AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS vs Intel Core i9-9900 Comparison

The Intel Core i9-9900 and AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS are both 8-core, 16-thread processors, but they target completely different platforms and use very different architectures. The benchmark data shows a near-total split: the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS dominates older Cinebench R15 tests, while the Intel Core i9-9900 takes decisive victories in the newer Cinebench R23 workloads. With an average benchmark score of 4163 for the Intel part and 4121 for the AMD part, the overall performance difference is marginal — roughly 1% — but the way each chip achieves that score is starkly different. This analysis breaks down where each processor wins, why the architectures differ, and which user should pick which based strictly on the data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic difference appears in Cinebench R15 multicore, where the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS scores 2083 against the Intel Core i9-9900's 1361. That is a 34.7% advantage for AMD, and it is the single largest gap between the two chips in any test. The single-core R15 result follows the same pattern: AMD leads 243 to 192, a 21% margin. These are massive wins for the Ryzen, especially considering the 5980HS is a 35W mobile part battling a 65W desktop chip.

Flip to Cinebench R23, and the situation reverses completely. The Intel Core i9-9900 posts 13509 in multicore, beating the AMD's 12629 by 7%. The single-core R23 gap is even larger: Intel scores 1907 versus 1529 for AMD, a 24.7% advantage. This is a curious result — the older Intel architecture, with its higher 5.00 GHz boost clock, pulls ahead in the newer rendering workload, while AMD's Zen 3 with a 4.80 GHz boost wins the older test.

The pattern suggests that R15 and R23 are measuring very different things. In R15, the Ryzen 9 5980HS appears to have a significant efficiency advantage that translates into throughput, possibly due to its 7 nm process and newer Zen 3 core design. In R23, the Intel chip's higher boost clock and larger shared cache seem to matter more, delivering a 7% multicore win and a nearly 25% single-core win. The average benchmark scores reflect this balance: Intel's 4163 average is only 1% higher than AMD's 4121, and both sit at the 57th percentile among all CPUs. The nearest rivals list confirms how close these two are — the Intel Core i5-11500H sits at 4187 (0.6% above the 9900), while the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 2700X is at 4114, just 1.2% below the 9900.

Geekbench results are only available for the Intel chip — 8175 multicore and 1687 single-core — so no direct head-to-head comparison is possible there. But the Cinebench data alone shows a clear split: AMD wins the R15 generation, Intel wins the R23 generation, and overall they are nearly inseparable.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS is the clear winner in Cinebench R15, both multicore and single-core. If your workload or benchmark suite relies on R15-style rendering, the AMD part delivers a 34.7% multicore improvement and a 21% single-core improvement. That is a substantial lead, and it comes from a mobile processor with a 35W TDP, which is remarkable for sustained performance in a laptop chassis.

The Intel Core i9-9900 takes the newer Cinebench R23 tests. Its 7% multicore lead and 24.7% single-core lead suggest that applications optimized for newer instruction sets or higher clock speeds will favor Intel. The 5.00 GHz boost clock on the 9900 is the highest of either chip, and that single-core R23 advantage is the second-largest gap in the entire comparison. For workloads that are lightly threaded but demanding — think older games or single-threaded productivity tools — the Intel chip's R23 single-core score of 1907 indicates it can handle those tasks with more headroom.

There's also a platform-level distinction. The Intel part is a desktop CPU on Socket 1151 with a 65W TDP, while the AMD is a mobile part on Socket FP6 with a 35W TDP. If you're building a desktop, the Intel chip is the only one that fits. If you need a laptop, the AMD is the only option. The data shows that the AMD part is not just competitive — it wins in R15 — despite using half the TDP budget. That efficiency is a major win for mobile users.

The Verdict

Pick the Intel Core i9-9900 if you prioritize Cinebench R23 performance. The data shows a 7% multicore advantage and a 24.7% single-core advantage over the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS. For newer rendering workloads, the Intel chip is the stronger choice. It also has a higher boost clock (5.00 GHz vs 4.80 GHz) and a slightly larger die size (180.3 mm² vs 180 mm²), though those are minor differences. The Intel part is end-of-life, so it's a legacy desktop option, but it still holds its own against a much newer mobile chip.

