AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX vs Intel Core i5-14401E Comparison

The Verdict

The database places these two processors at opposite ends of the performance spectrum. The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the Intel Core i5-14401E lands in the 60th percentile. That gap is enormous. The AMD part's average benchmark score of 81,103 dwarfs the Intel part's 5,253, a difference largely driven by the fact that the Intel chip only has Cinebench R20 scores in its record, which are not directly comparable to the AMD part's Passmark suite results. Still, the head-to-head results are unambiguous.

In the four shared benchmarks, the AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX wins three. The Intel Core i5-14401E wins one, and that win is significant: Cinebench R23 single-core, where Intel leads by 25.2 percent. But the multi-core deltas are staggering. The AMD part leads by 192.6 percent in Cinebench R15 multi-core and by 79.1 percent in Cinebench R23 multi-core. Anyone selecting between these two for heavy threaded workloads should choose the AMD part based on the recorded data. The Intel part is for scenarios where single-threaded Cinebench performance is the priority, and even then, the AMD part is only behind in one test while winning the other single-core test by 13.2 percent.

The market segments differ too. The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX is a mobile processor, while the Intel Core i5-14401E is a desktop part. That distinction matters for system builders. The data shows a mobile chip outperforming a desktop chip in almost every shared metric, which is a notable inversion of typical expectations.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX has 16 cores and 32 threads. The Intel Core i5-14401E has 6 cores and 12 threads. The AMD part has more than double the core count and more than double the thread count.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The Intel Core i5-14401E has a higher base clock at 2.50 GHz compared to the AMD's 2.40 GHz. However, the AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX has a higher boost clock at 5.30 GHz compared to the Intel's 4.70 GHz.

Q: Which CPU has a larger L3 cache?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX has 64 MB of L3 cache. The Intel Core i5-14401E has 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD part's cache is more than three times larger.

Q: Do these processors support the same memory types?

A: No. The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX supports DDR5 only. The Intel Core i5-14401E supports both DDR4 and DDR5. The AMD part also has a specified memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, while the Intel part's memory bandwidth is not recorded in the database.

Q: What are the manufacturing process differences?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The Intel Core i5-14401E is built on a 10 nm process at Intel. The AMD part also has a die size of 2x 71 mm², while the Intel part has a die size of 215 mm².

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX has an average benchmark score of 81,103. The Intel Core i5-14401E has an average benchmark score of 5,253. The AMD part's nearest rivals by average score include the Intel Xeon w5-3535X at 81,115 and the Intel Core i9-14900KS at 81,127, both with a 0 percent delta. The Intel part's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon E5-2699A v4 at 5,259, which is 0.1 percent ahead.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX uses the Zen 4 architecture under the Dragon Range codename, part of the 8000 series. It is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a transistor count of 13,140 million. The die is composed of 2x 71 mm² chiplets. The Intel Core i5-14401E uses the Raptor Lake architecture under the Raptor Lake-R codename, part of the Core 14th Gen series. It is built on a 10 nm process at Intel, with a die size of 215 mm² and no transistor count recorded.

The cache hierarchies differ substantially. The AMD part allocates 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 1 MB of L2 cache per core, with a 64 MB L3 cache. The Intel part uses 80 KB of L1 per core and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, with a 20 MB shared L3 cache. The AMD design relies on a larger shared L3 pool, which typically benefits multi-threaded workloads with shared data sets.

The integrated graphics also differ. The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX includes a Radeon 610M, while the Intel Core i5-14401E includes UHD Graphics 730. Neither has a 3D V-Cache variant recorded in the database.

The AMD part uses AMD Socket FL1, while the Intel part uses Intel Socket 1700. The AMD part has an unlocked multiplier, while the Intel part does not. The AMD part has 28 PCIe Gen 5 lanes (CPU only), while the Intel part has 16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes (CPU only).

Specification Differences

The specification table highlights several direct contrasts. The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX has 16 cores and 32 threads, while the Intel Core i5-14401E has 6 cores and 12 threads. The base clocks are close, 2.40 GHz versus 2.50 GHz, but the boost clocks differ by 0.60 GHz, with the AMD part reaching 5.30 GHz and the Intel part reaching 4.70 GHz.

