AMD Ryzen 7 8840U vs Intel Core 3 100HL Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 7 8840U and Intel Core 3 100HL are both 8-core processors that land in the same performance percentile, but they achieve that status through very different strengths. The AMD chip wins 11 of 15 head-to-head benchmarks, dominating in almost every multithreaded and specialized workload, while the Intel part takes 4 wins, all in single-threaded or lightly-threaded tasks. The data points to the 8840U as the more versatile processor, with the 100HL offering a specific niche in single-core responsiveness.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 7 8840U is the clear winner in heavily threaded and compute-intensive workloads. Its largest victory comes in PassMark's extended instructions test, where it scores 18,654 against Intel's 12,463, a delta of 49.7%. This pattern repeats across integer math (85,740 vs 56,308, a 52.3% lead) and prime number finding (78 vs 48, a 62.5% lead). The 8840U also takes data compression (267,525 vs 202,225, +32.3%), data encryption (16,072 vs 11,964, +34.3%), floating point math (48,820 vs 42,108, +15.9%), and random string sorting (32,158 vs 23,223, +38.5%). Its PassMark multithread score of 23,346 is 32.8% higher than the Intel's 17,586.

The Intel Core 3 100HL wins in single-threaded performance. It takes the PassMark single-thread test with 3,735 against AMD's 3,543, a 5.1% margin. More decisively, it wins Cinebench R23 single-core with 2,110 versus 1,703, a 19.3% gap, and Cinebench R23 multi-core with 14,948 versus 12,972, a 13.2% lead. The Intel chip also wins Cinebench R20 single-core (886 vs not run on AMD) and multi-core (6,278 vs not run), though the shared tests show the R23 results are the more meaningful comparison.

The workload split is stark. The 8840U excels at throughput, encryption, compression, and math-heavy tasks. The 100HL excels at lightly-threaded applications that favor raw single-core speed, and it also manages to win Cinebench R23 multi-core despite its lower thread count (12 vs 16), suggesting better scaling in that specific renderer.

The Verdict

Choose the AMD Ryzen 7 8840U for almost everything. It wins 11 of 15 benchmarks, including all PassMark multithreaded tests, all specialized instruction tests, and both Cinebench R15 tests. Its average benchmark score of 23,982 is 1.9% higher than the Intel's 23,545, and both CPUs sit at the 76th percentile versus all CPUs. The 8840U's nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 8600G (24,089 avg, -0.4% delta), while the 100HL's nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 8540U (23,709 avg, -0.7% delta). The data shows the 8840U is the better all-rounder.

Pick the Intel Core 3 100HL only if single-threaded performance is your absolute priority. Its 19.3% lead in Cinebench R23 single-core and 5.1% lead in PassMark single-thread are significant. It also wins Cinebench R23 multi-core by 13.2%, which is surprising given its 12 threads versus 16, but this is an outlier compared to its losses elsewhere. The 100HL also has a higher TDP of 45W versus 28W, and it's a desktop segment part, while the 8840U is mobile. For general productivity, content creation, or any workload that uses multiple cores, the 8840U is the data-backed choice.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The biggest AMD victory is in PassMark extended instructions, where the 8840U scores 18,654 to Intel's 12,463, a 49.7% advantage. This test measures SIMD and specialized instruction throughput, where AMD's Zen 4 architecture shows clear dominance. The next largest margins are in integer math (52.3% lead, 85,740 vs 56,308) and prime number finding (62.5% lead, 78 vs 48), both indicating superior ALU efficiency.

In Cinebench R15, the AMD chip wins multi-core with 2,024 versus 1,506 (34.4% lead) and single-core with 266 versus 212 (25.5% lead). These are older benchmarks, but they reinforce the pattern of AMD dominance in that renderer version. The PassMark multithread result shows a 32.8% lead (23,346 vs 17,586), and data encryption shows a 34.3% lead (16,072 vs 11,964), confirming the 8840U's throughput advantage across diverse workloads.

