AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS vs Intel Core 5 315 Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS dominates this matchup on raw throughput. Of the 15 recorded head-to-head benchmarks, AMD wins 11 outright. The Intel Core 5 315 wins 4, but those victories cluster in specific single-thread and integer-prime workloads. This is a clear split: the Ryzen is the multi-threaded workhorse, the Core 5 is the lighter-duty single-thread specialist.

The AMD chip wins every Cinebench multi-core test, including a decisive 87.9% margin in Cinebench R15 multicore (2458 vs 1308). It also wins the more modern Cinebench R23 multicore by 13.9% (14784 vs 12981). In PassMark workloads, AMD takes data compression (112.9% ahead), data encryption (69.4% ahead), extended instructions (69.7% ahead), floating point math (31.3% ahead), integer math (194.5% ahead), multithread (74.5% ahead), physics (16.2% ahead), and random string sorting (116.1% ahead).

The Intel Core 5 315 takes the single-thread crown in PassMark (4021 vs 3692, an 8.2% margin) and in Cinebench R23 singlecore (1832 vs 1724, a 5.9% margin). It also wins the PassMark find prime numbers test (112 vs 84, a 25% margin). The Cinebench R15 singlecore result is the outlier: AMD wins there by 47.6% (271.5 vs 184).

The practical split is straightforward. The Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS suits all-core rendering, compilation, encryption, compression, and heavy floating-point work. The Core 5 315 suits light single-threaded tasks where its higher per-core score matters, plus the prime-number sieve workload where it holds a quarter advantage.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher overall benchmark average?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS. Its average benchmark score is 39603, placing it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Core 5 315 averages 18188, which is the 72nd percentile.

Q: Does the Intel chip win any multi-core tests?

A: No. The AMD chip wins every multi-core benchmark in the head-to-head set: Cinebench R15 multicore, Cinebench R23 multicore, and PassMark multithread. The closest multi-core margin is Cinebench R23 multicore, where AMD leads by 13.9%.

Q: How large is the single-thread gap between the two?

A: It depends on the test. The Intel Core 5 315 leads PassMark single thread by 8.2% (4021 vs 3692) and Cinebench R23 singlecore by 5.9% (1832 vs 1724). However, AMD wins Cinebench R15 singlecore by 47.6% (271.5 vs 184).

Q: What are the nearest performance rivals for each chip?

A: The Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS sits within 1% of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (0.3% faster), the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (0.4% slower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS (0.7% faster), and the AMD EPYC 4245P (1% faster). The Core 5 315 matches the AMD EPYC 9274F and Intel Core i7-9700 exactly (0% delta), with the Intel Core i7-1365U and AMD Ryzen 7 5700U just 0.1% behind.

Q: Which chip supports ECC memory?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS supports ECC memory. The Intel Core 5 315 does not.

Q: Do the two chips have the same memory channel configuration?

A: No. The AMD chip uses dual-channel memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel chip uses single-channel memory with 59.7 GB/s bandwidth.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win for the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS is PassMark integer math, where it scores 93342 against 31690, a 194.5% advantage. That is nearly triple the score. Data compression follows closely: 311199 vs 146143, a 112.9% margin. Random string sorting also exceeds double: 37922 vs 17551, a 116.1% margin. These are not close contests; the Ryzen's throughput advantage is overwhelming in integer-heavy, memory-bandwidth-sensitive workloads.

Cinebench R15 multicore shows the biggest relative gap in rendering: 2458 vs 1308, an 87.9% delta. The Ryzen also leads Cinebench R23 multicore, but by a much smaller 13.9% margin (14784 vs 12981). The R15 result likely reflects the older test's sensitivity to the Ryzen's 16 threads versus the Core 5's 6 threads. The R23 result narrows considerably, suggesting the Intel chip scales better in the newer workload, but it still loses.

PassMark multithread favors the Ryzen by 74.5% (26646 vs 15272). Data encryption (18838 vs 11119, 69.4%) and extended instructions (22298 vs 13143, 69.7%) show nearly identical margins, indicating the Ryzen handles cryptographic and SIMD-style instructions at roughly the same relative advantage. Floating point math is closer but still decisive: 55739 vs 42441, a 31.3% edge. Physics is the tightest AMD win: 1351 vs 1163, only 16.2%.

The Intel Core 5 315's wins are all single-thread or niche. Its best margin is PassMark find prime numbers: 112 vs 84, a 25% advantage. PassMark single thread is 4021 vs 3692, an 8.2% edge. Cinebench R23 singlecore is 1832 vs 1724, a 5.9% edge. Interestingly, Cinebench R15 singlecore goes the other way: AMD wins 271.5 vs 184, a 47.6% margin. The Intel chip's single-thread advantage is real but inconsistent across test generations.

