AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 470 vs Intel Xeon Phi 7290 Comparison

The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 470 and Intel Xeon Phi 7290 are two processors with almost nothing in common except that both appear in the database with comparable average scores. The AMD part is a 12-core mobile processor on a 4 nm process, released in 2026, while the Intel part is a 72-core server/workstation processor on a 14 nm process, released in 2016. The database records 15 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, and the AMD part wins 10 of them. The average benchmark scores are 56306 for the AMD part and 53469 for the Intel part, with the AMD part sitting higher. The distribution of wins, however, tells a more interesting story than the averages.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The single most lopsided result in the comparison is PassMark single-thread, where the AMD part scores 4050 and the Intel part scores 485. That is a 735.1% advantage for AMD, and the same result appears twice in the database under two test names. The AMD part also wins Cinebench R15 multi-core by a wide margin, 3234 versus 1528, a 111.6% lead. PassMark multithread goes to AMD by 104.1%, with scores of 36402 and 17839. Data encryption favors AMD by 83.4% (22929 vs 12505). Floating point math favors AMD by 68.8% (80023 vs 47417). Cinebench R15 single-core gives AMD a 45.6% edge (313 vs 215). Cinebench R23 multi-core shows AMD ahead by 25.9% (19095 vs 15163). Find prime numbers goes to AMD by 19.3% (136 vs 114). Integer math is essentially a tie, with AMD ahead by 0.5% (127573 vs 126922).

The Intel part wins five tests. Its largest win is random string sorting, 68593 versus 48824, a 28.8% margin. Extended instructions go to Intel by 21% (41517 vs 32803). Data compression goes to Intel by 18.3% (564535 vs 461195). Physics favors Intel by 15.2% (2257 vs 1915). Cinebench R23 single-core goes to Intel by 4% (2140 vs 2054). The Intel part also has Cinebench R20 results in the database (6368 multi-core, 898 single-core), but the AMD part has no R20 entry, so those are not part of the head-to-head set.

The pattern is consistent. The AMD part wins most tests, often by large margins, while the Intel part wins a smaller set of specialized workloads. The single-thread gap of 735.1% is the dominant factor in the overall comparison.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different designs. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 470 uses the Zen 5 architecture with the Gorgon Point codename, part of the Ryzen AI PRO 400 generation that mixes Zen 5 and Zen 5c cores. It is manufactured by TSMC on a 4 nm process with a die size of 233 mm². The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 uses the Knights Landing architecture, manufactured by Intel on a 14 nm process with 8,000 million transistors.

Core counts differ enormously. The AMD part has 12 cores and 24 threads. The Intel part has 72 cores and 288 threads. Yet the AMD part wins most multi-threaded benchmarks, which shows that core count alone does not determine performance.

Clock speeds also differ. The AMD part has a base clock of 2.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The Intel part has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1700 MHz. The AMD boost clock is far higher than the Intel boost clock.

Cache layouts are different. The AMD part has 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of L3. The Intel part has 32 KB of L1 per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, with no L3 cache recorded. Memory support differs as well. The AMD part supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X over a dual-channel bus with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel part supports DDR4, with no memory bus or bandwidth figures recorded. Both support ECC memory.

The AMD part includes integrated graphics, a Radeon 890M, while the Intel part has no integrated graphics listed. The AMD part uses PCIe Gen 4 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the Intel part has no PCIe information recorded. The AMD part is a mobile part on AMD Socket FP8, while the Intel part is a server/workstation part on Intel Socket 3647. The AMD part is listed as active in production, while the Intel part has no production status recorded. The AMD part was released in 2026, the Intel part in 2016.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD part wins in workloads that benefit from high single-thread performance and modern instruction efficiency. The single-thread PassMark score of 4050 versus 485 is the clearest example. Cinebench R15 single-core (313 vs 215) and the near-tie in Cinebench R23 single-core (2054 vs 2140, Intel by 4%) show that even in single-threaded rendering, the AMD part is competitive or ahead. Data encryption (22929 vs 12505, +83.4%) and floating point math (80023 vs 47417, +68.8%) are also AMD strengths. The multithread PassMark score (36402 vs 17839, +104.1%) and Cinebench R15 multi-core (3234 vs 1528, +111.6%) show that the AMD part wins even in heavily threaded workloads despite having far fewer cores.

The Intel part wins in a narrower set of workloads. Random string sorting (68593 vs 48824, +28.8%) is its best result. Extended instructions (41517 vs 32803, +21%) and data compression (564535 vs 461195, +18.3%) are also Intel wins. Physics (2257 vs 1915, +15.2%) and Cinebench R23 single-core (2140 vs 2054, +4%) round out the Intel list. These are workloads where the Intel part's many cores and its specific instruction handling appear to help, despite the much lower clock speed.

The overall picture is that the AMD part is the more balanced performer, winning 10 of 15 head-to-head tests, while the Intel part wins 5 tests that are more specialized. The AMD part's average benchmark score of 56306 sits above the Intel part's 53469, and the AMD part ranks at the 92nd percentile of all CPUs versus the Intel part's 91st percentile.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher single-threaded performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 470. Its PassMark single-thread score is 4050 versus 485 for the Intel Xeon Phi 7290, a 735.1% advantage. In Cinebench R15 single-core, AMD leads 313 to 215, a 45.6% margin. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Intel part leads 2140 to 2054, a 4% margin.

