AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 vs Intel Core 5 221E Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data shows a decisive overall result: the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 wins 13 of the 15 benchmark comparisons, while the Intel Core 5 221E takes 2. The margin of victory, however, varies dramatically by workload type, revealing distinct architectural strengths.

The largest single gap appears in PassMark extended instructions. The AMD part scores 56,346 against Intel's 18,216, a 209.3% advantage. This indicates a substantial difference in SIMD and vector processing throughput, likely reflecting the wider execution resources and newer instruction set implementation in the Zen 5 design. This is the kind of result that matters for scientific computing, cryptography, and media encoding workloads that rely heavily on vector math.

Data compression shows a similarly lopsided result. AMD scores 690,650 versus Intel's 324,285, a 113% delta. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 more than doubles the Intel processor in this throughput test. Random string sorting follows with a 102.1% advantage (76,177 vs 37,686), confirming that the AMD chip's memory subsystem and core count translate directly into sorting and data manipulation speed.

Multi-threaded performance is consistently in AMD's favor. Cinebench R15 multicore shows 5,463 versus 2,613, a 109.1% lead. PassMark multithread shows 54,934 versus 30,510, an 80.1% advantage. The R23 multicore result narrows the gap to 36.2% (35,314 vs 25,933), likely because the test scales somewhat differently with cache and memory latency, but the AMD part still leads by a comfortable margin.

Integer math performance shows a 70.3% delta in favor of AMD (200,665 vs 117,813). Floating point math shows a 62.8% lead (128,682 vs 79,028). Prime number finding, which is sensitive to both clock speed and branch prediction, shows a 75.1% advantage (303 vs 173). Data encryption shows an 84.6% delta (35,455 vs 19,205), and physics simulation in PassMark shows 56.1% (3,481 vs 2,230).

The Intel Core 5 221E wins its two comparisons on single-threaded workload performance, but the pattern is inconsistent. In Cinebench R15 single-core, Intel scores 368 against AMD's 316, a 14.1% advantage. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the gap is far larger: Intel scores 3,661 against AMD's 2,044, a 44.2% lead. These two results are curious because the R15 and R23 single-core tests should measure similar capabilities, yet the delta differs by a factor of three. The R23 single-core result suggests the Intel chip has a significant per-thread performance advantage in that specific rendering workload, possibly due to higher sustained boost clocks or better single-thread turbo behavior.

The two PassMark single-thread entries are identical: both processors score 4,147, with a 0% delta. This is a notable outcome because it indicates that in the PassMark single-thread test suite, the two very different architectures perform at parity. The Intel part does not extend its Cinebench single-core lead into the PassMark suite, and the AMD part does not close the gap either. They simply match.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 sits at 77,740, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs in the database. The Intel Core 5 221E averages 40,144, which puts it in the 87th percentile. The AMD part's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX at 76,513 (1.6% lower), the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P at 76,492 (1.6% lower), and the Intel Core i9-14900K at 79,097 (1.7% higher). The Intel Core 5 221E sits in a much lower performance tier, with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 at 40,081 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 at 40,048 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i9-13905H at 40,313 (0.4% higher). The absolute average score difference between the two parts is 37,596 points, roughly 93.6% of the Intel chip's entire average score.

The Verdict

The benchmark data makes the performance hierarchy unambiguous. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the substantially faster processor in almost every measured category. For multi-threaded workloads, rendering, compression, encryption, and math-heavy tasks, the AMD part delivers between 36.2% and 209.3% better performance than the Intel Core 5 221E. Its 16 cores and 32 threads, combined with a 64 MB shared L3 cache and 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, produce results that place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs.

The Intel Core 5 221E has a single meaningful advantage: single-threaded Cinebench performance. In R23 single-core, it leads by 44.2%, and in R15 single-core by 14.1%. These results suggest that for lightly threaded applications that depend on one or two high-clock cores, the Intel chip can be competitive. However, this advantage does not extend to the PassMark single-thread suite, where both parts score identically at 4,147.

The 87th percentile ranking for the Intel part, compared to the 95th percentile for the AMD part, reflects the large average score gap. The Intel chip's nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score, indicating it is a mid-pack performer in the current database. The AMD chip's nearest rivals include flagship desktop processors like the Intel Core i9-14900K, and it trades blows with them within a 1.7% range.

