AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS vs Intel Core i7-11850H Comparison

The Intel Core i7-11850H and AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS are both 8-core, 16-thread mobile processors aimed at high-performance laptops, yet benchmark results reveal sharply contrasting strengths. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS takes the overall win count 14 to 3, but the Intel chip delivers decisive victories in specific Cinebench tests. Both CPUs sit at the 77th percentile among all processors, with the AMD chip posting a slightly higher average benchmark score of 25284 compared to the Intel part's 24935.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic divergence appears in Cinebench R23, where the Intel Core i7-11850H dominates. In single-core testing, Intel scores 2353 against AMD's 1554, a massive 51.4% advantage. The multi-core result follows a similar pattern, with Intel at 16673 and AMD at 13445, giving Intel a 24% lead. This is the single largest margin in either direction across all shared tests. The Intel processor also wins PassMark's find prime numbers test with a score of 87 versus AMD's 58, a 50% difference. These three wins represent Intel's entire victory count, but they are substantial.

The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS answers with a broad sweep across nearly every other workload. In Cinebench R15, AMD wins multi-core with 2161 against Intel's 1680, a 22.3% margin, and single-core with 245 versus 237, a smaller 3.3% edge. Geekbench results also favor AMD: multi-core shows 9451 versus 8002, a 15.3% advantage, while single-core is close at 1733 versus 1703, just 1.7% ahead. The pattern continues across PassMark's suite. Data compression goes to AMD at 292842 versus 236949, a 19.1% lead. Data encryption is even more lopsided, with AMD scoring 18303 against Intel's 12214, a 33.3% gap. Extended instructions favor AMD 20015 to 15788, a 21.1% difference. Integer math sees AMD at 86449 versus 71996, a 16.7% win, and floating-point math goes to AMD 48239 to 42540, an 11.8% margin. The multithread PassMark score has AMD at 23152 versus 20059, a 13.4% advantage.

Other PassMark subscores reinforce AMD's dominance. Physics testing gives AMD 1041 versus Intel's 954, an 8.4% edge. Random string sorting favors AMD 30528 to 28395, a 7% lead. Single-thread PassMark scores show AMD at 3237 against Intel's 3069, a 5.2% difference. The 3DMark results, available only for the AMD chip, show scores of 6963 for 16 threads, 1761 for 2 threads, 3427 for 4 threads, 5830 for 8 threads, 6955 for max threads, and 915 for single thread, but no direct comparison data exists for the Intel part.

FAQ

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

A: The Intel Core i7-11850H wins decisively with a score of 2353, which is 51.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS's score of 1554.

Q: In which benchmark does the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS show its largest advantage?

A: The largest AMD win is in PassMark data encryption, where it scores 18303 against Intel's 12214, representing a 33.3% lead.

Q: How do the two chips compare in overall average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS has an average benchmark score of 25284, while the Intel Core i7-11850H averages 24935. Both processors rank at the 77th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Intel chip wins by a narrow margin?

A: No. Intel's three wins are all by large margins: 51.4% in Cinebench R23 single-core, 24% in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and 50% in PassMark find prime numbers. AMD's closest win is a 1.7% edge in Geekbench single-core.

Q: What do the Cinebench R15 results indicate about multi-core performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 2161 in Cinebench R15 multi-core, which is 22.3% higher than Intel's 1680. This contrasts sharply with Cinebench R23, where Intel leads by 24%, suggesting workload-specific scaling differences.

Q: Which chip has better memory bandwidth on paper?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s, while the Intel Core i7-11850H supports DDR4 with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth. Both are dual-channel implementations.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The Intel Core i7-11850H uses the Tiger Lake-H architecture on a 10 nm process node fabricated by Intel, with a die size of 190 mm². The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS employs Zen 3+ architecture under the codename Rembrandt, built on a 6 nm process at TSMC, with a larger die size of 208 mm². These process differences likely contribute to the power and efficiency profiles, though both are rated at a 35 W TDP.

Cache configurations differ substantially. The Intel chip has 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, with a 24 MB shared L3 cache. The AMD chip uses 64 KB L1 per core and 512 KB L2 per core, with a smaller 16 MB shared L3. Despite having less cache, the AMD chip outperforms in most benchmarks, suggesting the Zen 3+ architecture extracts more efficiency from its memory hierarchy. The Intel part does not support ECC memory, and neither chip has a 3D V-Cache option.

Memory support separates the two clearly. Intel uses DDR4 with a dual-channel bus and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth, while AMD uses DDR5 with dual-channel and 76.8 GB/s. Integrated graphics also differ: Intel includes UHD Graphics 750, while AMD features Radeon 680M. Both support PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU-only lanes, and neither has an unlocked multiplier. The AMD chip uses Socket FP7, while Intel uses BGA 1787. Both are classified as mobile market segment parts and remain in active production status.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split. The Intel Core i7-11850H is the choice for workloads heavily reliant on Cinebench R23 rendering, where it leads by 24% in multi-core and 51.4% in single-core. It also wins PassMark's find prime numbers test by 50%. If those specific tasks define the workload, Intel's advantages are impossible to ignore.

The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS wins everywhere else. It has a higher average benchmark score (25284 versus 24935), wins 14 of 17 head-to-head tests, and leads in every PassMark category except find prime numbers. Its margins range from 1.7% in Geekbench single-core to 33.3% in data encryption. The AMD chip also offers superior memory bandwidth on paper with DDR5 support at 76.8 GB/s, compared to Intel's 51.2 GB/s with DDR4.

For general-purpose mobile computing, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS is the stronger performer based on the aggregate benchmark evidence. The Intel Core i7-11850H is a specialized tool that excels at Cinebench rendering tasks, but the AMD chip provides more consistent wins across compression, encryption, math, physics, and multithreaded workloads. Both parts rank at the same 77th percentile, but the AMD processor's broader success suggests it is the more versatile option for most users.

Specification Differences

The core count and thread count are identical at 8 and 16 respectively, but nearly everything else differs. The Intel Core i7-11850H has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS runs at 3.30 GHz base and 4.90 GHz boost. The Intel chip uses a 10 nm process and Intel BGA 1787 socket, versus AMD's 6 nm process and AMD Socket FP7. The Intel die measures 190 mm², while AMD's is 208 mm². Cache structures diverge: Intel has 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2 per core with 24 MB shared L3, while AMD has 64 KB L1 and 512 KB L2 per core with 16 MB shared L3. Memory support is DDR4 for Intel and DDR5 for AMD, with corresponding bandwidth figures of 51.2 GB/s and 76.8 GB/s. Integrated graphics differ as UHD Graphics 750 versus Radeon 680M. The Intel part has a known launch MSRP of $395, while AMD's launch MSRP is not specified in the data. Both support PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU-only lanes, have no ECC support, and are not multiplier-unlocked. Part numbers are SRKT4 for Intel and 100-000000545100-000000561 for AMD.