AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 vs Intel Core i5-14490F Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data presents a remarkably one-sided comparison. The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 wins 16 of the 17 head-to-head benchmark comparisons, with the Intel Core i5-14490F managing a single victory. The margins vary from narrow single-thread leads to a dominant 44.7% gap in extended instruction workloads.

The Cinebench suite shows the AMD part with a consistent 23.6% advantage across all six tests. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the AMD processor scores 28,424 against Intel's 23,000. The single-core results follow the same pattern, with the AMD chip posting 4,012 versus 3,247 in R23 single-core. This uniformity across both multi-threaded and single-threaded rendering tests suggests a fundamental architectural efficiency advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk.

The Passmark suite tells a more varied story. The largest delta appears in extended instructions, where AMD scores 31,442 compared to Intel's 21,731, a 44.7% advantage. This measures SIMD and specialized instruction throughput, indicating the Zen 5 design executes these workloads substantially faster. Prime number finding shows a 28.7% gap (157 versus 122), integer math a 19.6% gap (105,056 versus 87,844), and random string sorting a 14.5% gap (40,784 versus 35,608).

Data compression favors AMD by 11.6%, with scores of 379,448 versus 340,026. The multithread benchmark shows an 11.9% lead for AMD at 32,075 versus 28,662. Data encryption is closer, AMD ahead by only 4.1% (18,978 versus 18,225). Floating point math also narrows to 4.5% (69,580 versus 66,558). Single-thread performance, measured in both passmark_single_thread and passmark_singlethread (identical scores), shows AMD ahead by 3.2%: 3,995 versus 3,873.

The single Intel victory comes in the Passmark physics test. Intel scores 2,093 against AMD's 1,711, a margin of 18.3% in Intel's favor. This result is curious given AMD's wins in other compute-heavy workloads. The physics benchmark likely exercises specific scheduling or memory access patterns that favor the Intel architecture's hybrid core layout.

The overall average benchmark scores reflect this dominance. AMD's average is 43,326, while Intel's sits at 38,149. The AMD processor also ranks at the 88th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with Intel at the 86th percentile. AMD's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 465 (0.2% lower average), Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (0.3% higher), AMD Ryzen 7 170 (0.8% lower), and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7745 (0.9% lower). Intel's closest competitors are the Intel Core Ultra 5 245T (0.1% lower), Intel Core i5-13600KF (0.1% higher), AMD Ryzen 7 250 (0.2% lower), and Intel Core i5-13600HX (0.3% lower).

The Verdict

The benchmark data indicates the AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 is the stronger processor in nearly every measurable category. Its 16 wins out of 17 comparisons, combined with a 13.6% higher average benchmark score (43,326 versus 38,149), positions it clearly ahead in overall compute capability. The AMD part belongs to the mobile market segment, yet it outperforms a desktop part in almost every test, which raises questions about how the Intel chip maintains its position in desktop systems.

The Intel Core i5-14490F does hold one meaningful advantage. Its 18.3% lead in the physics benchmark suggests it handles certain simulation workloads more effectively. The Intel chip also uses a larger die at 215 mm², though this is a physical characteristic rather than a performance metric.

The percentile rankings place AMD at 88 versus Intel's 86, confirming that both processors sit in the upper tier of the database, but AMD sits higher. The nearest rival data for each processor shows both are tightly grouped with their direct competitors, with all delta values within 0.9% of their nearest neighbors.

For users who prioritize raw compute throughput, the AMD processor is the clear choice based on these measurements. The consistency of its wins across rendering, encryption, compression, and math workloads indicates broad capability rather than specialization in one area.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 wins across rendering workloads, as shown by the Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 results. Its 23.6% margins in both single-core and multicore versions of these tests demonstrate strength in 3D rendering and content creation tasks that rely on CPU compute. The 44.7% lead in extended instructions points to advantages in workloads using advanced SIMD operations, such as scientific computing or media processing. Data compression and encryption tasks also favor AMD, with 11.6% and 4.1% leads respectively. Integer math, floating point math, and prime number finding all fall to AMD by margins between 4.5% and 28.7%.

The Intel Core i5-14490F wins only the Passmark physics test, with an 18.3% margin. This suggests the Intel chip may handle physics simulation workloads, which often involve rigid body dynamics and collision detection, more efficiently. The Intel processor's 10 cores compared to AMD's 8 may contribute to this result, though the specific reasons are not visible in the benchmark data alone.

The single-thread comparison deserves attention. AMD leads by only 3.2% in single-thread performance, the narrowest of its wins aside from the 4.1% encryption margin. This suggests that for lightly threaded applications, the two processors are closely matched, with AMD holding a modest edge.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 has an average benchmark score of 43,326, compared to the Intel Core i5-14490F's 38,149.

Q: How many benchmark tests does each processor win?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 wins 16 of the 17 head-to-head benchmarks. The Intel Core i5-14490F wins 1 test, the Passmark physics benchmark.

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

A: The largest gap is in the Passmark extended instructions test, where the AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 leads by 44.7% with a score of 31,442 versus 21,731.

Q: Do the processors have the same number of cores and threads?

A: No. The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 has 8 cores and 16 threads. The Intel Core i5-14490F has 10 cores and 16 threads.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: Both processors have a boost clock of 5.00 GHz.

Q: How do the processors compare in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 scores 28,424 in Cinebench R23 multicore, which is 23.6% higher than the Intel Core i5-14490F's score of 23,000.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 uses the Zen 5 architecture under the Strix Halo codename, built on a 4 nm process by TSMC. The Intel Core i5-14490F uses the Raptor Lake architecture under the Raptor Lake-R codename, built on a 10 nm process by Intel. The AMD chip has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel chip has 10 cores and 16 threads, meaning Intel relies on fewer threads per core.

Cache hierarchies differ notably. Both share 80 KB of L1 cache per core. AMD provides 1 MB of L2 per core and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Intel provides 1.25 MB of L2 per core but only 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD processor therefore has 8 MB more L3 cache available.

Memory support diverges sharply. The AMD processor supports LPDDR5X memory over a quad-channel bus with 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, with no bandwidth figure recorded. AMD also supports ECC memory, while Intel does not.

PCIe connectivity differs as well. AMD uses Gen 4 with 16 lanes from the CPU. Intel uses Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The AMD processor includes integrated Radeon 8050S graphics, while the Intel processor has no integrated graphics (N/A). The AMD chip uses the AMD Socket FP11, while the Intel chip uses Intel Socket 1700. The AMD processor is a mobile part, while the Intel processor is a desktop part.

Specification Differences

The base clock speeds differ substantially. AMD runs at 3.60 GHz, while Intel runs at 2.50 GHz. Both boost to 5.00 GHz. Thermal design power also differs, with AMD rated at 55 watts and Intel at 65 watts.

The process nodes reflect different manufacturing approaches: AMD uses 4 nm from TSMC, Intel uses 10 nm from its own foundry. The Intel die measures 215 mm², while no die size is recorded for AMD. Cache configurations differ in L2 and L3, as detailed above. Memory support differs in type, channel count, bandwidth, and ECC capability. PCIe generation differs between Gen 4 and Gen 5. Integrated graphics presence differs, with AMD including Radeon 8050S and Intel having none. The release dates are close, with AMD releasing on 2025-01-05 and Intel on 2023-12-31. Both processors have locked multipliers. AMD's part number is 100-000001422, Intel's is SRN35.