Pick the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS if you're on a laptop and care about Cinebench R15 performance. The 34.7% multicore and 21% single-core wins are decisive. The AMD chip is also actively in production, uses a 7 nm TSMC process versus Intel's 14 nm, and has a 35W TDP versus 65W. For a mobile user, getting that R15 performance at half the TDP is a significant practical advantage. The 5980HS also has a larger L2 cache (512 KB per core vs 256 KB) and supports more memory bandwidth (68.3 GB/s vs 42.7 GB/s), which likely contributes to its R15 dominance.

If you're comparing pure numbers without platform constraints, the average benchmark score is nearly identical — Intel at 4163, AMD at 4121, a 1% difference. The deciding factor should be which benchmark generation matches your software. R15-era applications favor AMD; R23-era favor Intel. There is no overall winner — it's a tie at 2 wins each in the head-to-head tests.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher single-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i9-9900 wins with a score of 1907, which is 24.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS's 1529.

Q: How much faster is the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS in Cinebench R15 multicore?

A: The AMD chip scores 2083 versus Intel's 1361, a 34.7% advantage.

Q: Do both processors have the same number of cores and threads?

A: Yes, both have 8 cores and 16 threads.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS supports 68.3 GB/s, while the Intel Core i9-9900 supports 42.7 GB/s.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i9-9900 boosts to 5.00 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS boosts to 4.80 GHz.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each?

A: The Intel Core i9-9900 has an average score of 4163, and the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS has an average of 4121, a 1% difference.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Core i9-9900 is built on Coffee Lake-R, a 14 nm process from Intel, with a die size of 180.3 mm². It uses the Intel Socket 1151 platform and features a shared 16 MB L3 cache. The L1 cache is 64 KB per core, and the L2 cache is 256 KB per core. It integrates UHD Graphics 630 and supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel bus and 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. The chip is part of the Core i9 generation (Coffee Lake Refresh) and is end-of-life, having launched in April 2019 with a launch MSRP of $423.

The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HS is built on Zen 3 (Cezanne), a 7 nm process from TSMC, with a die size of 180 mm². It uses the AMD Socket FP6 platform and also has a shared 16 MB L3 cache. The L1 cache is the same 64 KB per core, but the L2 cache is doubled to 512 KB per core. It integrates Radeon Vega 8 graphics and also supports DDR4 dual-channel memory, but with a much higher 68.3 GB/s bandwidth. The chip has 10,700 million transistors and is part of the 5000 series. It launched in January 2021 and is still active in production.

The most significant architectural differences are the process node (14 nm vs 7 nm), the foundry (Intel vs TSMC), and the L2 cache size (256 KB vs 512 KB per core). The AMD part also has a much higher memory bandwidth (68.3 GB/s vs 42.7 GB/s). Neither chip supports ECC memory, and both use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The transistor count is only listed for the AMD part (10,700 million), while the Intel die is slightly larger at 180.3 mm² versus 180 mm².

Specification Differences

• Base clock: Intel 3.10 GHz vs AMD 3.00 GHz
• Boost clock: Intel 5.00 GHz vs AMD 4.80 GHz
• TDP: Intel 65W vs AMD 35W
• Socket: Intel Socket 1151 vs AMD Socket FP6
• Process node: Intel 14 nm vs AMD 7 nm
• Foundry: Intel vs TSMC
• L2 cache: Intel 256 KB per core vs AMD 512 KB per core
• Memory bandwidth: Intel 42.7 GB/s vs AMD 68.3 GB/s
• Integrated graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 vs AMD Radeon Vega 8
• Market segment: Desktop vs Mobile
• Production status: End-of-life vs Active
• Release date: 2019-04-22 vs 2021-01-11
• Launch MSRP: $423 (Intel) vs none listed (AMD)
• Part number: SRG18 vs 100-000000474
• Transistors: Not listed for Intel vs 10,700 million for AMD
• Die size: 180.3 mm² vs 180 mm²