From the recorded data, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is the clear choice for compute-heavy workloads, multi-threaded rendering, data processing, and any task that can use more than a few cores. The Intel Core 5 221E is only preferable in scenarios where the specific Cinebench single-core advantage matters more than the broad multi-threaded lead, and even then, the PassMark single-thread parity tempers that conclusion. The data does not support recommending the Intel part for general-purpose or heavily threaded use.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has an average benchmark score of 77,740, while the Intel Core 5 221E averages 40,144. The AMD part ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and the Intel part ranks in the 87th percentile.

Q: How large is the multi-threaded performance gap in Cinebench R23?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 35,314 in Cinebench R23 multicore, compared to 25,933 for the Intel Core 5 221E. The AMD part leads by 36.2%.

Q: Does the Intel Core 5 221E win any benchmark comparisons?

A: Yes, it wins 2 of the 15 head-to-head comparisons. It leads in Cinebench R15 single-core (368 vs 316, a 14.1% advantage) and Cinebench R23 single-core (3,661 vs 2,044, a 44.2% advantage). The two PassMark single-thread entries are tied at 4,147.

Q: What is the largest performance delta between the two processors?

A: The largest delta is in PassMark extended instructions. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 56,346 versus 18,216 for the Intel Core 5 221E, a 209.3% advantage for AMD.

Q: How do the two processors compare in data compression?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 690,650 in PassMark data compression, more than double the Intel Core 5 221E's 324,285. The delta is 113% in favor of AMD.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each processor in the database?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (average score 76,513, 1.6% lower), the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (76,492, 1.6% lower), and the Intel Core i9-14900K (79,097, 1.7% higher). The Intel Core 5 221E's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40,081, 0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40,048, 0.2% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 9 270 (40,246, 0.3% higher).

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every core specification. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has 16 cores and 32 threads, while the Intel Core 5 221E has 14 cores and 20 threads. The AMD part's base clock is 3.00 GHz, and its boost clock is 5.10 GHz. The Intel part's base clock is 2.70 GHz, and its boost clock is 5.20 GHz. Despite having a lower base clock, the Intel chip has a slightly higher boost clock.

The thermal design power differs significantly. The AMD part is rated at 55 W TDP, while the Intel part is rated at 65 W TDP. The Intel chip consumes more power on paper while delivering lower multi-threaded performance.

Memory support and bandwidth diverge sharply. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 supports LPDDR5X memory on a quad-channel bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The Intel Core 5 221E supports both DDR4 and DDR5 on a dual-channel bus, yielding 89.6 GB/s. The AMD part offers nearly three times the memory bandwidth. Both processors support ECC memory.

PCIe connectivity also differs. The AMD part uses Gen 4 with 16 lanes (CPU only). The Intel part uses Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only). The Intel chip has a newer PCIe generation, but the AMD part's memory bandwidth advantage may compensate in many workloads.

The integrated graphics differ substantially. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 includes the Radeon 8060S, while the Intel Core 5 221E includes the UHD Graphics 730. The sockets are different as well: AMD uses Socket FP11, and Intel uses Socket 1700. The AMD part is a mobile segment processor, and the Intel part is a desktop segment processor. The Intel part has a launch MSRP of $232.

Architecture Differences

The architectural foundations are entirely different. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 uses Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Strix Halo, from the Ryzen AI Max generation. The Intel Core 5 221E uses Bartlett Lake architecture from the Core 5 generation. The process nodes differ: AMD uses a 4 nm process from TSMC, while Intel uses a 10 nm process from its own foundry. The die sizes reflect this: the AMD part uses two dies, each 70.6 mm², for a total of 141.2 mm², while the Intel part uses a single 257 mm² die.

Cache configurations differ in structure and capacity. Both parts have 80 KB of L1 cache per core. The AMD part has 1 MB of L2 cache per core, while the Intel part has 2 MB of L2 cache per core. The L3 cache is where the major difference appears: the AMD part has 64 MB of shared L3 cache, while the Intel part has 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD part's larger L3 cache, combined with its higher memory bandwidth, explains much of its multi-threaded performance advantage.

The core count difference of 2 cores and 12 threads (16/32 vs 14/20) is substantial, but the thread count gap is larger than the core count gap. The Intel part has 14 cores but only 20 threads, indicating it does not support simultaneous multithreading on all cores to the same degree as the AMD part, which has 32 threads from 16 cores. This thread advantage, along with the larger cache and memory bandwidth, drives the AMD part's dominance in heavily threaded benchmarks.

The release dates are close: the AMD part was released on January 5, 2025, and the Intel part on January 12, 2025. Both are marked as Active in production status. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier. The AMD part has part number 100-000001099, and the Intel part has part number SRQDVQ659.