AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS vs Intel Core i5-12600H Comparison

The benchmark data presents a clear split: the Intel Core i5-12600H dominates in rendering and single-threaded workloads, while the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS counters with decisive wins in several PassMark productivity and encryption tests. The Intel part claims 11 of 17 head-to-head benchmarks, but the AMD chip’s victories are often larger in magnitude, creating a nuanced choice that depends heavily on the target application.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking pattern is Intel’s near-sweep of the Cinebench suite. Across all six Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 tests—both multi-core and single-core—the Core i5-12600H wins consistently with deltas between 5.6% and 5.8%. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Intel scores 20072 against AMD’s 18980, a 5.8% margin. Single-core R23 shows the same story: 2833 versus 2679, a 5.7% lead. This consistency suggests a fundamental architectural advantage in bursty, short-duration workloads, not just a single optimized test. The R15 multi-core result (2023 vs 1913) and R20 multi-core (8430 vs 7971) confirm the trend; Intel is uniformly ahead by roughly 5.8% in every Cinebench iteration.

Intel’s other notable wins come in specific PassMark subtests. The most dramatic is `find_prime_numbers`, where the Core i5 scores 71 against the Ryzen’s 58—a 22.4% blowout. This points to a strong integer-heavy, latency-sensitive execution pipeline. Physics simulation also favors Intel heavily: 1262 vs 1065, an 18.5% advantage. Floating-point math goes Intel’s way too, with 51264 vs 46706 (9.8% lead). Single-threaded PassMark performance is close but Intel-led: 3453 vs 3301 (4.6%).

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS fights back in other PassMark disciplines. Its largest win is in `extended_instructions`, scoring 18091 against Intel’s 14508—a 19.8% advantage. Data encryption follows with 17350 vs 14799 (14.7% lead), and integer math shows a 16.7% edge (85459 vs 71168). Data compression is also AMD-favorable: 272838 vs 247404 (9.3%). The Ryzen wins `passmark_multithread` (22330 vs 21128, 5.4% lead) and `random_string_sorting` (28693 vs 27653, 3.6%). That gives AMD 6 wins, but the average score gap is small: Intel’s average benchmark score is 28882 versus AMD’s 28549.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-12600H is the clear pick for rendering and 3D workloads. Every Cinebench test—which simulates Cinema 4D rendering—shows Intel ahead by a near-uniform 5.7-5.8%. For users running CPU-based rendering in Blender, Maya, or After Effects, those margins translate directly to faster frame times. The 22.4% lead in prime-number finding and 18.5% lead in physics also indicate strong performance in scientific computing and physics simulation tasks that rely on tight loops and branch prediction. The single-thread lead (4.6% in PassMark, 5.7% in R23) makes it the better choice for lightly-threaded legacy applications or games that depend on one fast core.

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS is the opposite—it excels in data-heavy, security-oriented tasks. The 19.8% lead in extended instructions (which often includes AVX-512-like operations or specialized crypto instructions) and 14.7% lead in data encryption make it the superior choice for VPN software, disk encryption, or database field encryption. The 16.7% integer-math advantage and 9.3% data-compression lead suggest strong performance in file archiving, compression tools, and general productivity suites that process large in-memory datasets. For multi-threaded PassMark workloads, AMD’s 5.4% lead in multithread and 3.6% in string sorting indicates a more balanced all-core throughput in non-rendering scenarios.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from fundamentally different design philosophies. Intel uses Alder Lake-H with a hybrid architecture, combining performance cores and efficiency cores on a 10 nm Intel process. The Core i5-12600H has 12 cores and 16 threads, implying a configuration of performance and efficiency core types, all on a 217 mm² die. It features a 1.25 MB L2 cache per core and 18 MB shared L3, with 80 KB L1 per core. Intel’s design targets burst performance and single-thread responsiveness, which explains its Cinebench dominance.

