AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 vs Intel Core 5 221TE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive sweep: the AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 wins all 15 head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the Intel Core 5 221TE. The magnitude of the victory varies widely by workload, but no single test favors the Intel part. The most lopsided result appears in PassMark's find prime numbers test, where AMD leads by 447.5 percent, scoring 323 against Intel's 59. The narrowest margin is in Cinebench R23 single-core, still a 23.8 percent advantage for the AMD processor.

Multi-threaded rendering workloads show the largest absolute gaps. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 scores 24,828 compared to 11,305 for the Intel Core 5 221TE, a 119.6 percent difference. The older Cinebench R15 multicore test shows an even larger relative gap at 244 percent, with AMD at 3,918 and Intel at 1,139. These results indicate that heavily parallelized content creation tasks will see more than double the throughput on the AMD part.

Single-core performance is also firmly in AMD's favor, though less dramatic. Cinebench R23 single-core shows 1,976 for AMD versus 1,596 for Intel, a 23.8 percent lead. Cinebench R15 single-core tells a similar story: 303 against 160, an 89.4 percent advantage. PassMark single-thread scores are 3,967 for AMD and 1,734 for Intel, a 128.8 percent difference. This suggests the AMD architecture delivers substantially stronger per-thread performance in both older and modern instruction paths.

Encryption and compression tasks amplify the gap further. PassMark data encryption shows AMD at 26,027 against Intel's 8,963, a 190.4 percent lead. Data compression scores are 506,170 for AMD versus 156,682 for Intel, a 223.1 percent advantage. Extended instruction workloads, which exercise SIMD and other specialized operations, show AMD at 40,888 versus 9,655, a 323.5 percent difference. These numbers indicate that workloads relying on cryptographic operations, archival tasks, and vectorized code will run roughly three to four times faster on the AMD processor.

Floating-point and integer math follow the same pattern. PassMark floating point math shows AMD at 94,666 and Intel at 31,661, a 199 percent lead. Integer math stands at 148,508 for AMD against 42,303 for Intel, a 251.1 percent difference. Random string sorting, a memory-latency-sensitive workload, gives AMD 55,248 versus 16,929, a 226.4 percent lead. PassMark multithread overall score is 42,912 for AMD versus 13,301 for Intel, a 222.6 percent difference. Physics simulation also favors AMD heavily: 2,773 against 977, a 183.8 percent lead.

The average benchmark score places the AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 at 63,765, while the Intel Core 5 221TE averages 17,860. The AMD processor sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs in the database, while the Intel part sits in the 71st percentile. The nearest rivals for the AMD chip include the Intel Core i9-13900KS (average score 64,051, 0.4 percent lower), the AMD EPYC 7343 (64,202, 0.7 percent higher), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G (63,331, 0.7 percent lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX (63,173, 0.9 percent lower). The Intel Core 5 221TE, by contrast, competes in a much lower performance tier, with nearest rivals like the AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT (17,891, 0.2 percent lower), the Intel Core 5 120U (17,898, 0.2 percent lower), the Intel Core 7 350 (17,779, 0.5 percent higher), and the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (17,994, 0.7 percent lower).

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins more benchmark comparisons?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 wins all 15 head-to-head benchmark comparisons. The Intel Core 5 221TE wins none.

Q: What is the largest performance difference between the two?

A: The largest gap is in PassMark find prime numbers, where the AMD processor leads by 447.5 percent (323 versus 59).

Q: How does single-core performance compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 leads in all single-core tests. Cinebench R23 single-core is 1,976 versus 1,596, a 23.8 percent lead. PassMark single-thread is 3,967 versus 1,734, a 128.8 percent lead.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 has an average benchmark score of 63,765. The Intel Core 5 221TE has an average benchmark score of 17,860.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The Intel Core 5 221TE sits in the 71st percentile.

Q: Which tests show the smallest performance gap?

A: The smallest gap is in Cinebench R23 single-core, where the AMD processor leads by 23.8 percent. All other tests show larger differences.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for anyone comparing these two processors directly. The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 outperforms the Intel Core 5 221TE in every recorded benchmark, with leads ranging from 23.8 percent to 447.5 percent. The average benchmark score of 63,765 for the AMD part is roughly 3.6 times the 17,860 average of the Intel part. The percentile ranking reinforces this: 93rd for AMD versus 71st for Intel.

