AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 255H Comparison

The Verdict

The benchmark data splits these two mobile processors into clearly different roles. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 wins the heavy multi-threaded render workloads decisively, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H claims most of the specialized compute tasks. Across the 15 recorded head-to-head tests, Intel takes 11 wins, but the magnitude of AMD's victories in Cinebench is substantial. The AMD part leads the Intel chip by 73.7% in Cinebench R23 multi-core and by 62.2% in Cinebench R15 multi-core. Those are not small margins; they indicate a fundamental advantage in sustained all-core rendering work.

The Intel part, by contrast, dominates in math-heavy and encryption workloads. It leads by 46.4% in floating-point math, by 36.2% in data encryption, and by 72.3% in finding prime numbers. The Intel chip also holds a 19.3% lead in the PassMark multi-thread test, despite losing the Cinebench multi-core tests. This suggests the two chips have very different strengths: AMD for content-creation style rendering, Intel for numerical and cryptographic tasks. The data shows the AMD chip sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, while the Intel chip sits at the 83rd percentile. The AMD part's average benchmark score is 37093 versus 33537 for Intel, a gap of roughly 10.5% in the aggregate.

For a buyer, the choice depends entirely on workload. The Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is the pick for anyone running Cinebench-style rendering, video encoding, or other long multi-threaded jobs. The Core Ultra 7 255H is the pick for scientific computing, encryption, compression, or physics simulation. Neither chip is a universal winner.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 uses the Zen 5 architecture in the Gorgon Point codename, belonging to the Ryzen AI PRO 400 generation. It is built on a 4 nm process at TSMC with a die size of 195 mm². The chip has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its cache layout is 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of L3. The TDP is rated at 28 watts.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H uses the Arrow Lake architecture in the Arrow Lake-H codename, belonging to the Core Ultra Series 2 generation. It is built on a 3 nm process at TSMC. The chip has 16 cores and 16 threads, with the same base clock of 2.00 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its cache layout is much larger: 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3. The TDP is also rated at 28 watts.

The Intel part has twice the core count, but the same thread count. That means the Intel chip uses some cores that do not support simultaneous multi-threading, while the AMD chip uses all 8 cores with 2 threads each. The Intel chip has significantly more cache at every level, and the process node is one step smaller at 3 nm versus 4 nm. The AMD chip uses the AMD Socket FP8, while Intel uses BGA 2049. Both support DDR5 and LPDDR5X memory in dual-channel mode. The memory bandwidth figures differ: Intel lists 102.4 GB/s, while AMD lists 89.6 GB/s. Both support ECC memory. The AMD chip uses PCIe Gen 4 with 16 CPU lanes, while Intel uses PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes. The integrated graphics differ as well: AMD has the Radeon 860M, Intel has the Arc Graphics 140T.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The biggest win for the AMD chip is in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where it scores 16054 against Intel's 9240, a 73.7% advantage. The Cinebench R15 multi-core test shows a similar story: AMD scores 2457 against Intel's 1515, a 62.2% lead. In Cinebench R23 single-core, AMD also wins, scoring 2010 against Intel's 1843, a 9.1% margin. The only Cinebench test Intel wins is R15 single-core, where Intel scores 251 against AMD's 220, a 12.4% lead. That Intel single-core win is curious given that AMD wins the newer R23 single-core test. The data suggests the older R15 test favors Intel's architecture in a way that does not carry over to the newer benchmark.

The Intel chip wins the PassMark suite almost entirely. In floating-point math, Intel scores 98796 against AMD's 52971, a 46.4% lead. In data encryption, Intel scores 23395 against AMD's 14925, a 36.2% lead. In physics, Intel scores 2254 against AMD's 1337, a 40.7% lead. In finding prime numbers, Intel scores 303 against AMD's 84, a 72.3% lead. Intel also wins in extended instructions (23755 vs 20778, 12.5% lead), random string sorting (36058 vs 32344, 10.3% lead), and single-thread performance (4317 vs 3955, 8.4% lead). In data compression, Intel barely edges AMD: 298850 vs 294298, a 1.5% lead.

