AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 vs Intel Arc G3 EXTREME Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data shows a dominant performance profile for the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395. Across the fifteen shared benchmark tests, the AMD part secures thirteen wins, while the Intel Arc G3 EXTREME takes two. The margin of victory for AMD is substantial in most multi-threaded and compute-heavy workloads, while Intel's wins are narrow and confined to a specific single-threaded metric.

The largest gap appears in PassMark integer math, where the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 200,665 against Intel's 71,164, a delta of 182%. This indicates a massive advantage in workloads that rely on integer arithmetic, a common component of general-purpose computing tasks. Cinebench R15 multi-core also shows a significant split, with AMD scoring 5,463 versus Intel's 2,192, a 149.2% advantage. The Cinebench R23 multi-core test reinforces this trend, with AMD at 35,314 and Intel at 14,655, a 141% delta. These results suggest that the AMD processor's higher core count and thread count translate directly into superior scaling in heavily parallel rendering tasks.

PassMark extended instructions shows AMD leading with 56,346 against Intel's 24,017, a 134.6% difference. This test exercises vector and SIMD instruction sets, where the Zen 5 architecture appears to deliver significantly more throughput. Similarly, PassMark data compression shows AMD at 690,650 versus Intel's 307,094, a 124.9% advantage, indicating faster handling of archive and compression workloads. Random string sorting follows the same pattern, with AMD at 76,177 and Intel at 37,331, a 104.1% delta.

The multi-threaded PassMark score, which aggregates several threaded workloads, shows AMD at 54,934 versus Intel's 30,659, a 79.2% advantage. PassMark data encryption reveals a 48.5% lead for AMD, scoring 35,455 against Intel's 23,881. Floating-point math also favors AMD, with a score of 128,682 versus 86,929, a 48% delta. PassMark physics shows AMD ahead at 3,481 versus 2,515, a 38.4% improvement, and PassMark find prime numbers shows a 22.2% lead for AMD with 303 against 248.

Single-core performance tells a more nuanced story. In Cinebench R15 single-core, AMD leads with 316 against Intel's 267, an 18.4% advantage. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the gap narrows to 9.8%, with AMD at 2,044 and Intel at 1,862. However, in PassMark single-thread, Intel pulls ahead with a score of 4,293 versus AMD's 4,147, a 3.4% margin. This is the only benchmark where Intel shows a clear win, and it appears twice in the data set under two naming conventions for the same test. The narrowness of this win, relative to the large multi-threaded gaps, indicates that Intel's per-core efficiency in this specific PassMark workload is slightly better, but it does not compensate for the overall throughput deficit.

The average benchmark score in the database places the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 at 77,740, while the Intel Arc G3 EXTREME sits at 36,699. The AMD part also ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while Intel ranks in the 85th percentile. These aggregate figures confirm that the head-to-head results are not anomalies but reflect a consistent overall performance tier difference.

The Verdict

The benchmark data indicates that the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the higher-performing processor in nearly every measurable category. Its wins in multi-core rendering, integer math, extended instructions, and data compression are by wide margins, often exceeding 100%. The only area where the Intel Arc G3 EXTREME leads is PassMark single-thread, and even there the advantage is a modest 3.4%. For users running heavily threaded applications, compiling code, processing large datasets, or doing any kind of CPU-bound rendering, the AMD part is clearly the better choice based on the recorded scores.

The Intel Arc G3 EXTREME's single-thread win suggests that for lightly threaded, latency-sensitive tasks, it can keep pace or slightly edge out the AMD processor. However, the overall picture from the database is one of severe multi-threaded disadvantage for Intel. The 14-core, 14-thread configuration of the Intel part, compared to the 16-core, 32-thread AMD design, explains why the gap is so large in threaded workloads. The Intel part's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, have average scores within 1.1% of its own, placing it in a mid-range performance bracket. The AMD part, by contrast, sits near the top of the database, just 1.7% behind the Intel Core i9-14900K and 2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX.

A strict reading of the data shows that the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the superior processor for almost all compute-intensive scenarios. The Intel Arc G3 EXTREME is only competitive in a narrow single-threaded PassMark test, and that single data point does not outweigh the thirteen wins recorded for AMD. The verdict is unambiguous: the AMD part is the higher-performing CPU, and the Intel part trails significantly in multi-threaded and aggregate benchmarks.

Architecture Differences

The two processors differ fundamentally in their core architectures, process nodes, and memory subsystems. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 uses the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Strix Halo, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The Intel Arc G3 EXTREME uses a Panther Lake codename with a 3 nm process at Intel. The AMD part has 16 cores and 32 threads, while the Intel part has 14 cores and 14 threads, meaning Intel does not implement simultaneous multithreading.

