AMD Ryzen 9 270 vs Intel Core 3 305 Comparison

AMD Ryzen 9 270 vs Intel Core 3 305: a lopsided matchup on paper, yet the data reveals a few surprising exceptions. The AMD part, a Zen 4 mobile processor, dominates the vast majority of recorded workloads, while the Intel chip, a Wildcat Lake design, manages to secure wins in only a handful of specific tests. The benchmark database shows a clear performance hierarchy, but the Intel Core 3 305's single-threaded showing and prime number calculation results provide an interesting counterpoint to the AMD chip's overwhelming lead.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 9 270 wins 14 out of 17 recorded head-to-head benchmarks, establishing itself as the superior processor for nearly all compute-intensive tasks. Its victories span the full Cinebench suite, including both multi-core and single-core tests, as well as the majority of PassMark workloads. The largest margins occur in integer math, where the AMD chip is 204.3% ahead, and random string sorting, where it leads by 143%. Data compression also shows a massive 139.3% advantage for the AMD processor. These results indicate a chip that excels in general-purpose computing, rendering, and heavy productivity workloads.

The Intel Core 3 305 wins only 3 benchmarks, but they are telling. It claims victory in PassMark's find prime numbers test, with a score of 115 against the AMD chip's 88, a 23.5% advantage. More notably, it wins both PassMark single-thread tests, scoring 3977 compared to the AMD chip's 3784, a 4.9% lead. This suggests that while the Intel processor is far behind in raw multi-core throughput, it holds a genuine edge in certain single-threaded scenarios and specific algorithmic workloads. The data indicates the Intel chip is not without merit, but its strengths are narrowly focused.

For use-case segmentation, the AMD Ryzen 9 270 is the clear choice for multi-threaded applications, 3D rendering, video encoding, and any workload that leverages many cores. The Intel Core 3 305, with its lower power envelope, appears better suited for lightly threaded tasks and scenarios where its specific instruction efficiency shines, such as prime number calculations. The overall average benchmark score reinforces this split: the AMD chip posts an average of 40246, while the Intel chip trails at 18302, placing them in different performance tiers entirely.

Architecture Differences

The two processors diverge significantly in their fundamental designs. The AMD Ryzen 9 270 is built on TSMC's 4 nm process and uses the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Hawk Point. It houses 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The Intel Core 3 305, by contrast, uses Intel's own 3 nm process and the Wildcat Lake codename, with 6 cores and 6 threads, a base clock of 1.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The AMD chip's higher clocks and double the thread count provide the structural basis for its benchmark dominance.

Cache configurations also differ markedly. The AMD Ryzen 9 270 features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Core 3 305 has 192 KB of L1 cache, 2.5 MB of L2 cache, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD chip's larger cache hierarchy, especially the 16 MB L3, gives it a substantial advantage in workloads that benefit from data locality. The Intel chip's smaller caches likely contribute to its lagging multi-core performance.

Memory support presents another clear divergence. The AMD Ryzen 9 270 supports dual-channel DDR5 with a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The Intel Core 3 305 supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X but only through a single-channel memory bus, capping bandwidth at 59.7 GB/s. This 29.9 GB/s difference in memory bandwidth directly impacts memory-intensive applications and helps explain the AMD chip's superior data compression and sorting scores. The Intel processor also offers fewer PCIe lanes, with Gen 4, 6 Lanes compared to the AMD chip's Gen 4, 20 Lanes, limiting expansion and I/O throughput.

The integrated graphics differ as well. The AMD Ryzen 9 270 uses the Radeon 780M, while the Intel Core 3 305 includes Intel Xe3 Graphics with 1 Xe core. Both processors are mobile parts, with the AMD chip rated at 45 W TDP and the Intel chip at 15 W TDP. The Intel processor's lower TDP indicates a focus on power efficiency, but the performance data shows that efficiency comes at a substantial cost in compute capability.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench results are uniformly one-sided. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the AMD Ryzen 9 270 scores 2664 against the Intel Core 3 305's 1322, a 101.5% advantage. The single-core R15 test shows a similar 102.2% lead, with scores of 376 and 186 respectively. Cinebench R20 multi-core repeats the pattern: 11103 versus 5511, a 101.5% delta. The R20 single-core test shows 1567 versus 777, a 101.7% margin. Cinebench R23 multi-core delivers 26438 against 13123, another 101.5% lead, while R23 single-core posts 3732 versus 1852, a 101.5% difference. These consistent deltas across all three Cinebench versions confirm a stable and overwhelming advantage for the AMD processor in both single and multi-threaded rendering tasks.

PassMark results offer a more varied picture. The AMD Ryzen 9 270 leads in data compression with 351398 points versus 146857, a 139.3% margin. Data encryption shows an 89.2% lead, with scores of 20852 and 11019. Extended instructions favor the AMD chip by 97.4%, at 26729 versus 13543. Floating point math goes to the AMD chip with 60122 against 42284, a 42.2% lead. Integer math is the largest gap: 98266 versus 32295, a 204.3% advantage for AMD. The multi-thread score shows 29089 versus 15439, an 88.4% lead. Physics results are closer, with 1365 versus 1233, a modest 10.7% advantage for AMD. Random string sorting favors AMD by 143%, at 42819 versus 17623.

