AMD Ryzen 7 7735U vs Intel Core i9-13900H Comparison

The Intel Core i9-13900H and AMD Ryzen 7 7735U are both mobile processors aimed at different segments of the laptop market. The Intel chip is a high-performance part with a 45 W thermal design power, while the AMD chip is a more efficient 28 W part. The benchmark data in the database shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the implications for real-world usage are worth examining closely.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark results are unambiguous: the Intel Core i9-13900H wins all 15 recorded comparisons against the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U. There are no wins for the AMD part in any of the shared tests. The magnitude of the Intel advantage varies substantially across different workloads, which reveals a pattern worth investigating.

The largest single delta appears in the PassMark find prime numbers test. The Intel chip scores 104, while the AMD chip scores 57, resulting in an 82.5% advantage for Intel. This test is highly sensitive to integer throughput and cache behavior, and the gap here is dramatic. Similarly, the PassMark physics test shows a 75.2% lead for Intel, with scores of 1745 versus 996. Physics calculations often rely on heavy floating-point and multi-threaded execution, and the Intel part's larger core count appears to dominate.

Cinebench R23 multicore shows a 73.2% lead for Intel, scoring 17471 against AMD's 10085. That is a massive margin in a widely used rendering benchmark. Cinebench R15 multicore shows a 57% lead, with Intel at 2666.5 and AMD at 1698. The floating-point math test in PassMark also shows a 62% advantage for Intel, 69611 versus 42966. These results consistently indicate that the Intel chip is far stronger in multi-threaded, compute-heavy workloads.

The single-core results are closer but still favor Intel clearly. Cinebench R23 single-core shows a 31.8% lead, with Intel at 1964.5 and AMD at 1490. Cinebench R15 single-core shows a 19.2% lead, 279 versus 234. PassMark single-thread shows a 16% lead, 3754 versus 3236. These are not trivial gaps; they suggest the Intel architecture has a meaningful per-thread performance advantage, not just more cores.

Memory-sensitive workloads also favor Intel. PassMark data compression shows a 30.3% lead, 326425 versus 250457. Random string sorting shows a 35.2% lead, 35637 versus 26365. Data encryption shows a 19.9% lead, 18974 versus 15825. Extended instructions show an 18.2% lead, 19330 versus 16349. Integer math shows a 22.1% lead, 97159 versus 79580. PassMark multithread shows a 33.5% lead, 27673 versus 20723.

The smallest lead for Intel is in the PassMark single-thread and singlethread tests, both at 16%. Even in the most favorable case for AMD, the Intel chip still outperforms it by double digits. The data does not show a single test where the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U comes out ahead. The average benchmark score for the Intel chip is 28886, while the AMD chip averages 28350. That difference is modest in absolute terms, but the head-to-head deltas are consistently larger in specific workloads.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the Intel Core i9-13900H in multi-core rendering?

A: In Cinebench R23 multicore, the Intel chip scores 17471, which is 73.2% higher than the AMD chip's 10085. The R15 multicore test shows a 57% lead, with Intel at 2666.5 versus AMD's 1698.

Q: Is the Intel chip also faster in single-core tests?

A: Yes, the Intel chip leads in every single-core test recorded. Cinebench R23 single-core shows a 31.8% advantage (1964.5 versus 1490), and PassMark single-thread shows a 16% lead (3754 versus 3236).

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two chips?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark find prime numbers, where Intel scores 104 and AMD scores 57, an 82.5% difference. The PassMark physics test is close behind at 75.2% (1745 versus 996).

Q: Does the AMD chip win any benchmark comparisons?

A: No, the database records zero wins for the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U in the head-to-head comparisons. Intel wins all 15 shared tests.

Q: How do the average scores compare?

A: The Intel Core i9-13900H has an average benchmark score of 28886, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U has an average score of 28350. Both chips sit near the 80th percentile of all CPUs, with Intel at 81 and AMD at 80.

Q: Are there any workloads where the two chips are close?

A: The closest results are in PassMark single-thread tests, where the Intel lead narrows to 16%. Data encryption and extended instructions also show smaller gaps of 19.9% and 18.2% respectively, but Intel still leads by a clear margin.

The Verdict

The data strongly favors the Intel Core i9-13900H for users who prioritize raw performance. Every benchmark in the comparison shows Intel ahead, with leads ranging from 16% to over 80%. The Cinebench R23 multicore result of 17471 versus 10085 means the Intel chip completes rendering tasks in roughly 57% of the time the AMD chip would take, assuming linear scaling. The single-core advantage of 31.8% in R23 also makes the Intel chip more responsive in lightly threaded applications.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7735U, however, is not without merit. Its average benchmark score of 28350 is only 536 points lower than the Intel chip's 28886, a difference of about 1.9%. The AMD chip operates at a 28 W TDP, which is significantly lower than the Intel chip's 45 W TDP. In thermally constrained laptop chassis, the AMD chip may sustain its performance more consistently, though the database does not include sustained load tests to confirm this. The AMD chip also supports ECC memory, which the Intel chip does not, and it offers more PCIe lanes (20 versus 8) at Gen 4 speeds, while Intel provides Gen 5 but with fewer lanes.

