and 10 nm (Intel) for Intel. Die sizes are 208 mm² for AMD and 215 mm² for Intel. The Intel part is unlocked (multiplier unlocked true), while the AMD chip is locked. Finally, the Intel Core i9-12900T has a launch MSRP of $489; the AMD Ryzen 7 7735H has no launch MSRP listed.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for performance-sensitive buyers: the Intel Core i9-12900T is the faster processor in almost every measurable way. Its 55.5% lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 55.6% lead in single-core are decisive, and its advantages in integer math, floating-point math, physics, and data encryption make it the superior option for compute-heavy workloads. The only scenario where the Ryzen 7 7735H is preferable is if you specifically need its 5.8% edge in extended instructions, or if you require ECC memory support, which the Intel part lacks.

The Ryzen 7 7735H is not a weak chip—it matches the i9-12900T in average score and wins the extended instructions test—but its 8-core design simply cannot compete with Intel’s 16-core configuration in multi-threaded tasks. For mobile users who need a 35 W part with Radeon 680M graphics and DDR5 memory, the Ryzen 7 7735H is a reasonable choice. For desktop users who want the highest performance at a 35 W TDP, the i9-12900T is the winner, offering more cores, more cache, and faster clocks across the board. The verdict is unambiguous: the Intel Core i9-12900T is the better performer, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7735H is the better fit for ECC memory and specific instruction-set workloads.