AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 vs Intel Core Ultra X7 358H Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data shows a decisive overall victory for the AMD Ryzen AI Max 390, which wins 11 of the 17 recorded head-to-head comparisons. The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H takes the remaining 6 wins. The average benchmark score gap is substantial: the AMD part records 56273 points against 40967 for the Intel part, a difference that places the AMD chip at the 91st percentile of all CPUs while the Intel chip sits at the 87th percentile.

The most dramatic single-core result appears in Cinebench R23 single-core, where the AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 scores 5091 against 2080 for the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H. That is a 144.8% advantage, the largest delta in either direction across the entire benchmark set. The Cinebench R15 single-core test shows a similar pattern, with the AMD part at 513 versus 301.5, a 70.1% lead. These results indicate that the Zen 5 core design in the AMD processor delivers substantially higher per-thread performance than the Intel Panther Lake architecture in these workloads.

Multi-core performance tells a more nuanced story. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 scores 36064 against 18747, a 92.4% advantage. The Cinebench R20 multi-core test shows a smaller but still significant lead: 15146 versus 12011, a 26.1% difference. The Cinebench R15 multi-core result is similar, with the AMD part ahead by 20.1% (3635 versus 3027). These results suggest that the AMD chip's advantage grows as the workload becomes more demanding and better threaded, which aligns with its higher thread count and larger shared cache.

In PassMark integer math, the AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 posts 146519 against 83147, a 76.2% lead. Data compression also favors the AMD chip heavily: 487145 versus 332508, a 46.5% advantage. Extended instructions show a 42% lead for AMD (38716 versus 27274). Random string sorting goes to AMD by 31.6% (53113 versus 40357), and the PassMark multi-thread score favors AMD by 23.5% (41737 versus 33802).

The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H wins in floating-point math, scoring 103842 against 90594, a 12.8% advantage. It also wins in physics simulation (3021 versus 2761, an 8.6% lead), prime number finding (337 versus 316, a 6.2% lead), and data encryption (26046 versus 25097, a 3.6% lead). In single-threaded PassMark, the Intel part edges ahead by 2.3% (4124 versus 4028). These wins are consistent but relatively narrow, with the largest Intel margin being the 12.8% floating-point advantage.

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 uses the Zen 5 architecture on a 4 nm process from TSMC, codenamed Strix Halo. It has 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H uses the Panther Lake architecture on a 3 nm process from Intel, part of the Core Ultra Series 3. It has 16 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 1.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz.

The core and thread counts reveal a key difference: the AMD chip has fewer physical cores but uses simultaneous multithreading to reach 24 threads, while the Intel chip has more physical cores but no hyperthreading, resulting in 16 threads. The AMD chip's higher boost clock (5.00 GHz versus 4.80 GHz) and higher base clock (3.20 GHz versus 1.90 GHz) contribute to its single-thread performance advantage.

Cache configurations differ significantly. The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H has 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, but only 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD chip's 64 MB L3 cache is more than three times larger than the Intel part's 18 MB, which helps explain its strong performance in data compression and integer math workloads that benefit from larger working sets.

Memory support also diverges. Both processors support LPDDR5X memory, but the AMD chip uses a quad-channel interface with 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the Intel chip uses a dual-channel interface with 153.6 GB/s. The AMD chip also supports ECC memory, which the Intel chip does not. The AMD processor offers PCIe Gen 4 with 16 lanes, while the Intel processor offers PCIe Gen 5 with 4 lanes. The integrated graphics differ as well: the AMD part uses a Radeon 8050S, while the Intel part uses an Arc B390.

The thermal design power differs substantially: the AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 is rated at 55 W, while the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H is rated at 25 W. The AMD chip uses the AMD Socket FP11, while the Intel chip uses the Intel BGA 2540 socket. The AMD chip's die size is recorded as 2x 70.6 mm², while no die size is recorded for the Intel part. The AMD part was released on 2025-01-05, while the Intel part carries a release date of 2026-01-04.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 records an average benchmark score of 56273, while the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H records 40967. The AMD part sits at the 91st percentile of all CPUs, and the Intel part sits at the 87th percentile.

Q: What is the largest performance gap in the head-to-head results?

A: The largest single gap is in Cinebench R23 single-core, where the AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 leads by 144.8% (5091 versus 2080). The next largest gaps are in Cinebench R23 multi-core at 92.4% and PassMark integer math at 76.2%.

