AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 vs Intel Core 3 304 Comparison

# AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 vs Intel Core 3 304

The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 and Intel Core 3 304 represent two distinctly different approaches to mobile computing. The AMD part is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture, while the Intel Core 3 304 is a 5-core, 5-thread chip using the Wildcat Lake codename. Benchmark data shows a clear overall winner, but the single-core results reveal a more nuanced picture. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 wins 14 of the 15 recorded head-to-head comparisons, with the Intel Core 3 304 taking exactly one victory. The average benchmark scores reinforce this gap, with the AMD chip recording 25981 points against 13745 for the Intel processor.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive separation appears in multi-core workloads. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 scores 12532 against 5263 for the Intel Core 3 304, a 138.1% advantage. Cinebench R15 multi-core shows a similar pattern: 1915 versus 849, which translates to a 125.6% lead. These are not marginal differences; the AMD processor more than doubles the Intel chip in both tests.

PassMark integer math delivers the largest single delta. The AMD part records 63078, while the Intel Core 3 304 manages 24640, giving the AMD chip a 156% lead. Data compression follows closely, with the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 scoring 229796 against 114775, a 100.2% advantage that again represents a doubling of throughput. Random string sorting shows an 82.8% gap, with scores of 24970 for AMD and 13659 for Intel.

Extended instruction workloads favor the AMD chip by 69.7%, with 16440 versus 9686. PassMark multi-thread results show the AMD processor at 19506 against 11625, a 67.8% margin. Data encryption produces a 34.9% difference, with 11470 for AMD and 8501 for Intel. Floating point math shows a 34.5% lead, as the AMD part scores 39967 and the Intel chip records 29722. Physics simulation results follow the same trend: 1095 for AMD, 868 for Intel, a 26.2% gap. Prime number finding is the closest multi-core comparison, with 72 for AMD and 68 for Intel, a 5.9% margin.

Single-core results are closer. Cinebench R23 single-core gives the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 a 1915.5 score against 1765 for Intel, an 8.5% lead. PassMark single-thread shows 3683 for AMD and 3614 for Intel, only a 1.9% difference. However, Cinebench R15 single-core is the one test the Intel Core 3 304 wins, scoring 264 against 242.6 for AMD, an 8.1% advantage. This single win demonstrates that the Intel architecture retains competitiveness in lightly threaded, older workloads.

Architecture Differences

The two processors diverge fundamentally in their design choices. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 uses the Zen 5 architecture under the Krackan Point codename, part of the Ryzen AI 300 generation that mixes Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores. It is built on a 4 nm process at TSMC with a die size of 195 mm². The Intel Core 3 304 uses the Wildcat Lake codename within the Core 3 generation, fabricated on a 3 nm process at Intel. The architecture field for the Intel part is not recorded, but the generation label indicates the design lineage.

Core and thread counts create the largest structural difference. The AMD processor offers 6 cores and 12 threads, enabling simultaneous multithreading. The Intel Core 3 304 provides 5 cores and 5 threads, with no hyper-threading support. This explains much of the multi-core performance gap. The AMD chip can process 12 threads concurrently, while the Intel chip processes only 5.

Clock speeds also favor AMD. The Ryzen AI 5 340 has a base clock of 2.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. The Intel Core 3 304 operates at a 1.50 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost. The higher boost clock on the AMD processor contributes to its single-core advantage in most tests, though the Intel part manages to win Cinebench R15 single-core despite the clock deficit.

Cache layouts reflect the different core counts. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 provides 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 8 MB of L3 cache. The Intel Core 3 304 has 192 KB of L1 cache, 2.5 MB of L2 cache, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The per-core L2 allocation is higher on the Intel chip, but the total cache resources favor AMD in L3 capacity.

Memory architecture shows a major divergence. The AMD processor supports dual-channel DDR5 and LPDDR5X memory with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The Intel Core 3 304 also supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X, but only in single-channel mode, capping bandwidth at 59.7 GB/s. This 29.9 GB/s bandwidth deficit directly affects memory-sensitive workloads.

PCIe connectivity also differs. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 provides Gen 4 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The Intel Core 3 304 offers Gen 4 with only 6 lanes. This affects expandability for GPUs and high-speed storage.

Power targets are another distinguishing factor. The AMD chip has a 28 W TDP, while the Intel part is rated at 15 W. The higher power envelope on the AMD processor supports its additional cores and higher clock speeds. Process nodes differ as well, with AMD using TSMC's 4 nm process and Intel using its own 3 nm node. The Intel chip uses the BGA 1516 socket, while AMD uses Socket FP8.

