AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS vs Intel Core i5-11500H Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head comparison between the Intel Core i5-11500H and the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS produces a split decision, with each processor claiming two wins across the four shared benchmark tests. The largest margin belongs to Intel in Cinebench R23 single-core, where the i5-11500H scores 1999 against the Ryzen 9's 1529, a decisive 30.7% advantage. This is a substantial gap for a single-threaded workload and indicates that Intel's Tiger Lake-H architecture holds a clear frequency-for-frequency advantage in lightly threaded tasks. The boost clock difference is notable — 4.60 GHz for Intel versus 4.80 GHz for AMD — yet the AMD part still trails by nearly a third in this test, suggesting that raw clock speed is not the differentiator here.

Intel also wins Cinebench R23 multi-core, scoring 14166 compared to AMD's 12629, a 12.2% lead. This result is counterintuitive given that the Ryzen 9 5980HS packs 8 cores and 16 threads against Intel's 6 cores and 12 threads. The data shows that Intel's newer 10 nm Tiger Lake-H design, with its higher per-core throughput, can overcome a two-core deficit in this particular rendering workload. The R23 multi-core result is the single most important data point for users who prioritize sustained all-core performance, as it flips the expected hierarchy based on core counts alone.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS, however, dominates the older Cinebench R15 tests. In R15 multi-core, AMD scores 2083 versus Intel's 1427, a 31.5% advantage — the largest margin in either direction across the entire comparison. The single-core R15 test also goes to AMD, with 243 points against Intel's 201, a 17.3% lead. These R15 results are striking because they contradict the R23 findings. The data suggests that the Ryzen 9's Zen 3 architecture scales better in the legacy R15 workload, while Intel's Tiger Lake-H design responds better to the newer R23 instruction mix and longer-duration rendering. Users should note that benchmark generation matters enormously: the R15 tests favor AMD heavily, while R23 flips the script in Intel's favor.

Looking at the broader benchmark picture, the Ryzen 9 5980HS has fewer published scores in the FACT PACK, with only four Cinebench results, whereas the Intel i5-11500H also includes Geekbench scores. In Geekbench, Intel scores 7135 multi-core and 1778 single-core. These numbers are not directly comparable to AMD's results since no Geekbench data exists for the Ryzen 9 in this pack, but they do place Intel's average benchmark score at 4187, which edges out AMD's 4121 by roughly 1.6%. Both processors sit at the 57th percentile among all CPUs, indicating they occupy a similar tier in the overall performance distribution. The average scores are close enough that the nearest rivals lists overlap: both chips appear within 1.4% of the Intel Core i9-9900, a desktop processor from an older generation.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. Intel's Core i5-11500H is built on Tiger Lake-H, a 10 nm process manufactured in-house by Intel, with a die size of 190 mm². AMD's Ryzen 9 5980HS uses Zen 3 architecture on a 7 nm process from TSMC, with a die size of 180 mm² and a transistor count of 10,700 million. The process node advantage — 7 nm versus 10 nm — partially explains why AMD can pack 8 cores into a similarly sized die, but it does not translate into a universal performance lead, as the benchmark data demonstrates.

Core and thread counts differ significantly: Intel offers 6 cores and 12 threads, while AMD offers 8 cores and 16 threads. Both processors run at a 35 W TDP, making them direct competitors in the high-performance mobile segment. Cache hierarchies are structured differently. Intel allocates 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, with 12 MB of shared L3. AMD uses 64 KB of L1 per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, but compensates with a larger 16 MB shared L3 pool. The larger L3 cache on the Ryzen 9 likely contributes to its strong R15 performance, where memory access patterns can benefit from the additional shared cache.

Memory support is another differentiator. Both support DDR4 in dual-channel mode, but AMD's memory bandwidth is rated at 68.3 GB/s versus Intel's 51.2 GB/s — a 33% advantage for AMD. This bandwidth gap may explain why the Ryzen 9 excels in older Cinebench R15 tests, which can be more sensitive to memory throughput. PCIe connectivity also differs: Intel supports PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes, while AMD is limited to PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. For mobile users connecting discrete GPUs or fast NVMe storage, Intel's newer PCIe standard offers greater bandwidth headroom.