One notable pattern: the Intel chip's single-thread PassMark score of 4021 is higher than its Cinebench R23 singlecore score would suggest relative to the AMD chip. The AMD chip's PassMark single thread of 3692 is lower than its Cinebench R23 singlecore of 1724 would predict. This means the Intel chip's single-thread lead depends heavily on the benchmark methodology.

Specification Differences

The two processors diverge sharply on core configuration. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS has 8 cores and 16 threads. The Intel Core 5 315 has 6 cores and 6 threads, meaning no simultaneous multithreading. That 10-thread deficit explains much of the AMD chip's multi-core dominance.

Clock speeds also differ. The AMD chip has a 3.30 GHz base clock and a 5.10 GHz boost clock. The Intel chip has a 1.50 GHz base clock and a 4.40 GHz boost clock. The AMD chip starts nearly 2 GHz higher at base and boosts 0.7 GHz higher. The Intel chip's low base clock likely contributes to its 15 W TDP, versus the AMD chip's 28 W TDP.

Memory support differs. The AMD chip supports DDR5 over a dual-channel bus with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel chip supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X, but only over a single-channel bus with 59.7 GB/s bandwidth. ECC memory is supported on the AMD chip but not the Intel chip.

PCIe lanes also differ. The AMD chip provides Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes. The Intel chip provides Gen 4 with 6 CPU lanes. Both use mobile sockets: AMD Socket FP7 for the Ryzen, Intel BGA 1516 for the Core 5. Neither chip has an unlocked multiplier.

The integrated graphics differ as well. The AMD chip uses Radeon 780M. The Intel chip uses Intel Xe3 Graphics with 2 Xe cores.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS is built on Zen 4 architecture with the Hawk Point codename. It uses a 4 nm process from TSMC, with 25,000 million transistors on a 178 mm² die. The Intel Core 5 315 uses the Wildcat Lake codename, built on Intel's 3 nm process. The database lists no transistor count or die size for the Intel part.

Cache hierarchies differ significantly. The AMD chip has 64 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 16 MB shared L3. The Intel chip has 192 KB L1 total, 2.5 MB L2 total, and 6 MB shared L3. AMD's larger shared L3 (16 MB vs 6 MB) gives it a substantial caching advantage, particularly in workloads with reusable data sets.

The generation labels differ. AMD lists the chip as Ryzen 7 (Zen 4, Hawk Point) in the 8000 series. Intel lists the chip as Core 5 (Wildcat Lake). The release dates also differ: the AMD chip entered production in April 2024, the Intel chip in April 2026. Both are currently marked as active production parts.

The Intel Core 5 315 has a launch MSRP of $340. The AMD chip's launch MSRP is not recorded in the database.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear performance hierarchy. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS wins 11 of 15 head-to-head benchmarks, with an average score of 39603 versus 18188 for the Intel Core 5 315. That is more than double the average score. The AMD chip also sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, while the Intel chip sits in the 72nd percentile.

The Intel Core 5 315 does win the modern single-thread tests. Its PassMark single thread score of 4021 beats the AMD chip's 3692 by 8.2%. Its Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 1832 beats AMD's 1724 by 5.9%. For light, single-threaded, latency-sensitive tasks, the Intel chip is the faster choice. The prime number sieve test also favors Intel by 25%, which suggests an advantage in tight integer loops that fit in a single core.

But the Intel chip's wins are narrow and isolated. The AMD chip's wins are often massive. Integer math, data compression, random string sorting, and encryption all show margins above 69%. The Ryzen's 16 threads, dual-channel memory, and 16 MB L3 cache give it an insurmountable lead in any workload that scales across cores or depends on memory bandwidth.

The average benchmark gap is not subtle: 39603 vs 18188, a difference of 21415 points. The nearest rivals confirm the positioning. The Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS trades blows with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS, all within 0.7%. The Core 5 315 sits alongside the Intel Core i7-9700 and AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, all within 0.1%. Those are two very different performance tiers.

For all-core rendering, data manipulation, encryption, compression, or any parallel workload, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS is the clear choice from the recorded data. For pure single-thread response in modern benchmarks, the Intel Core 5 315 has a measurable but modest edge. The overall database ranking, the percentile positions, and the head-to-head win count all point the same way: the Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS is the stronger processor, and the Intel Core 5 315 is the specialized alternative for single-thread-focused use.