The AMD chip wins only one PassMark test: integer math, where it scores 86227 against Intel's 77975, a 10.6% lead. That is a notable reversal from the floating-point result, suggesting AMD's integer pipeline is stronger while Intel's floating-point pipeline dominates. The PassMark multi-thread test goes to Intel: 30703 vs 24779, a 19.3% lead. That result contradicts the Cinebench multi-core results, which strongly favor AMD. The likely explanation is that the two benchmark suites stress different aspects of the memory hierarchy and core scheduling. The database shows AMD with 4 total wins and Intel with 11.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has better multi-core rendering performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 wins decisively. It leads by 73.7% in Cinebench R23 multi-core and by 62.2% in Cinebench R15 multi-core. The scores are 16054 vs 9240 and 2457 vs 1515, respectively.

Q: Which processor is better for encryption workloads?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is far ahead. It scores 23395 in PassMark data encryption versus AMD's 14925, a 36.2% advantage.

Q: Why does Intel win PassMark multi-thread but lose Cinebench multi-core?

A: The recorded data shows Intel wins PassMark multi-thread with 30703 against AMD's 24779, a 19.3% lead. However, AMD wins both Cinebench multi-core tests by large margins. The two benchmark suites likely measure different aspects of sustained multi-core execution, with Cinebench favoring AMD's architecture and PassMark favoring Intel's core arrangement.

Q: Which chip has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H has 16 cores and 16 threads. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 has 8 cores and 16 threads. Both have the same thread count, but Intel has twice as many physical cores.

Q: How do the cache sizes compare?

A: The Intel chip has 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3. The AMD chip has 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 8 MB of L3. Intel has a substantially larger cache at every level.

Q: Which chip has a higher single-thread score in the PassMark test?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H scores 4317 in PassMark single-thread, while the AMD chip scores 3955. Intel leads by 8.4%. In Cinebench R23 single-core, however, AMD leads with 2010 against Intel's 1843, a 9.1% margin.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is the clear choice for Cinebench-style workloads. The data shows a 73.7% lead in R23 multi-core and a 62.2% lead in R15 multi-core. That is a massive gap that will translate directly to faster rendering in video production, 3D modeling, and any other application built around the Cinebench engine. The AMD chip also wins Cinebench R23 single-core by 9.1%, so it is not just a multi-core specialist. In integer math, AMD leads by 10.6%, which matters for general-purpose programming tasks, database operations, and any workload that processes large integer arrays.

The Intel Core Ultra 7 255H is the better choice for floating-point heavy tasks. The 46.4% lead in floating-point math is substantial and suggests Intel's execution units are better optimized for scientific simulations, financial modeling, and physics calculations. The encryption lead of 36.2% makes Intel the better pick for secure communications, VPN processing, or any workload requiring heavy cryptographic operations. The 72.3% lead in prime number finding indicates a strong advantage in number-theoretic computations. Intel also wins in physics (40.7%), extended instructions (12.5%), and random string sorting (10.3%). The PassMark multi-thread lead of 19.3% shows Intel can handle general parallel workloads well, even if Cinebench does not agree.

The two chips split cleanly. AMD owns rendering and integer math. Intel owns floating-point, encryption, and most specialized math. The aggregate average benchmark score favors AMD (37093 vs 33537), but that average is pulled up by AMD's enormous Cinebench wins. For a user whose work is primarily render-based, the AMD chip is superior. For a user running mixed scientific and cryptographic tasks, the Intel chip is superior.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several key specifications. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H has 16 cores and 16 threads. Both have a base clock of 2.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and both are rated at 28 W TDP. The AMD chip uses Zen 5 architecture on a 4 nm TSMC process with a die size of 195 mm². The Intel chip uses Arrow Lake architecture on a 3 nm TSMC process, with no die size recorded. The AMD chip has 80 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 8 MB L3. The Intel chip has 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB shared L3.

Memory support is identical in type (DDR5, LPDDR5X) and bus configuration (dual-channel), but the bandwidth differs: Intel lists 102.4 GB/s versus AMD's 89.6 GB/s. Both support ECC memory. PCIe support differs: AMD uses Gen 4 with 16 CPU lanes, Intel uses Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes. The integrated graphics differ: AMD has the Radeon 860M, Intel has the Arc Graphics 140T. The AMD chip uses AMD Socket FP8, the Intel chip uses Intel BGA 2049. Both are active production parts, both are mobile segment chips, and neither has a launch MSRP recorded. Neither chip has an unlocked multiplier. The release dates differ: AMD's is listed as 2026-01-04, Intel's as 2025-01-12. The part numbers are 100-000001865 for AMD and SRQAN for Intel.