Q: Which processor wins more head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The AMD part wins 10 of the 15 head-to-head tests. The Intel part wins 5.

Q: How do the core counts compare?

A: The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 has 72 cores and 288 threads. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 470 has 12 cores and 24 threads. Despite having 72 cores and 288 threads against 12 cores and 24 threads, the Intel part loses most multi-threaded benchmarks.

Q: What is the largest single benchmark margin in the comparison?

A: The largest margin is in PassMark single-thread, where the AMD part scores 4050 versus 485 for the Intel part, a 735.1% difference. This result appears twice in the database under two test names.

Q: Does the Intel part win any multi-threaded tests?

A: Yes. The Intel part wins data compression (564535 vs 461195, +18.3%), extended instructions (41517 vs 32803, +21%), random string sorting (68593 vs 48824, +28.8%), and physics (2257 vs 1915, +15.2%). These are all PassMark tests.

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD part has an average benchmark score of 56306, compared to 53469 for the Intel part. The AMD part also ranks at the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, versus the 91st percentile for the Intel part.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 470 as the stronger processor overall. It wins 10 of 15 head-to-head tests, has a higher average benchmark score (56306 vs 53469), and ranks at the 92nd percentile versus the Intel part's 91st. The single-thread advantage is overwhelming: 4050 versus 485 in PassMark, a 735.1% lead. Even in multi-threaded workloads, where the Intel part has 72 cores and 288 threads against 12 cores and 24 threads, the AMD part wins Cinebench R15 multi-core by 111.6% and PassMark multithread by 104.1%.

The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 is not without merit. It wins data compression, extended instructions, random string sorting, physics, and Cinebench R23 single-core. Its data compression score of 564535 is the highest single score in the comparison. But those wins are concentrated in a few specialized PassMark tests, and the Intel part loses the overall comparison on both average score and percentile rank.

The AMD part's nearest rivals in the database are all close: the Ryzen AI Max 390 (56273, 0.1% ahead), the Threadripper PRO 3955WX (56555, 0.4% behind), the Core i9-14900HX (56004, 0.5% ahead), and the Core 7 253PQE (55919, 0.7% ahead). The Intel part's nearest rivals include the Core i7-14700F (53620, 0.3% behind), the Ryzen 9 7900X (53288, 0.3% ahead), the Xeon 6505P (53701, 0.4% behind), and the EPYC 7313P (53206, 0.5% ahead). These comparisons show that both parts sit in a competitive mid-range of the database, but the AMD part sits slightly higher.

For a buyer choosing between these two, the AMD part is the better choice for general-purpose work, for single-threaded tasks, and even for most multi-threaded tasks. The Intel part is only preferable if the specific workloads are the ones it wins, such as data compression or random string sorting. The AMD part also comes with integrated graphics, a Radeon 890M, which the Intel part lacks, and it uses a modern 4 nm process with a 5.20 GHz boost clock. The Intel part uses a 14 nm process with a 1.70 GHz boost clock. The AMD part is the more capable processor in the recorded data.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every recorded specification field.

• Cores: AMD 12, Intel 72
• Threads: AMD 24, Intel 288
• Base clock: AMD 2.00 GHz, Intel 1500 MHz
• Boost clock: AMD 5.20 GHz, Intel 1700 MHz
• TDP: AMD 28 W, Intel 245 W
• Socket: AMD Socket FP8, Intel Socket 3647
• Architecture: Zen 5, Knights Landing
• Codename: Gorgon Point, Knights Landing
• Generation: Ryzen AI PRO 400 (Zen 5 / Zen 5c), Xeon Phi (Knights Landing)
• Process node: 4 nm, 14 nm
• Foundry: TSMC, Intel
• Transistors: not recorded for AMD, 8,000 million for Intel
• Die size: 233 mm² for AMD, not recorded for Intel
• L1 cache: 80 KB per core (AMD), 32 KB per core (Intel)
• L2 cache: 1 MB per core (AMD), 512 KB per core (Intel)
• L3 cache: 16 MB (AMD), none recorded (Intel)
• Memory support: DDR5 and LPDDR5X (AMD), DDR4 (Intel)
• Memory bus: dual-channel (AMD), not recorded (Intel)
• Memory bandwidth: 89.6 GB/s (AMD), not recorded (Intel)
• PCIe: Gen 4, 16 lanes (CPU only) for AMD, not recorded for Intel
• Integrated graphics: Radeon 890M (AMD), none (Intel)
• Market segment: Mobile (AMD), Server/Workstation (Intel)
• Production status: Active (AMD), not recorded (Intel)
• Release date: 2026-01-04 (AMD), 2016-06-19 (Intel)
• Part number: 100-000001937 (AMD), SR2WY (Intel)

The specification differences explain the benchmark results. The AMD part's higher clocks and modern process overcome the Intel part's massive core count in most tests. The Intel part's 245 W TDP versus 28 W for the AMD part also shows the efficiency gap between the two designs.