The Intel wins are concentrated in Cinebench R23. The 100HL scores 14,948 multi-core versus 12,972 (13.2% lead) and 2,110 single-core versus 1,703 (19.3% lead). These are significant margins, especially single-core, where the Intel part's 4.60 GHz boost clock and Raptor Lake architecture deliver higher per-thread performance than AMD's 5.10 GHz boost clock suggests. The PassMark single-thread win is narrow at 5.1% (3,735 vs 3,543), showing that in some single-threaded tests the two are close, but Cinebench R23 clearly favors Intel.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 8840U has an average benchmark score of 23,982, which is 1.9% higher than the Intel Core 3 100HL's 23,545.

Q: How many threads does each processor have?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 8840U has 16 threads, while the Intel Core 3 100HL has 12 threads. Both have 8 cores.

Q: Which processor is better for data encryption?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 8840U scores 16,072 in PassMark data encryption, which is 34.3% higher than the Intel Core 3 100HL's 11,964.

Q: Does the Intel chip win any multithreaded benchmark?

A: Yes, the Intel Core 3 100HL wins Cinebench R23 multi-core with 14,948 against AMD's 12,972, a 13.2% lead. It also wins Cinebench R20 multi-core with 6,278, though AMD has no R20 result in this data.

Q: What is the difference in single-thread performance?

A: The Intel Core 3 100HL leads in PassMark single-thread (3,735 vs 3,543, +5.1%) and Cinebench R23 single-core (2,110 vs 1,703, +19.3%). The AMD chip leads in Cinebench R15 single-core (266 vs 212, +25.5%).

Q: Which processor has more L3 cache?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 8840U has 16 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Intel Core 3 100HL has 12 MB of shared L3 cache.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 7 8840U uses the Zen 4 architecture on a 4 nm process from TSMC, codenamed Hawk Point. It belongs to the 8000 series and is built for the mobile segment with a 28W TDP. The Intel Core 3 100HL uses Raptor Lake architecture on a 10 nm process from Intel, codenamed Raptor Lake-PS, and is a desktop segment part with a 45W TDP. The process node difference is substantial, with AMD's 4 nm TSMC process enabling higher transistor density. The AMD chip has 25,000 million transistors on a 178 mm² die, while Intel's transistor count and die size are not listed.

Cache configurations differ per core. The AMD chip has 64 KB L1 and 1 MB L2 per core, with 16 MB shared L3. The Intel chip has 80 KB L1 and 2 MB L2 per core, with 12 MB shared L3. The larger per-core L1 and L2 on Intel may contribute to its single-thread strengths, while AMD's larger shared L3 helps with multithreaded workloads. Both support DDR5 memory, but Intel also supports DDR4. AMD's memory bandwidth is listed at 89.6 GB/s, while Intel's is not provided.

PCIe lanes differ significantly: AMD offers Gen 4 with 20 lanes (CPU only), while Intel offers Gen 4 with 8 lanes (CPU only). This gives AMD more expansion headroom for GPUs or NVMe drives. The integrated graphics also differ, with AMD using Radeon 780M and Intel using Iris Xe Graphics 48EU. Both have locked multipliers, and neither supports ECC memory. AMD's release date is 2023-12-05, while Intel's is 2024-04-07.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts are the same at 8 cores, but AMD has 16 threads versus Intel's 12. Base clocks differ significantly: AMD runs at 3.30 GHz, Intel at 2.10 GHz. Boost clocks also differ, with AMD at 5.10 GHz and Intel at 4.60 GHz. TDP is a major differentiator: AMD is 28W, Intel is 45W. The sockets are different, with AMD using AMD Socket FP8 and Intel using Intel Socket 1700.

Process node and foundry differ as noted: AMD uses 4 nm TSMC, Intel uses 10 nm Intel. The transistor count and die size are listed only for AMD (25,000 million, 178 mm²), not for Intel. Memory support differs: AMD supports only DDR5, Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5. Memory bandwidth is listed only for AMD at 89.6 GB/s. PCIe lanes differ (20 vs 8), and integrated graphics differ (Radeon 780M vs Iris Xe Graphics 48EU). Market segment differs: AMD is Mobile, Intel is Desktop. Release dates differ by about 4 months, with AMD launching December 5, 2023, and Intel on April 7, 2024. Neither has a listed launch MSRP.