For a user who needs maximum compute throughput and does not care about power draw, the Intel Core i9-13900H is the clear choice based on the recorded scores. For a user who values efficiency, ECC support, or a larger number of PCIe lanes, the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U presents a viable alternative, but the performance gap in the benchmarks is substantial and unavoidable.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several fundamental specifications. The Intel Core i9-13900H has 14 cores and 20 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U has 8 cores and 16 threads. The Intel base clock is 2.60 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, whereas the AMD base clock is 2.70 GHz with a boost of 4.75 GHz. The Intel chip has a TDP of 45 W, and the AMD chip has a TDP of 28 W.

The sockets are different: Intel uses BGA 1744, and AMD uses Socket FP7. The Intel chip supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, while the AMD chip supports only DDR5. The AMD chip has a listed memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s, while the Intel chip does not have a memory bandwidth figure in the database. The AMD chip supports ECC memory, while the Intel chip does not.

PCIe configurations differ notably. The Intel chip provides Gen 5 with 8 lanes, while the AMD chip provides Gen 4 with 20 lanes. The integrated graphics also differ: Intel uses Iris Xe Graphics with 96 execution units, and AMD uses Radeon 680M. The launch MSRP for the Intel chip is $617, while the AMD chip has no recorded launch MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is significant. The Intel Core i9-13900H is built on Raptor Lake, using the Raptor Lake-H codename, and is fabricated on a 10 nm process at Intel's foundry. The die size is 257 mm². The AMD Ryzen 7 7735U uses Zen 3+ architecture with the Rembrandt-R codename, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 208 mm².

Cache hierarchies differ substantially. The Intel chip has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD chip has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel chip's larger cache per core and bigger total L3 allocation likely contribute to its advantage in memory-sensitive workloads like data compression and random string sorting.

The Intel chip uses a hybrid architecture with performance and efficiency cores, which is characteristic of Raptor Lake, though the database does not break down the specific core types. The AMD chip uses a homogeneous set of Zen 3+ cores. The Intel chip also has a different integrated graphics solution, with 96 execution units in the Iris Xe Graphics, while the AMD chip uses the Radeon 680M, which is based on the RDNA 2 architecture, though the database does not specify the number of compute units.

The AMD chip's 6 nm process from TSMC likely provides better power efficiency per transistor compared to Intel's 10 nm process, which may explain the lower TDP of 28 W. The Intel chip compensates with a higher boost clock of 5.40 GHz versus 4.75 GHz, and more cores, but at the cost of higher power draw.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i9-13900H wins in every benchmark category recorded in the head-to-head comparison. The largest wins are in compute-heavy, multi-threaded workloads: find prime numbers (82.5% lead), physics (75.2% lead), Cinebench R23 multicore (73.2% lead), and floating-point math (62% lead). These results indicate that the Intel chip is the better choice for rendering, scientific computing, video encoding, and any task that scales across many threads.

The Intel chip also wins decisively in memory-intensive tasks like data compression (30.3% lead) and random string sorting (35.2% lead). The larger L3 cache of 24 MB versus 16 MB likely plays a role here. For integer math, the Intel lead is 22.1%, and for multithread performance, it is 33.5%. The Intel chip also wins in data encryption by 19.9% and extended instructions by 18.2%.

Single-core workloads show the smallest Intel advantage, but it is still consistent. Cinebench R23 single-core shows a 31.8% lead, R15 single-core shows 19.2%, and PassMark single-thread shows 16%. This means the Intel chip is also the better choice for everyday responsiveness, application launching, and lightly threaded tasks, though the margin is smaller.

The AMD Ryzen 7 7735U does not win any benchmark category in the database. Its advantages are not measured in the head-to-head tests. The AMD chip does have a lower TDP of 28 W, which suggests it could be more suitable for fanless or ultra-thin designs, though the database does not include thermal or power efficiency benchmarks. The AMD chip also supports ECC memory and provides 20 PCIe lanes at Gen 4, compared to Intel's 8 lanes at Gen 5. For users who need ECC for workstation reliability or more PCIe lanes for multiple NVMe drives or discrete GPUs, the AMD chip may be the better fit, but the performance data shows a clear and consistent Intel advantage across all measured workloads.