The TDP values differ by 10 watts, with the AMD part rated at 55 W and the Intel part at 65 W. The AMD part uses a 5 nm process at TSMC; the Intel part uses a 10 nm process at Intel. The AMD part has 13,140 million transistors and a 2x 71 mm² die size; the Intel part has no transistor count and a 215 mm² die size.

Memory support differs: the AMD part supports DDR5 only, while the Intel part supports DDR4 and DDR5. The AMD part has a recorded memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s; the Intel part has none recorded. ECC memory support also differs: the AMD part does not support ECC, while the Intel part does.

The market segments are different: the AMD part is mobile, and the Intel part is desktop. The release dates are different: the AMD part was released on 2025-04-22, and the Intel part on 2024-06-30. The AMD part has an unlocked multiplier; the Intel part is locked.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The shared benchmark set includes four tests. The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX wins three of them, and the Intel Core i5-14401E wins one.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the AMD part scores 5,355 against the Intel part's 1,830. That is a 192.6 percent delta, the largest margin in the entire comparison. The AMD part's score is nearly three times the Intel part's score, which reflects the 16-core versus 6-core configuration.

In Cinebench R15 single-core, the AMD part scores 292 against the Intel part's 258. The delta is 13.2 percent. This is a closer contest, but the AMD part still wins. The AMD part's higher boost clock of 5.30 GHz likely contributes here, though the Intel part's 4.70 GHz boost is not far behind.

In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the AMD part scores 32,521 against the Intel part's 18,161. The delta is 79.1 percent. The margin is smaller than in R15 multi-core, but it is still a decisive win for the AMD part. The R23 workload scales somewhat differently, but the core advantage still dominates.

In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Intel part scores 2,564 against the AMD part's 1,917. The delta is negative 25.2 percent from the AMD part's perspective. This is the Intel part's only win, and it is a substantial one. The Intel part's single-core score is nearly 34 percent higher than the AMD part's, a reversal of the R15 single-core result. The R23 single-core test appears to favor the Intel architecture more heavily, possibly due to the higher base clock or architectural differences in the Raptor Lake design.

These results show an interesting split. The AMD part dominates multi-core tests by wide margins, while the Intel part wins one single-core test by a wide margin but loses the other single-core test. The data does not support a conclusion that the Intel part is generally faster in single-threaded work; it only shows that it is faster in one specific test iteration.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX wins in every multi-threaded scenario recorded in the database. Its Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 5,355 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,521 place it far ahead of the Intel Core i5-14401E. The 16-core, 32-thread configuration with a 64 MB L3 cache is clearly optimized for parallel workloads. The data also shows a win in Cinebench R15 single-core, so the AMD part is not purely a multi-threaded specialist.

The Intel Core i5-14401E wins in Cinebench R23 single-core, with a score of 2,564 against the AMD part's 1,917. This is the only benchmark where the Intel part leads. The Intel part also supports ECC memory and DDR4, which are features not present on the AMD part. For workloads that depend on the specific R23 single-threaded performance metric, the Intel part has the advantage.

The market segmentation is relevant. The AMD part is a mobile processor, so it fits in laptops and portable workstations. The Intel part is a desktop processor, so it fits in stationary builds. The AMD part's unlocked multiplier and 28 PCIe Gen 5 lanes give it flexibility for overclocking and high-bandwidth expansion. The Intel part's locked multiplier and 16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes are more constrained, but its ECC support and dual memory type compatibility (DDR4 and DDR5) offer flexibility in memory selection.

The percentile data reinforces the split. The AMD part's 95th percentile ranking places it among the top 5 percent of all CPUs in the database. The Intel part's 60th percentile ranking places it above average but not in the upper tier. The nearest rivals for the AMD part include the Intel Xeon w5-3535X and Intel Core i9-14900KS, both with average scores around 81,100 and 0 percent deltas. The nearest rivals for the Intel part include the Intel Xeon E5-2699A v4 and Intel Core i7-11700B, with average scores around 5,250 and deltas near zero. This places the AMD part in a completely different performance class than the Intel part.

For a system builder prioritizing multi-core throughput, the AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX is the clear choice based on the recorded data. For a system builder prioritizing the specific Cinebench R23 single-core metric, the Intel Core i5-14401E has the edge. The two processors also serve different form factors, so the choice may come down to mobile versus desktop requirements. The data does not indicate that the Intel part can match the AMD part in any aggregate performance measure; its only win is a single test.