AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 vs Intel Core Ultra 7 356H Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive sweep in favor of the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H across all eleven shared benchmark tests. The Intel part wins every single head-to-head comparison, with margins ranging from narrow single-thread edges to dominant multi-thread and math workload leads.

The largest gap appears in the passmark_find_prime_numbers test, where Intel scores 327 against AMD's 75. That is a 77.1 percent deficit for the Ryzen AI Max PRO 380, meaning Intel delivers more than four times the throughput in this integer-heavy prime calculation workload. This pattern repeats in floating-point math, where Intel scores 103128 versus AMD's 53084, a 48.5 percent lead. The physics test shows a similar story: Intel posts 2895 against AMD's 1120, a 61.3 percent advantage. These three workloads share a common thread: they stress raw computational throughput across many cores, and the Intel part's 16 cores versus AMD's 6 cores explains much of the gap.

Multi-threaded performance follows the same direction. In passmark_multithread, Intel scores 33978 while AMD manages 24244, a 28.6 percent difference. Data encryption shows an even larger relative gap at 45 percent, with Intel scoring 26345 versus AMD's 14502. Data compression favors Intel by 12.7 percent, with scores of 336177 and 293595 respectively. Random string sorting gives Intel a 24 percent edge, 40990 versus 31153. Extended instructions show a 12.8 percent lead for Intel, 27898 versus 24333.

Integer math is the closest multi-thread result, with Intel at 83111 and AMD at 79789, a modest 4 percent margin. The single-thread tests are nearly identical: Intel scores 4072 against AMD's 3995, a 1.9 percent difference. The passmark_singlethread duplicate test confirms the same numbers. That near-tie in single-core performance indicates the AMD Zen 5 core has strong per-thread capability, but the Intel chip's additional cores and higher thread count drive most of its benchmark victories.

Looking at the overall averages, AMD's Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 posts an avgBenchmarkScore of 48171, while Intel's Core Ultra 7 356H records 41215. That is counterintuitive given the head-to-head results, but the averages draw from different benchmark suites: AMD's average includes a broader set of PassMark tests, while Intel's dataset includes Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 results. In Cinebench, Intel's multi-core scores are 3055 (R15), 12153 (R20), and 18395 (R23), with single-core scores of 303, 1715, and 2040 respectively. Those numbers are not directly comparable to the PassMark figures, so the average scores reflect different measurement scopes rather than a contradiction.

The percentile rankings place AMD at 90 versus Intel at 87, meaning the AMD part sits slightly higher relative to all CPUs in the database despite losing every shared test. This suggests the AMD chip's overall profile, including its integrated Radeon 8040S graphics and memory bandwidth, contributes to a higher aggregate standing. For pure CPU compute on the shared PassMark tests, however, Intel holds a clear and consistent advantage.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion for CPU-bound workloads: the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H is the stronger processor in every shared benchmark. Its 16 cores and 16 threads, paired with a 4.70 GHz boost clock, deliver substantially higher throughput in multi-threaded tasks, math-heavy computations, and data processing workloads. The Intel part wins by double-digit percentages in seven of eleven tests, with the most extreme margins exceeding 60 percent.

The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 offers a different trade-off. Its 6-core, 12-thread configuration with a 4.90 GHz boost clock produces nearly identical single-thread performance, trailing Intel by only 1.9 percent. The AMD chip also carries a higher TDP at 55 watts versus Intel's 25 watts, which indicates it draws more power to sustain its clocks. For users prioritizing single-thread responsiveness or systems constrained by power budgets, the AMD part remains relevant. But for anyone running parallel workloads, compiling code, rendering, or processing large datasets, the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H is the clear choice based on the recorded measurements.

The percentile data complicates a simple ranking. AMD sits at the 90th percentile versus Intel's 87th, and AMD's average benchmark score of 48171 exceeds Intel's 41215. Those figures suggest that across the full database, the AMD part has a broader performance profile, likely influenced by its Radeon 8040S integrated graphics and 128.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. The Intel part's average is dragged down by its lower Cinebench single-core scores relative to its multi-core results, but within the head-to-head PassMark suite, Intel wins outright.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. AMD uses the Zen 5 architecture on a 4 nm TSMC process, with the codename Strix Halo. Intel uses the Panther Lake architecture on a 3 nm Intel process, with the same Panther Lake codename. These nodes differ in manufacturing approach, but the more important distinction lies in core organization.

AMD provides 6 cores and 12 threads, relying on simultaneous multithreading to extract extra work from each physical core. Intel provides 16 cores and 16 threads, meaning every thread has its own dedicated core without hyperthreading. This explains why Intel wins the find_prime_numbers test by 77.1 percent: it simply has more physical execution units available.