AMD counters with Zen 3+ on Rembrandt, built on a 6 nm TSMC process. It uses 8 full-size cores and 16 threads, with a 208 mm² die. Its cache hierarchy is smaller per core: 64 KB L1, 512 KB L2, and 16 MB shared L3. The 6 nm process gives AMD a manufacturing density advantage, but the per-core cache deficit appears in workloads that benefit from large local caches. The AMD chip’s integrated graphics is Radeon 680M, while Intel offers Iris Xe 80EU; both are capable iGPUs for basic display output, but the benchmark data does not include graphics tests.

Memory support differs significantly. Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5, while AMD is DDR5-only, with a rated memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. This makes the AMD platform more future-proof but less flexible for OEMs reusing older DDR4 stocks. Both connect via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes, so expansion capability is identical. Neither supports ECC memory.

Specification Differences

The most consequential specification gap is core count: Intel’s 12 cores versus AMD’s 8. However, both expose 16 threads, meaning AMD’s cores are all full-width while Intel relies on hyper-threading for half its threads. Base and boost clocks favor AMD: it runs at 3.20 GHz base and 4.70 GHz boost, compared to Intel’s 2.70 GHz base and 4.50 GHz boost. Despite the clock deficit, Intel wins single-thread tests, indicating its cores are more efficient per clock.

Thermal design power is a major separator. Intel is rated at 45 W TDP, while AMD is rated at 35 W TDP. That 10 W difference helps explain Intel’s performance lead in sustained workloads but also suggests AMD will be easier to cool in thin-and-light chassis. Socket and process node differ as expected: Intel BGA 1744 versus AMD Socket FP7, and 10 nm Intel versus 6 nm TSMC. The AMD part has a concrete release date of 2022-04-18, while Intel’s is unlisted. Both are active in production and locked (no unlocked multiplier). Neither lists a launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in Cinebench R23 multi-core?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600H scores 20072, beating the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS’s 18980 by a 5.8% margin.

Q: Does the AMD chip win any benchmark by a large margin?

A: Yes, AMD’s biggest win is in PassMark extended instructions (18091 vs 14508, a 19.8% lead), followed by data encryption (17350 vs 14799, 14.7%) and integer math (85459 vs 71168, 16.7%).

Q: How do the two compare in single-threaded performance?

A: Intel leads in every single-thread test: Cinebench R23 single-core (2833 vs 2679, 5.7%) and PassMark single-thread (3453 vs 3301, 4.6%).

Q: Which chip has more cores?

A: Intel has 12 cores, while AMD has 8. Both have 16 threads, so AMD relies on fewer, faster cores while Intel uses more cores with hyper-threading.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: AMD supports only DDR5 with a rated bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s, while Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5; no bandwidth figure is listed for Intel.

Q: Which chip has a lower TDP?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS is rated at 35 W, which is 10 W lower than the Intel Core i5-12600H’s 45 W rating.

The Verdict

The data points to Intel for raw rendering performance. The Core i5-12600H wins every Cinebench test by nearly 6%, which is a decisive margin for 3D artists and video editors. Its 22.4% lead in prime-number finding and 18.5% lead in physics further cement it as the choice for computational research and simulation tasks. The single-thread advantage (4.6-5.7%) also makes it the better pick for older games or software that cannot leverage many cores.

Choose the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850HS if your workload is centered on encryption, compression, or integer-heavy data processing. Its 19.8% lead in extended instructions and 14.7% lead in data encryption are not marginal—they represent a full performance tier in security applications. The 16.7% integer-math edge and 9.3% compression advantage make it the superior engine for database servers, archive tools, and productivity suites that crunch numbers in bulk. The 5.4% multithread win in PassMark also suggests better balanced all-core throughput outside of Cinebench.

The 45 W TDP of the Intel part against 35 W for AMD is a practical consideration: the AMD chip will likely sustain boost clocks longer in thermally constrained laptops. But for pure performance, the Intel Core i5-12600H wins more benchmarks and wins the headline rendering tests. The AMD part wins fewer tests but wins them by larger margins in its specialty areas. Neither chip is a universal victor; the correct purchase depends entirely on whether your primary apps are rendering engines or data-processing utilities.