AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX vs Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX are two flagship mobile processors that land within 0.1% of each other in average benchmark score, with the AMD part scoring 76212 against Intel’s 76155. Both sit in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, making them effectively equivalent in overall performance. The Intel chip wins 10 of 17 head-to-head tests, while the AMD chip takes 7, but the victories are highly workload-specific. The Core Ultra 9 285HX dominates in floating-point math, physics simulations, and encryption, while the Ryzen 9 8945HX counters with massive leads in single-core Cinebench R23 and integer math. Buyers should choose based on their primary workloads: Intel for FP-heavy scientific or physics tasks, AMD for mixed integer and single-threaded productivity.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture of two differently-tuned flagship mobile parts. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX is the stronger all-around performer in raw multithreaded throughput, as shown by its wins in Cinebench R15 multi-core (5656.5 vs 4305, a 23.9% lead) and Cinebench R20 multi-core (20236 vs 17939, an 11.4% lead). Its PassMark multithread score of 56902 also beats AMD’s 51405 by 9.7%. However, the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX strikes back decisively in Cinebench R23 multi-core, posting 42713 against Intel’s 36429.5 — a 17.2% advantage that suggests better sustained load behavior in that specific renderer.

For single-threaded work, the results are contradictory. The AMD chip wins Cinebench R15 single-core by 87.6% (607 vs 323.5) and Cinebench R23 single-core by a massive 175.7% (6030 vs 2187.5), yet the Intel chip wins PassMark single-thread by 15.4% (4618 vs 3907). This suggests the two architectures respond very differently to benchmark methodologies, with AMD’s Zen 4 favoring Cinebench’s instruction mix while Intel’s Arrow Lake excels in PassMark’s test.

Choose the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX for workloads involving floating-point math (194998 vs 117453, a 39.8% lead), prime number finding (460 vs 262, a 43% lead), or physics simulation (3476 vs 2168, a 37.6% lead). Choose the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX for integer-heavy tasks, where it leads by 25.9% in integer math (195180 vs 155076), and for Cinebench R23 rendering workloads, where its 17.2% multi-core and 175.7% single-core advantages are decisive. The AMD chip also wins data compression by 7.3% (677755 vs 631885), making it the better choice for archiving and compression tasks.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX scores 76212 average, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX scores 76155. The difference is 0.1% in AMD’s favor, which is negligible.

Q: Which CPU is better for Cinebench R23 multi-core rendering?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX wins with a score of 42713, beating the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX’s 36429.5 by 17.2%.

Q: Does the Intel chip have an advantage in encoding or encryption tasks?

A: Yes. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX leads in PassMark data encryption with 48567 vs AMD’s 40836, a 15.9% advantage.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX has 24 cores and 24 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX has 16 cores and 32 threads. Intel has more physical cores, but AMD has more threads due to simultaneous multithreading.

Q: Are both processors in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX are in the 95th percentile versus all CPUs.

Q: Which CPU wins in PassMark floating-point math?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX wins PassMark floating-point math with 194998, beating the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX’s 117453 by 39.8%.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is built on Zen 4 architecture with the Dragon Range codename, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It uses 13,140 million transistors across a die size of 2x 71 mm². The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX employs Arrow Lake architecture with the Arrow Lake-HX codename, built on a more advanced 3 nm process also at TSMC. Intel’s chip packs 17,800 million transistors on a single 243 mm² die.

Cache configurations differ substantially. The AMD part features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel chip has 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, but only 36 MB of shared L3. This means AMD’s larger L3 pool likely contributes to its wins in data compression and integer math, while Intel’s larger per-core L1 and L2 may help its floating-point and physics performance.

Memory bandwidth also differs, with Intel offering 102.4 GB/s compared to AMD’s 83.2 GB/s. Both support dual-channel DDR5 memory. Intel’s integrated graphics is the Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU, while AMD uses the Radeon 610M. Intel also supports ECC memory, which AMD does not. PCIe lane counts differ as well: AMD provides Gen 5 with 28 lanes (CPU only), while Intel provides Gen 5 with 20 lanes (CPU only).

Specification Differences

The two chips diverge on core and thread counts: Intel has 24 cores and 24 threads, while AMD has 16 cores and 32 threads. Base clocks are 2.80 GHz for Intel and 2.50 GHz for AMD, while boost clocks are 5.50 GHz for Intel and 5.40 GHz for AMD. Both have a 55 W TDP. The socket types differ — AMD uses Socket FL1, Intel uses BGA 2114.

Process nodes differ: Intel is on 3 nm, AMD on 5 nm. Transistor counts are 17,800 million for Intel and 13,140 million for AMD. Die sizes are 243 mm² for Intel and 2x 71 mm² for AMD. Memory bandwidth is 102.4 GB/s for Intel and 83.2 GB/s for AMD. ECC memory support is present on Intel only. PCIe Gen 5 lanes are 20 for Intel and 28 for AMD.

Cache layouts differ per core: Intel has 192 KB L1 and 3 MB L2 per core, while AMD has 64 KB L1 and 1 MB L2 per core. Total L3 is 36 MB shared on Intel versus 64 MB on AMD. Integrated graphics differ, with Intel using Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU and AMD using Radeon 610M. Launch dates also differ, with Intel releasing on 2025-01-12 and AMD on 2025-04-22. Both have unlocked multipliers.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX claims the biggest overall win in Cinebench R15 multi-core with 5656.5 against AMD’s 4305, a 23.9% margin. Its Cinebench R20 multi-core lead is 20236 vs 17939, an 11.4% advantage. The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX counters with a massive 175.7% win in Cinebench R23 single-core (6030 vs 2187.5) and a 17.2% win in Cinebench R23 multi-core (42713 vs 36429.5).

In PassMark tests, Intel dominates floating-point math (194998 vs 117453, 39.8% lead), physics (3476 vs 2168, 37.6% lead), and find prime numbers (460 vs 262, 43% lead). Intel also wins data encryption (48567 vs 40836, 15.9% lead), multithread (56902 vs 51405, 9.7% lead), and single-thread (4618 vs 3907, 15.4% lead). AMD wins data compression (677755 vs 631885, 7.3% lead), extended instructions (49823 vs 49148, 1.4% lead), integer math (195180 vs 155076, 25.9% lead), and random string sorting (78781 vs 77196, 2.1% lead).

The overall win count is 10 for Intel and 7 for AMD across the 17 head-to-head tests. Notably, AMD’s Cinebench R23 single-core result is an outlier at 175.7% lead, suggesting a benchmark-specific advantage rather than general single-core superiority, since Intel wins PassMark single-thread by 15.4%. The pattern is consistent: Intel excels in FP-heavy and physics workloads, while AMD leads in integer, compression, and Cinebench R23 scenarios.