For workloads that stress multi-core rendering, compression, encryption, or math throughput, the AMD processor delivers between roughly two and four times the performance of the Intel part. Even in single-core tasks, where the gap is smallest, the AMD processor still holds a meaningful advantage. The Intel Core 5 221TE is not competitive in any measured workload category.

The Intel part does have one distinguishing characteristic: its launch MSRP is $232. The AMD processor has no launch MSRP recorded in the database. But on raw performance data alone, the AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is the superior processor by every measurement available.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every core specification. The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 uses 12 cores and 24 threads, while the Intel Core 5 221TE uses 10 cores and 16 threads. Base clock speeds differ substantially: 3.20 GHz for AMD versus 1.80 GHz for Intel. Both processors share the same 5.00 GHz boost clock.

Thermal design power differs as well. The AMD part is rated at 55 watts, the Intel part at 45 watts. The AMD processor uses an AMD Socket FP11, while the Intel processor uses Intel Socket 1700. The AMD chip supports LPDDR5X memory over a quad-channel bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel chip supports DDR4 and DDR5 over a dual-channel bus with 76.8 GB/s bandwidth. Both support ECC memory.

PCI Express capabilities differ by generation. The AMD processor provides Gen 4 with 16 lanes (CPU only). The Intel processor provides Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only). Integrated graphics also differ: the AMD part uses Radeon 8050S, while the Intel part uses UHD Graphics 730. The market segments differ too, with AMD listed as Mobile and Intel as Desktop. Both processors have locked multipliers and are currently active in production.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 is built on Zen 5 architecture with the codename Strix Halo, manufactured by TSMC on a 4 nm process. The Intel Core 5 221TE uses the codename Bartlett Lake, part of the Core 5 generation, manufactured by Intel on a 10 nm process. The Intel die size is recorded at 215 mm²; no die size is recorded for the AMD part.

Cache hierarchies differ significantly. Both processors use 80 KB of L1 cache per core. L2 cache is 1 MB per core on the AMD part and 1.25 MB per core on the Intel part. The shared L3 cache is much larger on AMD: 64 MB shared versus 24 MB shared on Intel. This 40 MB difference in L3 capacity likely contributes to the AMD processor's strong showing in memory-sensitive workloads such as random string sorting, where it leads by 226.4 percent.

The generation naming also differs. The AMD part is listed under Ryzen AI Max PRO (Zen 5), while the Intel part is listed under Core 5 (Bartlett Lake). Release dates are close, with AMD recorded as 2025-01-05 and Intel as 2025-01-12, but the underlying architectures are fundamentally different in node size, core design, and memory subsystem.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390 wins every recorded benchmark category, so the use-case split is defined by the degree of its dominance rather than by any Intel victory.

The largest AMD advantages appear in specialized compute tasks. PassMark find prime numbers shows a 447.5 percent lead, making the AMD part the clear choice for workloads involving prime number calculations or similar integer-heavy algorithmic loops. Extended instructions show a 323.5 percent lead, indicating strong SIMD and specialized instruction set performance. Data compression (223.1 percent), integer math (251.1 percent), and multithread workloads (222.6 percent) all favor AMD by more than double.

Content creation and rendering workloads show slightly smaller but still overwhelming AMD advantages. Cinebench R23 multicore at 119.6 percent and Cinebench R15 multicore at 244 percent both indicate that video rendering, 3D scene compilation, and other multi-threaded creative tasks will complete in roughly half the time or less on the AMD processor. Floating-point math (199 percent) and physics simulation (183.8 percent) follow the same pattern.

The areas where the Intel part is least disadvantaged are single-core tests. Cinebench R23 single-core shows the smallest gap at 23.8 percent. Even here, the AMD processor is clearly ahead, but this is the only test where the Intel part remains within a quarter of the AMD score. PassMark single-thread (128.8 percent) and Cinebench R15 single-core (89.4 percent) show larger gaps.

For memory-bandwidth-sensitive tasks, the AMD processor's 256.0 GB/s quad-channel LPDDR5X configuration versus Intel's 76.8 GB/s dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 setup offers a structural advantage that shows up in the 226.4 percent lead in random string sorting. The larger 64 MB L3 cache further reinforces this. The Intel part's Gen 5 PCIe support is its only recorded specification advantage, though no benchmark in the data directly measures PCIe throughput. The Intel Core 5 221TE remains a functional desktop processor, but the benchmark data provides no workload category where it outperforms the AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 390.