AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 vs Intel Core i9-12900HK Comparison

The Intel Core i9-12900HK and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340 bookend two very different mobile philosophies, yet the database places them in the same neighborhood: both sit in the 78th percentile of all recorded CPUs, with average benchmark scores of 26469 and 25981 respectively. That near-parity in overall standing conceals a sharply split profile. The i9-12900HK dominates every multi-threaded workload, while the Zen 5-based Ryzen AI 5 340 wins the modern single-core tests, often by double digits. The recorded data tells a clear story of raw throughput versus per-core efficiency.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: The Intel Core i9-12900HK. It wins 11 of the 15 recorded head-to-head benchmarks, including every multi-threaded test, and holds the higher average benchmark score at 26469 versus 25981.

Q: Which CPU is faster in single-threaded work?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI 5 340. It leads the Cinebench R23 single-core test 1915.5 to 1673, a 12.7 percent gap, and edges the i9 in PassMark single-thread, 3683 to 3567. The two are effectively tied in Cinebench R15 single-core at 242.6 versus 242.

Q: How large is the multi-core gap?

A: Substantial. The i9-12900HK scores 18288 in Cinebench R23 multi-core against 12532 for the Ryzen AI 5 340, a 45.9 percent lead, and posts similarly wide margins in Cinebench R15 multi-core (45.5 percent) and PassMark multithread (31.7 percent).

Q: How do their rivals compare?

A: Per the database, the i9-12900HK's nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-1280P and AMD Ryzen 5 8640U, both matching its average score, while the Ryzen AI 5 340 sits within a fraction of a percent of the Intel Core i7-14701TE and AMD Ryzen 5 8640HS.

Q: Which chip has the lower power rating?

A: The Ryzen AI 5 340, with a TDP of 28 watts versus 45 watts for the i9-12900HK.

Q: Can either CPU be overclocked?

A: The i9-12900HK has an unlocked multiplier. The Ryzen AI 5 340 does not.

Architecture Differences

These two processors come from different eras and different design doctrines. The i9-12900HK is Intel's Alder Lake-H flagship, built on Intel's own 10 nm process with a 217 mm² die. It pairs 14 cores and 20 threads in a hybrid layout, boosting to 5.00 GHz from a 2.50 GHz base. Its cache hierarchy is generous: 1.25 MB of L2 per core and 24 MB of shared L3, alongside 80 KB of L1 per core.

The Ryzen AI 5 340 is the newer part by a wide margin, released at the start of 2025 versus January 2022 for the Alder Lake chip. Its Krackan Point design is manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm node across a slightly smaller 195 mm² die. It mixes Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores for a total of 6 cores and 12 threads, running between a 2.00 GHz base and a 4.80 GHz boost. Cache is where the AMD part concedes ground: 1 MB of L2 per core and just 8 MB of L3, one third of the Intel chip's shared pool.

Memory support diverges too. The i9 spans both DDR4 and DDR5 on a dual-channel bus, while the Ryzen is DDR5 and LPDDR5X only, with a recorded memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. On PCIe, Intel offers Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes against AMD's Gen 4 with 16 CPU lanes. Integrated graphics differ in kind: Iris Xe 96EU for Intel, Radeon 840M for AMD. Sockets are naturally incompatible, Intel BGA 1744 versus AMD Socket FP8, both soldered mobile packages.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The multi-threaded picture is a rout. The i9-12900HK's 14 cores and 20 threads translate directly into scores: 18288 versus 12532 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 2786 versus 1915 in R15 multi-core, and 25697 versus 19506 in the PassMark multithread test. Those are leads of 45.9, 45.5, and 31.7 percent respectively. The gap tracks core count almost exactly, which is what the database would predict from a 20-thread part facing a 12-thread one.

The PassMark suite repeats the pattern with even more emphatic margins in places. Floating point math is the widest gap of the entire comparison: 63572 versus 39967, a 59.1 percent advantage for Intel. Physics lands at 52.8 percent in Intel's favor, 1673 to 1095, and data encryption at 52.1 percent, 17445 to 11470. Integer math (41.9 percent), prime finding (41.7 percent), string sorting (32.1 percent), data compression (28.3 percent), and extended instructions (7 percent) all go the same way. Not a single multi-threaded test favors the AMD chip.

Single-threaded results invert that hierarchy, at least in the newer tests. Cinebench R23 single-core goes to the Ryzen AI 5 340, 1915.5 to 1673, a 12.7 percent win that reflects the per-clock strength of Zen 5. PassMark single-thread also favors AMD, 3683 to 3567, a 3.1 percent edge. The older Cinebench R15 single-core test is a statistical dead heat, 242.6 versus 242, a 0.2 percent difference that amounts to noise.

The scoreboard: 11 wins for the i9-12900HK, 4 for the Ryzen AI 5 340. That split, heavy multi-thread losses offset by consistent single-thread wins, is the defining shape of this matchup.

Specification Differences

• Cores/threads: 14 cores, 20 threads (Intel) versus 6 cores, 12 threads (AMD).
• Clocks: 2.50 GHz base and 5.00 GHz boost (Intel) versus 2.00 GHz base and 4.80 GHz boost (AMD).
• TDP: 45 watts (Intel) versus 28 watts (AMD).
• Process: Intel 10 nm versus TSMC 4 nm; die sizes of 217 mm² versus 195 mm².
• Cache: 1.25 MB L2 per core and 24 MB L3 (Intel) versus 1 MB L2 per core and 8 MB L3 (AMD); both list 80 KB L1 per core.
• Memory: DDR4 and DDR5 (Intel) versus DDR5 and LPDDR5X (AMD); only AMD has a recorded bandwidth figure, 89.6 GB/s.
• PCIe: Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes (Intel) versus Gen 4 with 16 CPU lanes (AMD).
• Graphics: Iris Xe 96EU (Intel) versus Radeon 840M (AMD).
• Socket: Intel BGA 1744 versus AMD Socket FP8.
• Overclocking: unlocked multiplier on the Intel part only.
• Release: January 2022 (Intel) versus January 2025 (AMD).
• Shared specs: both are mobile parts, dual-channel, ECC-disabled, and active in production.

The Verdict

The data supports a straightforward split by workload. For sustained multi-threaded compute, rendering, physics simulation, encryption, heavy integer and floating point math, the i9-12900HK is the stronger choice, winning every parallel test by margins between 7 and 59.1 percent. Its 45-watt rating and larger cache pool underpin that throughput, and its unlocked multiplier adds tuning headroom that the AMD part lacks.

The Ryzen AI 5 340 makes its case on a different axis. It delivers the better modern single-core performance, leading Cinebench R23 single-core by 12.7 percent and PassMark single-thread by 3.1 percent, while doing so within a 28-watt envelope and on a far denser 4 nm process. Buyers who prioritize responsiveness in lightly threaded applications, alongside the lower power draw, get the newer architecture without giving up overall standing: both chips occupy the 78th percentile, and the Ryzen's average score of 25981 lands within half a percent of rivals like the Core i7-14701TE and Ryzen 5 8640HS.

In short: choose the i9-12900HK for maximum threaded throughput, choose the Ryzen AI 5 340 for snappier per-core speed in a lower-power, newer-platform package.