AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX vs Intel Core 5 211E Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX records an average benchmark score of 91199, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Core 5 211E scores 37829 on average, which puts it in the 86th percentile.

Q: How do the two chips compare in Cinebench R23 multi-core performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX scores 37159 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, while the Intel Core 5 211E scores 20389. This gives the AMD part an 82.3% lead in that test.

Q: Does the Intel chip win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison?

A: Yes, the Intel Core 5 211E wins Cinebench R23 single-core with a score of 2878 versus the AMD's 2174, a 24.5% advantage for Intel in that specific test.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX features 16 cores and 32 threads. The Intel Core 5 211E has 10 cores and 16 threads.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX boosts to 5.40 GHz, while the Intel Core 5 211E boosts to 4.90 GHz. The AMD chip's base clock is 2.50 GHz, and the Intel's base clock is 2.70 GHz.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX supports dual-channel DDR5 with a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The Intel Core 5 211E also uses a dual-channel memory bus, with 76.8 GB/s bandwidth, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to a clear performance hierarchy: the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX dominates the Intel Core 5 211E in nearly every measured workload. Of the 15 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, the AMD part wins 14. The Intel chip takes only one, Cinebench R23 single-core. The AMD's average benchmark score of 91199 is roughly 2.4 times the Intel's 37829. Its percentile ranking of 96 versus 86 reinforces that gap in the broader CPU landscape.

Who should pick which depends on workload type. The Ryzen 9 9955HX is the obvious choice for multi-threaded rendering, data compression, encryption, physics simulation, and any task that scales with core count. Its 16 cores and 32 threads, combined with a 64 MB shared L3 cache, produce massive leads in PassMark integer math, floating-point math, and prime number finding. The Intel Core 5 211E, conversely, shows a single-core advantage in Cinebench R23, but that win is isolated. In PassMark single-thread, the AMD still leads by 9.7%.

The Intel part is a desktop processor with a 65 W TDP, while the AMD is a mobile part with a 55 W TDP. For users constrained to the Intel Socket 1700 platform, the Core 5 211E is the only option of the two. But for raw performance, the database is unambiguous: the Ryzen 9 9955HX delivers a substantially higher multi-core output across all tested suites.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single delta in the entire comparison is in PassMark find prime numbers. The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX scores 287 against the Intel's 43, a 567.4% difference. This test is highly sensitive to core count and memory latency, and the AMD's 16-core design with 32 threads simply overwhelms the Intel's 10-core, 16-thread configuration.

Cinebench R15 multi-core shows a 187.3% lead for the AMD (5905 versus 2055). This is an older benchmark, but the pattern holds in newer versions too: Cinebench R23 multi-core gives the AMD an 82.3% advantage (37159 versus 20389). The scaling is not perfectly linear, which suggests the Intel part benefits from its higher base clock in shorter workloads, but the core deficit remains decisive.

PassMark extended instructions is another major win for the AMD, with a score of 57946 versus 21592, a 168.4% delta. This test exercises AVX and other instruction set extensions, and the Zen 5 architecture's implementation appears to be far more efficient here. Similarly, PassMark integer math shows a 141.3% lead (212598 versus 88117), and floating-point math shows a 105.8% lead (136682 versus 66402).

The AMD also wins PassMark multithread by 135.7% (56171 versus 23833) and PassMark physics by 287.5% (2720 versus 702). Physics simulations often rely on both core count and cache hierarchy; the AMD's 64 MB L3 versus the Intel's 20 MB likely contributes to this gap. Data compression and encryption favor the AMD by 111.1% and 108.1%, respectively. Random string sorting goes to the AMD by 127%.

The only Intel victory, Cinebench R23 single-core, is notable: 2878 versus 2174, a 24.5% margin. This indicates that the Intel Core 5 211E has a higher per-core frequency capability in lightly threaded workloads, at least in this specific test. However, in PassMark single-thread, the AMD still wins narrowly, 4393 versus 4006, a 9.7% margin. The single-core picture is therefore mixed, with Intel ahead in one Cinebench test and AMD ahead in the PassMark single-thread suite.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several fundamental specifications. The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX uses 16 cores and 32 threads, while the Intel Core 5 211E uses 10 cores and 16 threads. Base clocks are 2.50 GHz for AMD and 2.70 GHz for Intel; boost clocks are 5.40 GHz and 4.90 GHz, respectively.

