AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX vs Intel Core Ultra 5 225T Comparison

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX and Intel Core Ultra 5 225T occupy very different positions in the desktop and mobile processor landscape. The data shows a decisive performance gap, with the AMD part winning 14 of the 15 head-to-head benchmark comparisons. The Intel chip manages a single victory, but the magnitude of AMD's wins in heavily threaded workloads is substantial.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided results appear in multi-threaded and compute-heavy tests. In PassMark integer math, the Ryzen 9 9955HX scores 212,598 against 59,543 for the Core Ultra 5 225T, a delta of 257%. This is the largest percentage gap in the entire comparison. Data compression follows closely, with AMD at 731,998 versus Intel's 233,998, a 212.8% advantage. Extended instruction throughput shows a similar story: 57,946 for AMD versus 20,083 for Intel, a 188.5% difference.

Cinebench R23 multi-core reinforces the trend. The AMD processor scores 37,159, while the Intel part manages 21,971, putting AMD 69.1% ahead. The older Cinebench R15 multi-core test shows an even wider spread: 5,905 versus 2,214, a 166.7% delta. PassMark multi-thread results are also decisive, with AMD at 56,171 and Intel at 25,358, a 121.5% gap. Random string sorting goes 170.7% in AMD's favor (77,890 versus 28,774), and data encryption shows a 104.1% lead (37,330 versus 18,289).

The floating-point math test is less extreme but still firmly AMD's. The Ryzen 9 9955HX posts 136,682, which is 65.2% higher than the Intel's 82,751. PassMark physics shows a 32.5% lead for AMD (2,720 versus 2,053). The closest contests are in single-threaded integer work. PassMark single-thread scores are 4,393 for AMD and 4,348 for Intel, a 1% difference. Find prime numbers is nearly identical, 287 versus 284, a 1.1% edge for AMD.

The single Intel win comes in Cinebench R23 single-core. Intel scores 3,101, which is 29.9% higher than AMD's 2,174. This is a notable outlier, as the Cinebench R15 single-core test shows AMD ahead at 336 versus 312, a 7.7% margin. The R23 single-core result suggests Intel's architecture has an advantage in that specific rendering workload, but it does not carry over to other single-thread tests.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 91,199, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T averages 30,468, which puts it in the 82nd percentile.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The database shows the Ryzen 9 9955HX at 0.5% ahead of the Intel Xeon 654 and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 392. It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Xeon 6520P by 2.8% in both cases.

Q: What are the nearest competitors to the Intel Core Ultra 5 225T?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225T is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11980HK and 0.3% ahead of both the AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS and the AMD Ryzen 7 7736U. It sits 0.3% behind the Intel Core i5-13600H.

Q: Does the Intel processor win any benchmark at all?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225T wins the Cinebench R23 single-core test with a score of 3,101, which is 29.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX's 2,174.

Q: Which processor has the higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX has a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T has a boost clock of 4.90 GHz.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T supports dual-channel DDR5 with a maximum memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX also supports dual-channel DDR5, but its memory bandwidth is 89.6 GB/s.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures. The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX uses the Zen 5 architecture with the Fire Range codename, fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It is a 16-core, 32-thread design with 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1 MB of L2 per core. The shared L3 cache is 64 MB. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T uses the Arrow Lake architecture with the Arrow Lake-S codename, built on a 3 nm process, also at TSMC. It is a 10-core, 10-thread design with 192 KB of L1 per core and 3 MB of L2 per core. Its shared L3 cache is 20 MB.

The transistor counts differ as well. The AMD chip contains 16,630 million transistors across a dual-die design with each die measuring 70.6 mm². Intel's part has 17,800 million transistors on a single 243 mm² die. Both support DDR5 memory and dual-channel buses, but the AMD processor supports ECC memory while the Intel part does not.

PCIe lane availability also separates them. The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX provides 28 PCIe Gen 5 lanes from the CPU, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 225T offers 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. The integrated graphics differ as well: AMD uses a Radeon 610M iGPU, while Intel uses Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 16 execution units.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts represent the most obvious specification split. AMD offers 16 cores and 32 threads, while Intel offers 10 cores and 10 threads. The base clocks are identical at 2.50 GHz for both, but the boost clocks diverge: 5.40 GHz for AMD versus 4.90 GHz for Intel. The TDP ratings differ, with AMD at 55 watts and Intel at 65 watts.

Memory bandwidth is another differentiator, with Intel at 102.4 GB/s and AMD at 89.6 GB/s. ECC memory support is present on AMD but absent on Intel. The AMD processor uses the AMD Socket FL1, while Intel uses Socket 1851. The AMD part has an unlocked multiplier, while the Intel part is locked. The AMD processor is classified as mobile, while the Intel part is a desktop segment product. Their release dates are close, with AMD on 2025-01-05 and Intel on 2024-12-31.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX wins across nearly every measured workload. Its 16-core, 32-thread configuration delivers dominant multi-threaded performance, as shown by the large margins in Cinebench R15 and R23 multi-core tests, PassMark multi-thread, integer math, data compression, and encryption. For users running heavily parallel workloads such as video rendering, 3D scene compilation, scientific computing, or large data compression tasks, the AMD processor provides the clear performance advantage.

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T wins only in Cinebench R23 single-core. This indicates a specific strength in lightly threaded rendering tasks that rely on that particular benchmark. For workloads that depend on single-core performance in Cinebench R23 specifically, the Intel part is the better choice. However, its single-thread results in PassMark are essentially tied with AMD, so this advantage does not generalize across all single-threaded applications.

The Intel part also has a higher memory bandwidth specification (102.4 GB/s versus 89.6 GB/s), which could benefit memory-sensitive tasks, though the benchmark data does not isolate that variable. Its smaller 10-core, 10-thread design and lower boost clock suggest it is aimed at efficiency-conscious desktop builds rather than maximum throughput.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear separation of roles. The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX is the performance leader in almost every recorded test. Its 14 out of 15 head-to-head wins, combined with an average score of 91,199 against Intel's 30,468, places it in a different performance class. The 96th percentile ranking versus Intel's 82nd percentile reinforces this. Users who need maximum multi-threaded throughput for content creation, simulation, or heavy data processing should select the AMD part.

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225T has one distinct advantage in Cinebench R23 single-core, where it beats AMD by 29.9%. That makes it the suitable option for workflows that are dominated by that specific single-threaded rendering benchmark. Its 65-watt TDP and 10-thread design also make it a more modest power draw for desktop systems that do not require the full core count of the AMD processor. The data indicates that the Intel part holds a narrower niche, while the AMD processor dominates the broader performance landscape.