AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX vs Intel Core 7 350 Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and Intel Core 7 350 occupy completely different corners of the mobile processor market, and the benchmark data reflects that divide with unusual clarity. Across the recorded head-to-head tests, the AMD part claims 15 wins while the Intel part takes 2, but the margins and the specific workloads tell a more nuanced story than the raw tally suggests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result in the entire comparison comes from PassMark integer math, where the Ryzen 9 8945HX scores 195180 against 33734 for the Core 7 350, a 478.6% advantage. This is the single largest delta in the dataset and underscores the fundamental throughput gap between a 16-core, 32-thread processor and a 6-core, 6-thread part. Cinebench R23 multicore tells a similar story, with the AMD chip scoring 42713 versus 8030, a 431.9% lead. That result is the largest Cinebench margin recorded, though the R20 multicore test shows a smaller but still dominant gap of 233.9% (17939 against 5373), and R15 multicore shows 252.9% (4305 against 1220).

Single-threaded performance is where the picture shifts slightly. The Ryzen 9 8945HX still wins every Cinebench single-core test, but the margins compress dramatically. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the AMD part scores 6030 against 2046, a 194.7% advantage. The R20 single-core test shows a 234% delta (2532 against 758), and R15 single-core shows 107.9% (607 against 292). These are large leads, but they are smaller than the multicore gaps, indicating that the Intel part's single-core efficiency is relatively stronger than its multicore scaling.

The PassMark suite reveals a split. In PassMark single-thread, the Intel Core 7 350 actually wins, scoring 4100 against 3907, a 4.7% margin in favor of Intel. This is the only single-thread benchmark where Intel leads, and it is also the only PassMark test the Intel chip wins outright. The other Intel win is the duplicate PassMark singlethread entry, which records the same scores and the same 4.7% delta. Every other PassMark test goes to AMD, often by very large margins. Data compression shows 677755 against 143123, a 373.5% gap. Data encryption shows 40836 against 10933, a 273.5% gap. Extended instructions show 49823 against 12045, a 313.6% gap. Floating point math shows 117453 against 42809, a 174.4% gap. Random string sorting shows 78781 against 17238, a 357% gap. Multithread shows 51405 against 15170, a 238.9% gap. Find prime numbers shows 262 against 107, a 144.9% gap. Physics shows 2168 against 1173, an 84.8% gap, the smallest AMD win in the entire head-to-head set.

Where Each One Wins

The Ryzen 9 8945HX wins in every category that scales with core count, thread count, or cache capacity. The data shows dominant results in multicore rendering workloads, integer and floating point math, data compression, data encryption, extended instruction processing, random string sorting, and prime number finding. The physics test, which often reflects both CPU throughput and memory subsystem behavior, also goes to AMD, though with the narrowest margin in the comparison at 84.8%. For workloads that hammer all available execution resources, such as video encoding, 3D scene rendering, scientific simulation, or database operations, the recorded scores indicate the AMD part is in a different performance class.

The Intel Core 7 350 wins exactly one distinct benchmark category: PassMark single-thread. The 4100 score against 3907 represents a 4.7% edge, which is modest but consistent across both entries of the same test. This suggests that for lightly threaded tasks that depend on a single core's peak speed, such as basic office responsiveness, web browsing, or legacy single-threaded applications, the Intel part has a slight advantage. The fact that Intel wins this test despite having a lower boost clock (4.80 against 5.40) and fewer cores indicates that the architectural efficiency of the Intel design, built on a 3 nm process, delivers strong per-core performance in this specific benchmark.

Architecture Differences

The two processors use fundamentally different designs. The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is built on Zen 4 architecture under the Dragon Range codename, part of the 8000 series, using a 5 nm process from TSMC. It packs 16 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of L3 cache, for a total of 13,140 million transistors across a dual-die design with 2x 71 mm² die sizes. It supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and it offers PCIe Gen 5 with 28 lanes from the CPU. The integrated graphics are Radeon 610M. The TDP is 55 watts, and the multiplier is unlocked for overclocking. It uses AMD Socket FL1.

The Intel Core 7 350 uses the Wildcat Lake codename, part of the Core 5 generation, built on a 3 nm process from Intel's own foundry. It has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 1.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. The cache configuration is different: 192 KB of L1 per core, 2.5 MB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3. The L1 and L2 per-core figures are larger than AMD's, but the total L3 is far smaller at 6 MB against 64 MB. It supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X memory over a single-channel bus with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth, which is lower than the AMD part's dual-channel 83.2 GB/s. PCIe support is Gen 4 with 6 lanes from the CPU, a significant reduction in expansion capability. The integrated graphics are Intel Xe3 Graphics with 2 Xe cores. The TDP is 15 watts, much lower than the AMD part's 55 watts, and the multiplier is locked. It uses Intel BGA 1516.

The process node difference is notable: Intel uses a 3 nm process, while AMD uses 5 nm. The Intel part also lacks a recorded transistor count or die size in the database, and it has no listed architecture name beyond the Wildcat Lake codename. The Core 7 350 is also a single-channel memory part, which likely contributes to its lower memory bandwidth figure. The AMD part's dual-channel memory and 64 MB of L3 give it a substantial advantage in cache-sensitive and bandwidth-hungry workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX has 16 cores and 32 threads. The Intel Core 7 350 has 6 cores and 6 threads.

Q: What is the single-thread performance difference?

A: The Intel Core 7 350 wins PassMark single-thread with a score of 4100 against 3907, a 4.7% margin. However, the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX wins all Cinebench single-core tests, with margins ranging from 107.9% in R15 to 234% in R20.

Q: How do the cache sizes compare?

A: The AMD part has 64 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 64 MB L3. The Intel part has 192 KB L1 per core, 2.5 MB L2 per core, and 6 MB shared L3.

Q: What memory configurations do they support?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX supports DDR5 over dual-channel memory with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel Core 7 350 supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X over single-channel memory with 59.7 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the TDP ratings?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX has a TDP of 55 watts. The Intel Core 7 350 has a TDP of 15 watts.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX boosts to 5.40 GHz. The Intel Core 7 350 boosts to 4.80 GHz.

The Verdict

The benchmark data separates these two processors into distinct roles. The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is the clear performance leader in nearly every recorded test, dominating multicore workloads by margins between 84.8% and 478.6%. Its 16-core, 32-thread configuration, 64 MB of L3 cache, and dual-channel memory bandwidth make it the appropriate choice for any workload that leverages parallel execution or large data sets. The 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs in the database reinforces this position, as does its average benchmark score of 76212, which places it within 0.4% of the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and 0.1% of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX.

The Intel Core 7 350 is a different kind of product. Its single PassMark single-thread win, with a 4.7% edge over the AMD part, suggests that it handles lightly threaded tasks with slightly better efficiency. The 3 nm process, 15 watt TDP, and locked multiplier position it as a low-power part for systems where energy consumption and thermal output are primary constraints. Its 71st percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 17779 place it near the Intel Core 5 221TE (within 0.5%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT (within 0.6%). The data does not support using the Core 7 350 for demanding parallel workloads; the Ryzen 9 8945HX outperforms it by over 400% in Cinebench R23 multicore and by nearly 480% in integer math.

The choice between these two depends entirely on the workload profile. For multicore rendering, data processing, encryption, or any task that scales with core count, the Ryzen 9 8945HX is the only option that the recorded benchmarks support. For a low-power system focused on single-threaded responsiveness, the Core 7 350 offers a small measurable advantage in PassMark single-thread, though it sacrifices the massive multicore headroom of the AMD part. The launch MSRP for the Intel Core 7 350 is $469; the AMD part has no recorded launch MSRP in the database.