Integrated graphics differ as well. Intel pairs the i5-11500H with UHD Graphics 750, while AMD uses Radeon Vega 8. The FACT PACK does not include iGPU benchmarks, so no direct performance comparison is possible, but the presence of different graphics solutions is worth noting for users who may rely on the integrated GPU for display output or light acceleration. Both processors have locked multipliers, so overclocking is not an option for either. The socket platforms are entirely incompatible: Intel uses BGA 1787, while AMD uses Socket FP6, meaning these are not swappable in the same motherboard.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-11500H wins decisively in newer Cinebench R23 workloads. With a 30.7% lead in single-core and a 12.2% lead in multi-core, Intel is the stronger choice for modern rendering applications that leverage AVX-512 or other recent instruction sets. The R23 single-core result, in particular, suggests Intel's architecture has superior per-thread efficiency, which benefits applications like CAD tools, certain scientific simulations, and older games that rely heavily on one or two threads. The Intel chip also shows a slight edge in average benchmark score, 4187 versus 4121, and matches AMD's percentile ranking at 57th among all CPUs.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS wins in Cinebench R15, both multi-core (31.5% ahead) and single-core (17.3% ahead). This indicates AMD's Zen 3 architecture handles legacy workloads more efficiently, which may matter for users running older software versions or industries with long certification cycles that mandate specific benchmark versions. The Ryzen 9 also offers more cores and threads (8/16 versus 6/12), which can be beneficial for users who know their workload scales linearly with core count — despite the R23 result going the other way, the core advantage remains a structural feature. AMD's higher memory bandwidth (68.3 GB/s versus 51.2 GB/s) and larger L3 cache (16 MB versus 12 MB) provide theoretical advantages in memory-bound scenarios, even if the benchmark data does not universally confirm this.

For gaming, the FACT PACK does not include gaming benchmarks, but the single-core Cinebench results are often used as a proxy for gaming performance. Here, the picture is mixed: Intel wins R23 single-core by a wide margin, but AMD wins R15 single-core by a smaller margin. Users should interpret this cautiously — the newer R23 test likely reflects modern game engine behavior better than the legacy R15 test. For productivity, the multi-core R23 result favors Intel, while the multi-core R15 result favors AMD, making the choice dependent on the specific software version being used.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in single-core performance?

A: The answer depends on the benchmark. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Intel Core i5-11500H scores 1999 versus AMD's 1529, a 30.7% lead. In Cinebench R15 single-core, the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS scores 243 versus Intel's 201, a 17.3% lead. The newer R23 test strongly favors Intel.

Q: How do the two processors compare in multi-core performance?

A: The results are split. AMD wins Cinebench R15 multi-core with 2083 against Intel's 1427, a 31.5% margin. Intel wins Cinebench R23 multi-core with 14166 against AMD's 12629, a 12.2% margin. Despite AMD having 8 cores and 16 threads versus Intel's 6 cores and 12 threads, Intel leads in the newer R23 workload.

Q: Do both processors have the same power consumption?

A: Yes, both the Intel Core i5-11500H and the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS are rated at a 35 W TDP. This makes them direct competitors in the high-performance mobile segment, though actual power draw under load may vary based on workload and manufacturer tuning.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth differences?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS supports DDR4 in dual-channel mode with a rated bandwidth of 68.3 GB/s. The Intel Core i5-11500H also supports dual-channel DDR4 but is rated at 51.2 GB/s. AMD's memory bandwidth is approximately 33% higher.

Q: Which processor has more cache?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS has 16 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Intel Core i5-11500H has 12 MB of shared L3. Intel has larger per-core L1 and L2 caches: 80 KB and 1.25 MB per core, respectively, versus AMD's 64 KB and 512 KB per core.

Q: Are these processors unlocked for overclocking?

A: No. Both the Intel Core i5-11500H and the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS have locked multipliers, as indicated by the multiplierUnlocked field being false. Overclocking is not supported on either mobile processor.

The Verdict

The data presents a generational and architectural split that defies simple categorization. The Intel Core i5-11500H is the better choice for users running modern, heavily threaded applications, as demonstrated by its 12.2% lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core and its commanding 30.7% lead in R23 single-core. This processor also offers PCIe Gen 4 support with 20 lanes, which is a meaningful advantage for users connecting high-bandwidth peripherals. The Intel chip's 10 nm process and Tiger Lake-H architecture clearly deliver superior per-core instruction throughput in the newer benchmark generation.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS is the better choice for users who rely on older software versions or whose workloads are validated against legacy benchmarks like Cinebench R15. The 31.5% multi-core and 17.3% single-core leads in R15 are substantial, and the larger core count (8 versus 6), higher memory bandwidth (68.3 GB/s versus 51.2 GB/s), and bigger L3 cache (16 MB versus 12 MB) provide structural advantages that could help in specific memory-bound or highly parallel scenarios. AMD's 7 nm process from TSMC also represents a more advanced manufacturing node.

In terms of overall average benchmark score, the two are nearly tied: Intel at 4187 and AMD at 4121, a difference of just 1.6%. Both sit at the 57th percentile among all CPUs, and both appear within 1.4% of the Intel Core i9-9900 in their nearest rival lists. The Intel i5-11500H carries a launch MSRP of $250, while no launch MSRP is provided for the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS. For a mobile buyer, the choice ultimately comes down to software compatibility: if the target applications are modern and take advantage of current instruction sets, Intel's R23 dominance makes it the data-supported pick. If legacy workloads dominate, AMD's R15 performance is difficult to ignore.