Integrated graphics also differ. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 includes Radeon 840M graphics. The Intel Core 3 304 features Intel Xe3 Graphics with 1 Xe core. Neither processor supports ECC memory, and both have locked multipliers.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 dominates in every multi-threaded scenario recorded. Content creation workloads such as video encoding, 3D rendering, and software compilation rely heavily on thread throughput, and the recorded Cinebench results confirm the AMD chip's strength. The 12532 score in Cinebench R23 multi-core places it in a performance class well above the Intel part's 5263. Similarly, the PassMark multi-thread score of 19506 against 11625 indicates substantial headroom for parallel workloads.

The Intel Core 3 304 finds its single win in Cinebench R15 single-core, scoring 264 versus 242.6. This result suggests that in legacy single-threaded applications optimized for older instruction paths, the Intel chip can outperform. The 1.9% PassMark single-thread margin in favor of AMD, however, indicates that this advantage does not extend across all single-threaded tests.

The AMD processor also wins in tasks that stress memory bandwidth. With dual-channel support and 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth, the AMD chip has a structural advantage over the Intel part's single-channel 59.7 GB/s. Data compression, which is sensitive to both memory bandwidth and thread count, shows a 100.2% difference. Random string sorting, another memory-heavy workload, shows an 82.8% gap. These results indicate that the memory architecture difference compounds the core count advantage.

For workloads that rely on extended instruction sets, the AMD chip leads by 69.7%. This matters for scientific computing, cryptography, and media processing that use modern SIMD instructions. The PassMark extended instructions score of 16440 for AMD versus 9686 for Intel confirms the AMD processor's superior instruction throughput.

The Intel Core 3 304 does offer the advantage of a lower 15 W TDP. In thermally constrained chassis where sustained power draw is a priority, the Intel chip may fit into designs that cannot accommodate the AMD processor's 28 W requirement. The 3 nm process node also indicates a newer manufacturing technology, though the recorded performance data does not show a corresponding efficiency benefit in benchmark scores.

The Verdict

The benchmark data shows an unambiguous performance hierarchy. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 outperforms the Intel Core 3 304 in 14 of 15 recorded tests, with margins ranging from 1.9% to 156%. The average benchmark score of 25981 for the AMD chip against 13745 for Intel places the two processors in different performance tiers. The AMD part records a 78th percentile ranking against all CPUs, while the Intel chip sits at the 68th percentile.

The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 benefits from 6 cores and 12 threads, a 4.80 GHz boost clock, dual-channel memory, and a 28 W power envelope. These specifications translate into doubling performance in multi-core Cinebench tests and a 156% lead in integer math. The processor's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-14701TE with an average score of 26013, a 0.1% difference, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8640HS at 26106, a 0.5% gap. This places the Ryzen AI 5 340 in competitive territory with higher-tier desktop and mobile processors.

The Intel Core 3 304 targets a different segment. With 5 cores, 5 threads, a 4.30 GHz boost clock, and single-channel memory, it is designed for power-constrained mobile devices. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX at 13786, a 0.3% difference, and the Intel Core i7-8750H at 13868, a 0.9% gap. These comparisons show that the Intel Core 3 304 performs at the level of much older high-end processors, not current-generation competitors.

The one Intel victory in Cinebench R15 single-core does not offset the broader pattern. The AMD chip wins Cinebench R23 single-core by 8.5% and PassMark single-thread by 1.9%, indicating better modern single-threaded performance. The Intel win appears isolated to a specific legacy benchmark rather than representing a general strength.

Buyers seeking maximum compute performance in a mobile processor should choose the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340. The data shows consistent, substantial wins across every workload category except one. Buyers prioritizing the lowest power draw, with the 15 W TDP and 3 nm process, may consider the Intel Core 3 304, but they must accept a significant performance reduction. The launch MSRP for the Intel part is $309.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 has 6 cores and 12 threads. The Intel Core 3 304 has 5 cores and 5 threads.

Q: What is the largest performance difference between the two processors?

A: The largest difference is in PassMark integer math, where the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 scores 63078 against 24640 for the Intel Core 3 304, a 156% advantage.

Q: Does the Intel Core 3 304 win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, the Intel Core 3 304 wins Cinebench R15 single-core with a score of 264 against 242.6 for the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340, an 8.1% margin.

Q: What memory configurations do the two processors support?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 supports dual-channel DDR5 and LPDDR5X with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel Core 3 304 supports single-channel DDR5 and LPDDR5X with 59.7 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: How do the average benchmark scores compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 has an average benchmark score of 25981. The Intel Core 3 304 has an average benchmark score of 13745.

Q: What are the power ratings for each processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 has a TDP of 28 W. The Intel Core 3 304 has a TDP of 15 W.