AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 vs Intel Core i7-9700E Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data shows a clear overall winner in the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516. It wins all six head-to-head benchmark comparisons against the Intel Core i7-9700E, with margins ranging from 6.7% to 7.3%. The V2516 achieves this despite having fewer cores (6 vs 8) and a lower peak clock (3.95 GHz vs 4.40 GHz), which points to a significant architectural efficiency advantage.

The Intel Core i7-9700E still holds a place for specific workloads. Its higher base clock (2.60 GHz vs 2.10 GHz) and larger shared L3 cache (12 MB vs 8 MB) suggest it may handle certain memory-sensitive tasks more gracefully, though the benchmark scores do not confirm this advantage in the Cinebench suite. The i7-9700E is also an end-of-life product, while the V2516 remains active in production.

For most users looking at raw compute throughput, the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 is the stronger choice. For users constrained to an Intel Socket 1151 platform, or those who require the i7-9700E's launch MSRP of $323 as a reference point, the Intel part remains viable but measurably slower in every recorded test.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 wins in every recorded benchmark category. Its largest margin comes in Cinebench R15 single-core, where it leads by 7.3% (161 vs 150). The multicore margins are nearly identical at 6.7% to 6.8% across R15, R20, and R23. This consistency suggests the V2516's advantage comes from a fundamentally more efficient microarchitecture rather than any single workload characteristic.

The Intel Core i7-9700E, despite having 8 physical cores to the V2516's 6, loses the multicore tests because it lacks simultaneous multithreading (8 threads vs 12 threads). The i7-9700E also posts a lower average benchmark score of 3197 compared to the V2516's 3277, a difference of 2.5%. The i7-9700E's only recorded advantage is in raw clock speed (4.40 GHz boost vs 3.95 GHz) and L3 cache capacity (12 MB vs 8 MB), but these do not translate into any benchmark wins in the database.

For single-threaded tasks, the V2516's 3.95 GHz boost clock is sufficient to beat the i7-9700E's 4.40 GHz boost clock, which indicates the Zen 2 architecture delivers more instructions per clock than Coffee Lake. For multi-threaded tasks, the V2516's 12 threads provide a decisive edge over the i7-9700E's 8 threads.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 is built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, while the Intel Core i7-9700E uses a 14 nm process at Intel. This process difference is fundamental to the performance gap. The V2516 integrates 9,800 million transistors on a 156 mm² die, while the i7-9700E's transistor count is not recorded but its die is larger at 180.3 mm².

The V2516 uses AMD's Zen 2 architecture (codename Renoir), while the i7-9700E uses Coffee Lake (Coffee Lake Refresh). The V2516 features 6 cores and 12 threads, with 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 8 MB shared L3. The i7-9700E has 8 cores and 8 threads, with 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 12 MB shared L3. The V2516's larger per-core L2 cache (512 KB vs 256 KB) may contribute to its single-thread efficiency.

Memory support differs as well. Both support DDR4 dual-channel, but the V2516 has a higher memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s compared to 42.7 GB/s for the i7-9700E. The V2516 also supports ECC memory, while the i7-9700E does not. For PCIe, the V2516 offers Gen 3 with 20 lanes (CPU only), while the i7-9700E offers Gen 3 with 16 lanes.

The integrated graphics differ significantly: the V2516 includes Radeon Graphics with 384 shader processors, while the i7-9700E has UHD Graphics 630. Both have locked multipliers. The V2516 has a TDP of 10 watts, while the i7-9700E has a TDP of 65 watts, a substantial difference that affects cooling and power delivery requirements. The V2516 uses AMD Socket FP6, while the i7-9700E uses Intel Socket 1151.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has more cores?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700E has 8 cores, while the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 has 6 cores.

Q: Which CPU has more threads?

A: The AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 has 12 threads, while the Intel Core i7-9700E has 8 threads. The V2516's simultaneous multithreading gives it a 50% thread advantage despite fewer cores.

Q: Which CPU is faster in single-core tests?

A: The AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 wins all single-core tests. In Cinebench R23 single-core, it scores 1599 versus 1498 for the i7-9700E, a 6.7% advantage.

Q: Does the Intel Core i7-9700E support ECC memory?

A: No. The i7-9700E does not support ECC memory, while the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 does.

Q: Which CPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-9700E has a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, while the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 has a boost clock of 3.95 GHz. Despite this, the V2516 wins all single-threaded benchmarks.

Q: What is the production status of each CPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 is Active, while the Intel Core i7-9700E is End-of-life.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The AMD Ryzen Embedded V2516 wins every recorded head-to-head benchmark, with six wins out of six. The margins are tightly clustered, which suggests a consistent architectural advantage.

In Cinebench R15 multicore, the V2516 scores 1141 against 1069 for the i7-9700E, a 6.7% delta. The single-core R15 test shows the V2516 at 161 versus 150, a larger 7.3% margin. This is the single biggest percentage win for the AMD part.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the V2516 scores 4758 multicore and 671 single-core. The i7-9700E scores 4457 and 629 respectively. The multicore delta is 6.8%, and the single-core delta is 6.7%. These results mirror the R15 pattern almost exactly.

Cinebench R23 continues the trend. The V2516 posts 11329 multicore and 1599 single-core, while the i7-9700E posts 10613 and 1498. Both deltas are 6.7%. The consistency across all three Cinebench versions is notable: the percentage gap barely changes regardless of test generation.

The i7-9700E has a Geekbench multicore score of 5661 and a single-core score of 1497, but the V2516 has no recorded Geekbench results in the database, so no direct comparison is possible for that test.

Looking at the nearest rival data, the V2516's average benchmark score of 3277 places it exactly level with the Intel Core i3-12100T (3277, 0% delta) and the Intel Xeon E-2374G (3278, 0% delta). It trails the Intel Core i5-11500T by 0.3% (3288) and beats the Intel Xeon E5-1680 v3 by 0.4% (3265). The i7-9700E's average score of 3197 puts it level with the Intel Core i3-13100T (3198, 0% delta) and the Intel Xeon E-2136 (3193, 0.1% delta), while trailing the Intel Core i5-1240P by 0.2% and the Intel Atom P5342 by 0.6%.

The percentile ranking for both CPUs is identical at 53, meaning both sit in the same overall performance tier relative to all CPUs in the database. However, the V2516 achieves this with a 10-watt TDP versus the i7-9700E's 65-watt TDP, making the AMD part substantially more efficient per unit of thermal envelope. The V2516 also delivers higher memory bandwidth (51.2 GB/s vs 42.7 GB/s), which may benefit memory-intensive workloads even beyond the Cinebench results shown here.