Q: Where does the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H outperform the AMD part?

A: The Intel chip wins in six tests: PassMark floating-point math (103842 versus 90594, a 12.8% lead), PassMark physics (3021 versus 2761, an 8.6% lead), PassMark find prime numbers (337 versus 316, a 6.2% lead), PassMark data encryption (26046 versus 25097, a 3.6% lead), and PassMark single-thread (4124 versus 4028, a 2.3% lead).

Q: How do the core counts and thread counts compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 has 12 cores and 24 threads, using simultaneous multithreading. The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H has 16 cores and 16 threads, with no hyperthreading. The AMD chip therefore has more threads despite fewer physical cores.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth specifications?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 uses a quad-channel LPDDR5X interface with 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H uses a dual-channel LPDDR5X interface with 153.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The AMD chip also supports ECC memory, while the Intel chip does not.

Q: Which processor has the larger L3 cache?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 has 64 MB of shared L3 cache. The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H has 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD chip's L3 cache is significantly larger, which contributes to its strong performance in cache-sensitive workloads like data compression.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every major specification category. The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 uses the Zen 5 architecture on a 4 nm TSMC process, while the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H uses the Panther Lake architecture on a 3 nm Intel process. Core counts differ: 12 cores and 24 threads for AMD versus 16 cores and 16 threads for Intel. Base clocks are 3.20 GHz for AMD versus 1.90 GHz for Intel, and boost clocks are 5.00 GHz versus 4.80 GHz.

The thermal design power is 55 W for the AMD chip and 25 W for the Intel chip. Sockets differ: AMD Socket FP11 versus Intel BGA 2540. The AMD chip has a die size of 2x 70.6 mm², while no die size is recorded for the Intel chip. Cache configurations diverge at every level: 80 KB L1 per core for AMD versus 192 KB per core for Intel, 1 MB L2 per core for AMD versus 3 MB per core for Intel, and 64 MB shared L3 for AMD versus 18 MB shared L3 for Intel.

Memory support shows the AMD chip with a quad-channel LPDDR5X interface at 256.0 GB/s and ECC support, while the Intel chip uses dual-channel LPDDR5X at 153.6 GB/s without ECC. PCIe lanes differ: Gen 4 with 16 lanes for AMD versus Gen 5 with 4 lanes for Intel. Integrated graphics are Radeon 8050S for AMD and Arc B390 for Intel. Release dates differ by roughly a year: 2025-01-05 for AMD and 2026-01-04 for Intel. The part numbers are 100-000001423 for AMD and SA4RAQ9ET for Intel.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 wins in workloads that stress single-thread performance, multi-thread throughput, integer math, data compression, and extended instruction sets. Its Cinebench results, particularly the 144.8% single-core lead in R23 and the 92.4% multi-core lead in R23, make it the clear choice for rendering, content creation, and CPU-bound productivity tasks. The 76.2% advantage in integer math and the 46.5% lead in data compression indicate strong performance in database operations, file archiving, and general computational workloads. The 31.6% lead in random string sorting and the 42% lead in extended instructions further support this profile. The larger 64 MB L3 cache and the quad-channel memory interface with 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth give the AMD chip a structural advantage in data-heavy tasks.

The Intel Core Ultra X7 358H wins in floating-point math, physics simulation, prime number finding, data encryption, and single-threaded PassMark. The 12.8% lead in floating-point math (103842 versus 90594) suggests better performance in scientific computing, simulation, and number-crunching workloads that rely heavily on floating-point operations. The 8.6% lead in physics simulation (3021 versus 2761) points to an advantage in physics-based modeling and certain game engine workloads. The 6.2% lead in prime number finding and the 3.6% lead in data encryption show competence in cryptographic and number-theoretic tasks. The 2.3% single-thread PassMark lead is narrow but indicates that the Intel chip can hold its own in certain lightly threaded scenarios.

The overall score distribution favors the AMD part by a wide margin. The AMD Ryzen AI Max 390 records 11 wins against 6 for the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, and the average benchmark score difference is 15306 points in favor of AMD. The Intel chip's wins are all below 13% margins, while the AMD chip posts several wins above 40%, including the 144.8% single-core result and the 92.4% multi-core result. The data indicates that the AMD processor is the stronger overall performer, with the Intel processor holding specific advantages in floating-point and physics workloads that may matter for targeted applications.