AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D vs Intel Core Ultra X9 378H Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive overall victory for the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, which wins 13 of the 15 head-to-head comparisons against the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H. The most dramatic separation occurs in PassMark integer math, where AMD posts a score of 222503 against Intel's 92603, a 140.3% advantage. Data compression follows closely with AMD at 785811 versus 386591, a 103.3% delta, and extended instructions shows AMD at 62813 versus 31315, a 100.6% gap. These results indicate the AMD part delivers more than double the throughput in integer-heavy and data-processing workloads.

Cinebench R23 multi-core also favors AMD, with the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D scoring 38161.5 versus Intel's 32553, a 17.2% lead. The gap widens further in Cinebench R15 multi-core, where AMD scores 6042.5 against Intel's 3281, a 84.2% difference. PassMark multithread shows AMD at 62674 versus 38298, a 63.6% advantage, while random string sorting goes to AMD at 83497 versus 44648, an 87% lead. Prime number finding favors AMD at 525 versus 357, a 47.1% difference, and physics tests show AMD at 4687 against 3404, a 37.7% edge. Floating-point math lands at 144122 for AMD and 114500 for Intel, a 25.9% margin, while data encryption sees AMD at 39446 versus 29840, a 32.2% lead.

The Intel Core Ultra X9 378H claims two wins, both in single-core Cinebench tests. In Cinebench R23 single-core, Intel scores 4595 against AMD's 2159.5, a 53% advantage. Cinebench R15 single-core also goes to Intel with 462 versus 332, a 28.1% margin. The PassMark single-thread result is effectively a tie: AMD at 4511 and Intel at 4453, a 1.3% difference in AMD's favor. The data shows Intel's single-core performance is strong, but the overall average benchmark score tells a different story: the Ryzen 9 9955HX3D averages 97453 across all tests, while the Core Ultra X9 378H averages 47468. That difference places AMD in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while Intel sits in the 89th percentile.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D records an average benchmark score of 97453, compared to 47468 for the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H.

Q: Where does Intel beat AMD in the recorded tests?

A: Intel wins Cinebench R15 single-core (462 versus 332) and Cinebench R23 single-core (4595 versus 2159.5). These are the only two tests where Intel leads.

Q: How large is the gap in multi-core rendering performance?

A: In Cinebench R23 multi-core, AMD leads with 38161.5 versus Intel's 32553, a 17.2% advantage. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the gap grows to 84.2% with AMD at 6042.5 and Intel at 3281.

Q: What does the PassMark single-thread score indicate?

A: The PassMark single-thread result is nearly identical: AMD scores 4511 and Intel scores 4453, a 1.3% difference favoring AMD. This contrasts sharply with the Cinebench single-core results, where Intel leads by large margins.

Q: How do the two compare in the 96th and 89th percentiles?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D ranks in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H ranks in the 89th percentile. These percentile values reflect the average benchmark score distribution.

Q: Which processor wins the majority of head-to-head tests?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D wins 13 of 15 head-to-head comparisons, while the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H wins only 2.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D dominates every multi-threaded workload in the database. Its 140.3% lead in integer math, 103.3% lead in data compression, and 100.6% lead in extended instructions show a processor built for heavy parallel processing. The 63.6% advantage in PassMark multithread reinforces this pattern, as do the 84.2% and 17.2% leads in Cinebench R15 and R23 multi-core respectively. Content creation, scientific simulation, and any workload that scales across many threads will favor the AMD part. The 87% lead in random string sorting and the 47.1% lead in prime number finding further confirm its strength in algorithmic and sorting tasks. The 37.7% physics advantage and the 32.2% encryption edge round out a comprehensive multi-core victory.

The Intel Core Ultra X9 378H wins exclusively in Cinebench single-core tests. The 53% margin in Cinebench R23 single-core and the 28.1% margin in Cinebench R15 single-core indicate a processor with exceptional per-thread performance in that specific benchmark. However, the PassMark single-thread result shows only a 1.3% difference between the two, suggesting that Intel's single-core advantage is not universal across all testing methodologies. In the recorded data, Intel's wins are narrow in scope, covering two related tests but not translating to broader single-thread dominance.

For workloads that depend on raw multi-core throughput, the AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D is the clear choice. For applications where Cinebench-style single-core rendering is the primary metric, the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H shows a measurable edge. The data does not show any other category where Intel leads.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several core specifications. The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D has 16 cores and 32 threads, while the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H has 16 cores and 16 threads. AMD's base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz; Intel's base clock is 2.00 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The thermal design power differs substantially: AMD is rated at 55 watts, while Intel is rated at 25 watts.

Memory support differs by type and bandwidth. AMD supports DDR5 with dual-channel memory and a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. Intel supports LPDDR5X with dual-channel memory and a bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s. AMD offers ECC memory support, while Intel does not. PCIe lanes also differ: AMD provides Gen 5 with 28 lanes (CPU only), while Intel provides Gen 5 with 4 lanes (CPU only).

Integrated graphics differ as well. The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D uses a Radeon 610M, while the Intel Core Ultra X9 378H uses an Arc B390. The AMD part has an unlocked multiplier; the Intel part does not. The AMD processor uses AMD Socket FL1, while the Intel part uses Intel BGA 2540. The AMD part number is 100-000001030, while the Intel part number is listed as unknown.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D belongs to the 9000 series, based on the Zen 5 architecture under the Fire Range codename. It is manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC, with a transistor count of 16,630 million and a die size of 2x 70.6 mm². The Intel Core Ultra X9 378H is part of the Core Ultra Series 3, based on the Panther Lake codename under the Panther Lake-H generation. It is manufactured on a 3 nm process at Intel, with no transistor count or die size recorded in the database.

Cache structures differ significantly. The AMD processor provides 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 128 MB of L3 cache. The Intel processor provides 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 2.5 MB of L2 cache per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD L3 cache size is more than seven times larger than Intel's, which helps explain its multi-threaded performance advantages in the recorded benchmarks.

The makeup of the Intel processor includes 16 threads for 16 cores, which indicates no simultaneous multithreading, while the AMD processor doubles its core count to 32 threads. The release dates differ by over a year: AMD launched on 2025-01-05, while Intel launched on 2026-04-03. Both processors target the mobile market segment and hold active production status. The AMD part has a higher TDP rating, a larger cache footprint, and a wider PCIe lane allocation, while the Intel part uses a more advanced process node and supports a higher memory bandwidth.