The Intel Core 3 305's wins are concentrated and specific. In PassMark find prime numbers, it scores 115 against the AMD chip's 88, a 23.5% lead. In the PassMark single-thread test, it posts 3977 against 3784, a 4.9% advantage, a result duplicated in the singlethread variant. These wins indicate that the Intel processor's architecture is particularly efficient for certain scalar workloads, despite its overall lower performance envelope. The data suggests a chip that can hold its own in narrow, latency-sensitive tasks but falls far behind in throughput-oriented benchmarks.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 270 has an average benchmark score of 40246, while the Intel Core 3 305 has an average of 18302. The AMD chip sits at the 87th percentile of all CPUs, compared to the Intel chip's 72nd percentile.

Q: How does the Intel Core 3 305 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core 3 305's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-14100, which is 0.1% faster, the Intel Core 5 330, which is 0.2% faster, and the Intel Core 7 360, which is 0.4% faster. The AMD Ryzen 5 2600E trails it by 0.4%.

Q: What is the largest benchmark margin between the two processors?

A: The largest margin is in PassMark integer math, where the AMD Ryzen 9 270 leads by 204.3%, scoring 98266 against the Intel Core 3 305's 32295.

Q: Does the Intel Core 3 305 win any multi-threaded benchmarks?

A: No. The Intel Core 3 305 wins only the PassMark find prime numbers test and the PassMark single-thread tests. It loses every multi-threaded benchmark, including Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multi-core, as well as PassMark multi-thread.

Q: What are the memory support differences between the two?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 270 supports dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The Intel Core 3 305 supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X but uses a single-channel bus, limiting bandwidth to 59.7 GB/s.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 270 has a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, while the Intel Core 3 305 has a boost clock of 4.30 GHz.

The Verdict

The data points decisively toward the AMD Ryzen 9 270 for anyone prioritizing compute performance. Its 14 benchmark wins, combined with an average score more than double that of the Intel Core 3 305, make it the superior choice for rendering, multi-threaded productivity, and memory-intensive workloads. The 204.3% lead in integer math and 143% lead in random string sorting highlight its dominance in data processing tasks. The dual-channel memory bus and larger L3 cache provide the infrastructural advantages that underpin these results.

The Intel Core 3 305 should be considered only for workloads that match its narrow strengths. Its 4.9% lead in PassMark single-thread performance and 23.5% lead in prime number calculations suggest an efficiency in specific scalar operations. Its 15 W TDP also indicates a lower power draw, which may matter for battery-sensitive mobile designs. However, the performance gap is too large to recommend it for general-purpose computing or any multi-threaded application.

The recorded data shows a processor hierarchy that is clear and consistent. The AMD Ryzen 9 270 occupies a higher performance tier, as evidenced by its 87th percentile ranking versus the Intel chip's 72nd percentile. The Intel Core 3 305's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-14100 and Intel Core 5 330, are all within 0.4% of its average score, placing it in a completely different class from the AMD chip. For users who need raw performance, the AMD Ryzen 9 270 is the only logical choice based on these measurements.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Ryzen 9 270 | Intel Core 3 305 |

|----------------|-----------------|------------------|

| Cores | 8 | 6 |

| Threads | 16 | 6 |

| Base Clock | 4.00 GHz | 1.50 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 5.20 GHz | 4.30 GHz |

| TDP | 45 W | 15 W |

| Socket | AMD Socket FP8 | Intel BGA 1516 |

| Architecture | Zen 4 | Not specified |

| Codename | Hawk Point | Wildcat Lake |

| Process Node | 4 nm (TSMC) | 3 nm (Intel) |

| L1 Cache | 64 KB (per core) | 192 KB |

| L2 Cache | 1 MB (per core) | 2.5 MB |

| L3 Cache | 16 MB (shared) | 6 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR5 | DDR5, LPDDR5X |

| Memory Bus | Dual-channel | Single-channel |

| Memory Bandwidth | 89.6 GB/s | 59.7 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 4, 20 Lanes | Gen 4, 6 Lanes |

| Integrated Graphics | Radeon 780M | Intel Xe3 Graphics (1 Xe) |

| Release Date | 2025-01-05 | 2026-04-15 |

| Launch MSRP | Not specified | $309 |

The AMD Ryzen 9 270 and Intel Core 3 305 differ across nearly every major specification category. The AMD chip offers more cores, threads, higher clocks, larger caches, and a wider memory bus. The Intel chip counters with a smaller process node, lower TDP, and support for LPDDR5X memory. These specification differences align directly with the benchmark outcomes, with the AMD processor's advantages in core count, cache size, and memory bandwidth translating into its overwhelming performance lead.