Cache hierarchies differ as well. AMD allocates 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3. Intel allocates 192 KB of L1 per core, 2.5 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3. Intel's larger per-core cache and higher total L3 capacity provide more on-die data storage, which helps in workloads with repeated data access patterns.

Memory support also separates the two. AMD supports LPDDR5X with dual-channel access and 128.0 GB/s bandwidth, plus ECC memory. Intel supports both DDR5 and LPDDR5X, also dual-channel, but with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth and no ECC. AMD's wider memory pipeline gives it a bandwidth advantage on paper, although the benchmark data does not isolate memory-bound performance.

PCIe connectivity differs: AMD provides Gen 4 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while Intel provides Gen 5 with 12 lanes (CPU only). Intel's newer PCIe standard offers higher per-lane bandwidth, but AMD offers more lanes. Integrated graphics also diverge: AMD uses Radeon 8040S, while Intel uses Xe3 Graphics. The benchmark data does not include GPU tests, so these remain qualitative differences.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two parts:

• Cores: AMD 6, Intel 16
• Threads: AMD 12, Intel 16
• Base clock: AMD 3.60 GHz, Intel 1.90 GHz
• Boost clock: AMD 4.90 GHz, Intel 4.70 GHz
• TDP: AMD 55 W, Intel 25 W
• Socket: AMD Socket FP11, Intel BGA 2540
• Architecture: Zen 5, Panther Lake
• Process node: 4 nm TSMC, 3 nm Intel
• L1 cache: 80 KB per core, 192 KB per core
• L2 cache: 1 MB per core, 2.5 MB per core
• L3 cache: 16 MB shared, 18 MB shared
• Memory support: LPDDR5X only, DDR5 and LPDDR5X
• Memory bandwidth: 128.0 GB/s, 115.2 GB/s
• ECC memory: True, False
• PCIe: Gen 4 16 lanes, Gen 5 12 lanes
• Integrated graphics: Radeon 8040S, Intel Xe3 Graphics
• Release date: 2025-01-05, 2026-01-04
• Part number: 100-000001425, SA4RGQ9EU
• Average benchmark score: 48171, 41215
• Percentile vs all CPUs: 90, 87

Both parts are mobile segments, active in production, and have locked multipliers.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in single-threaded tasks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H leads by a narrow margin. It scores 4072 against AMD's 3995 in passmark_single_thread, a 1.9 percent difference.

Q: Why does Intel win the multi-thread tests by such large margins?

A: Intel has 16 cores and 16 threads, while AMD has 6 cores and 12 threads. The find_prime_numbers test shows the biggest impact: Intel scores 327 versus AMD's 75, a 77.1 percent lead.

Q: Does AMD have any advantage in memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. AMD supports LPDDR5X with 128.0 GB/s bandwidth and ECC memory. Intel supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X with 115.2 GB/s and no ECC.

Q: Which chip has the higher boost clock?

A: AMD's Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 boosts to 4.90 GHz, while Intel's Core Ultra 7 356H boosts to 4.70 GHz. Despite the higher boost clock, AMD still trails in single-thread performance.

Q: How do their overall database rankings compare?

A: AMD sits at the 90th percentile versus Intel's 87th. AMD's average benchmark score is 48171, while Intel's is 41215, though these averages draw from different test suites.

Q: Which CPU has the larger L3 cache?

A: Intel has 18 MB shared L3, while AMD has 16 MB shared. Intel also has larger L1 (192 KB per core) and L2 (2.5 MB per core) caches.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H wins every shared benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. Its strongest areas are prime number finding (77.1 percent ahead), physics simulation (61.3 percent ahead), and floating-point math (48.5 percent ahead). These are classic multi-threaded workloads that scale with core count, and Intel's 16 physical cores provide a decisive advantage. Data encryption also shows a large 45 percent lead, and multithreaded performance is 28.6 percent higher. For integer math, the margin narrows to 4 percent, but Intel still takes the win.

The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 wins in no shared benchmark, but it shows competitive single-thread performance with only a 1.9 percent gap. Its higher boost clock of 4.90 GHz keeps it close in lightly threaded tasks. AMD also offers advantages outside the CPU compute tests: higher memory bandwidth at 128.0 GB/s, ECC support, and a 90th percentile ranking versus Intel's 87th. The Radeon 8040S integrated graphics and larger PCIe lane count (16 Gen 4 lanes versus 12 Gen 5 lanes) add capabilities that the PassMark CPU tests do not measure.

For use cases involving heavy parallel computation, data processing, or physics-based simulations, the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H is the stronger choice. For workloads that demand memory bandwidth, ECC reliability, or a higher overall percentile standing in the database, the AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 380 offers its own set of advantages, even if the CPU benchmark suite does not favor it.