TDP ratings differ: the AMD is rated at 55 W, the Intel at 65 W. The AMD uses AMD Socket FL1, while the Intel uses Intel Socket 1700. The AMD's L2 cache is 1 MB per core, whereas the Intel's is 2 MB per core. The AMD's L3 cache is 64 MB shared, compared to Intel's 20 MB shared. The AMD supports only DDR5 memory, while the Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5. Memory bandwidth is 89.6 GB/s for AMD and 76.8 GB/s for Intel.

PCIe lanes differ: the AMD provides Gen 5 with 28 lanes (CPU only), while the Intel provides Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only). Integrated graphics also differ: the AMD uses Radeon 610M, and the Intel uses UHD Graphics 730. The AMD has an unlocked multiplier; the Intel does not. The Intel has a launch MSRP of $221; the AMD has no listed launch MSRP. The AMD's process node is 4 nm from TSMC, while the Intel's is 10 nm from Intel. Die size is 2x 70.6 mm² for AMD versus 257 mm² for Intel. The AMD has 16,630 million transistors; the Intel has no transistor count listed. Release dates are close: the AMD launched on 2025-01-05, and the Intel on 2025-01-12.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX is built on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Fire Range, and belongs to the 9000 series. It uses a 4 nm process from TSMC. The dual-die design (2x 70.6 mm²) with 16,630 million transistors suggests a chiplet approach, which is typical for high-core-count mobile parts. The 64 MB shared L3 cache is a distinctive feature, providing a large pool for multi-threaded workloads.

The Intel Core 5 211E is based on the Bartlett Lake codename, part of the Core 5 generation. It uses a 10 nm process from Intel, with a monolithic die of 257 mm². The L3 cache is 20 MB shared, and L2 is 2 MB per core, double the AMD's per-core L2. This per-core L2 advantage may help with certain latency-sensitive single-thread tasks, but the overall cache capacity strongly favors AMD.

The AMD's memory support is limited to DDR5, while the Intel supports both DDR4 and DDR5. This gives the Intel platform more flexibility for legacy memory, but the AMD's higher memory bandwidth (89.6 GB/s versus 76.8 GB/s) suggests a faster memory subsystem when using DDR5. Both support ECC memory.

The AMD has 28 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, versus Intel's 16. This could matter for multi-GPU or high-bandwidth storage configurations, though both are Gen 5 capable. The AMD's integrated graphics, Radeon 610M, is a basic iGPU; the Intel's UHD Graphics 730 is also entry-level. Neither is positioned as a gaming-class integrated solution.

The AMD is a mobile processor (market segment: Mobile), while the Intel is a desktop processor. Despite this, the AMD's TDP is lower at 55 W versus 65 W, which makes its performance lead even more notable given the lower power envelope.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX wins across nearly all compute-heavy categories. In Cinebench R15 and R23 multi-core, the AMD is far ahead, making it the stronger choice for 3D rendering, video encoding, and compilation workloads that use many threads. PassMark integer math, floating-point math, and extended instructions all favor the AMD by margins from 105.8% to 168.4%, which covers scientific computing, financial modeling, and any SIMD-heavy code.

Data compression and encryption, which often rely on both core count and cache capacity, show AMD leads of 111.1% and 108.1%. Physics simulation is a landslide for the AMD, with a 287.5% advantage, indicating that the 16-core design handles rigid-body and particle dynamics far more effectively. Prime number finding is the most extreme case, with a 567.4% lead, a result that underscores the AMD's raw integer throughput.

The Intel Core 5 211E wins only Cinebench R23 single-core, with a 24.5% margin. This suggests that in a specific lightly threaded rendering task, the Intel's higher base clock (2.70 GHz) and larger per-core L2 cache (2 MB) deliver a measurable benefit. However, this advantage does not carry over to PassMark single-thread, where the AMD wins by 9.7%. So the Intel's single-core edge is real but narrow and inconsistent across different single-thread benchmarks.

For users who prioritize per-core frequency in a single application that is known to be Cinebench R23 sensitive, the Intel could be considered. For everything else, the data points to the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX as the dominant processor. The Intel's 65 W TDP and desktop platform may be easier to cool in a fixed chassis, but the AMD achieves higher performance with a lower TDP, which is a strong indicator of architectural efficiency. The Intel's only other advantage is memory flexibility (DDR4 support), which is a platform consideration rather than a performance one.