Clock speeds differ, with the AMD part having a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The Intel part has a base clock of 1.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Thermal design power also varies, with AMD rated at 55 W and Intel at 25 W. This lower TDP for Intel suggests a more power-efficient design, but the benchmark scores do not show a corresponding performance benefit.

Cache hierarchies are structured differently. AMD uses an 80 KB L1 cache per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and a shared 64 MB L3 cache. Intel uses a 192 KB L1 per core, 2.5 MB L2 per core, and a shared 18 MB L3 cache. The AMD part has significantly more L3 cache, which can benefit workloads with large working sets. Memory support for both is LPDDR5X, but AMD uses a quad-channel bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, while Intel uses a dual-channel bus with 136.5 GB/s. AMD also supports ECC memory, which Intel does not.

Socket and platform differ as well. AMD uses the AMD Socket FP11, while Intel uses Intel BGA 2540. PCIe support is also distinct: AMD offers Gen 4 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while Intel offers Gen 5 with 4 lanes (CPU only). The integrated graphics differ, with AMD featuring a Radeon 8060S and Intel featuring an Arc B390. Both parts are marked as Active in production status, with the AMD release date recorded as 2025-01-05 and the Intel release date as 2026-05-27.

These architectural differences explain the benchmark results. The AMD part's larger core count, thread count, higher clocks, larger L3 cache, and higher memory bandwidth all contribute to its multi-threaded dominance. The Intel part's smaller TDP and fewer cores limit its throughput, though its per-core L1 and L2 caches are larger, which may explain its slight edge in the PassMark single-thread test.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher multi-core performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 wins all multi-core benchmarks in the head-to-head data. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, it scores 35,314 versus Intel's 14,655, a 141% lead. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 5,463 versus 2,192, a 149.2% lead.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Intel Arc G3 EXTREME wins?

A: Yes, the Intel part wins the PassMark single-thread test with a score of 4,293 versus AMD's 4,147, a 3.4% margin. This result appears twice in the benchmark set under two naming variants of the same test.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has 16 cores and 32 threads. The Intel Arc G3 EXTREME has 14 cores and 14 threads, meaning it lacks simultaneous multithreading.

Q: How do the memory bandwidth figures compare?

A: The AMD part supports a quad-channel memory bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel part supports a dual-channel bus with 136.5 GB/s bandwidth. Both use LPDDR5X memory.

Q: What is the process node for each chip?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The Intel Arc G3 EXTREME is built on a 3 nm process at Intel.

Q: How do the two processors rank relative to all CPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,740. The Intel Arc G3 EXTREME sits in the 85th percentile, with an average score of 36,699.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 wins in thirteen of the fifteen head-to-head benchmarks. Its most decisive wins are in integer math (182% ahead), Cinebench R15 multi-core (149.2% ahead), Cinebench R23 multi-core (141% ahead), and extended instructions (134.6% ahead). These results point to workloads that benefit from high thread counts, wide SIMD execution, and large caches. Rendering, video encoding, scientific computing, and database operations that use integer arithmetic would all favor the AMD part based on this data.

The AMD part also wins in data compression by 124.9%, random string sorting by 104.1%, and data encryption by 48.5%. These are tasks that involve heavy data movement and parallel processing, where the AMD part's higher memory bandwidth and larger L3 cache provide clear advantages. Floating-point math, which is common in physics simulations and 3D modeling, shows a 48% lead for AMD. The PassMark multi-thread score, which aggregates several workloads, shows a 79.2% advantage for AMD.

The Intel Arc G3 EXTREME wins in only one distinct benchmark: PassMark single-thread, where it leads by 3.4%. This indicates that for workloads that are strictly single-threaded and cannot be parallelized, the Intel part can offer slightly better per-core performance. Examples might include certain legacy applications, some script interpreters, or lightly threaded user interface logic. However, the margin is small, and the Intel part's lower boost clock of 4.70 GHz versus AMD's 5.10 GHz suggests that this win comes from architectural efficiency rather than raw clock speed.

In terms of overall workload suitability, the database shows that the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the stronger choice for any task that uses more than one core effectively. The Intel Arc G3 EXTREME is only preferable in a narrow single-threaded scenario, and even there the advantage is marginal. The Intel part's lower TDP of 25 W versus AMD's 55 W may make it suitable for fanless or ultra-low-power designs, but the benchmark data does not show a performance benefit from that efficiency. For users who prioritize raw compute throughput, the AMD part wins decisively. For users who run mostly single-threaded applications and value a lower power envelope, the Intel part has a narrow edge in one metric, but it trails badly everywhere else.