Intel Core 3 N355 vs Intel Core i7-1250U Comparison

The benchmark data presents a clear hierarchy: the Intel Core i7-1250U is the dominant performer, winning 15 of 17 head-to-head tests, while the Intel Core 3 N355 manages only two narrow victories. However, the margin of victory varies dramatically by workload, and the N355’s wins hint at specific architectural strengths that matter for niche use cases. The average benchmark scores are nearly identical — 13,492 for the N355 versus 13,351 for the i7-1250U — placing both at the 68th percentile of all CPUs, which underscores that raw aggregate performance is not the differentiator here. The real story is in the workload-specific deltas, where the i7-1250U’s lead ranges from a marginal 1.5% to a crushing 53.4%.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i7-1250U is the clear winner for compute-intensive tasks. Its most significant victories come in single-threaded and lightly-threaded workloads, where its 4.70 GHz boost clock and larger 12 MB shared L3 cache deliver decisive advantages. In Cinebench R23 single-core, it leads by 34%, and in PassMark single-thread it is 20.3% ahead. This translates directly to snappier application performance, faster web browsing, and better responsiveness in everyday computing. The i7-1250U also dominates multi-threaded rendering, with a 25.6% lead in Cinebench R23 multi-core and a 29.9% lead in Cinebench R15 multi-core, making it the superior choice for video editing, 3D rendering, and any workload that scales across cores.

The Intel Core 3 N355 wins only in two specific data-processing tasks: PassMark data encryption (6.3% ahead) and PassMark random string sorting (8.2% ahead). These are narrow but consistent margins, suggesting the N355’s eight Gracemont-based efficiency cores handle certain memory-access patterns or cryptographic instructions more efficiently than the i7-1250U’s hybrid core layout. For users whose primary workload is encryption-heavy (e.g., VPNs, secure file transfers) or involves heavy string manipulation (e.g., database sorting, text processing), the N355 offers a measurable, if modest, advantage. Outside of these two niches, the i7-1250U is unequivocally faster.

Architecture Differences

The two processors represent different design philosophies from Intel. The Core 3 N355 is built on the Twin Lake architecture, which is a refinement of the Alder Lake-N family. It features 8 cores and 8 threads, all using Intel’s efficient Gracemont cores. There are no performance cores here; the entire chip is designed for power efficiency and sustained low-load operation. The base clock is 1.90 GHz with a boost of 3.90 GHz, and it is built on Intel’s 10 nm process. The cache layout is notably different: 96 KB L1 per core, 2 MB shared L2, and 6 MB shared L3. This is a simpler, more uniform cache hierarchy.

The Core i7-1250U, by contrast, uses the Alder Lake-U architecture with a hybrid design: 10 cores and 12 threads, combining performance cores with efficient cores to balance throughput and power. Its base clock is listed at 1100.00 MHz (which is unusually low, indicating a very low minimum power state), but it boosts to 4.70 GHz. The cache hierarchy is more complex, with 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and a larger 12 MB shared L3. The i7-1250U also has a lower TDP of 9 watts versus the N355’s 15 watts, which is counterintuitive given its higher performance, but reflects the efficiency of the hybrid architecture under burst workloads.

Other key differences include memory support: the N355 supports DDR4, DDR5, and LPDDR5 but only over a single-channel memory bus with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the i7-1250U supports DDR4 and DDR5 over a dual-channel bus. The i7-1250U also features a more advanced PCIe Gen 4 interface, whereas the N355 is limited to PCIe Gen 3 with 9 lanes. Integrated graphics differ as well: the N355 has UHD Graphics 770, while the i7-1250U has Iris Xe 96EU, which is a more capable GPU for light gaming and media tasks.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking result is in Cinebench R23 single-core, where the i7-1250U scores 1,574 against the N355’s 1,039, a 34% advantage. This is the largest percentage gap in the entire benchmark set and highlights the fundamental difference in single-thread capability between a hybrid-core design with a 4.70 GHz boost and a uniform efficiency-core design capped at 3.90 GHz. The gap narrows in Cinebench R20 single-core (9.4%) and Cinebench R15 single-core (25.7%), but the pattern is consistent: the i7-1250U’s performance cores are significantly faster per clock.

In multi-core workloads, the i7-1250U still leads, but by varying margins. Cinebench R23 multi-core shows a 25.6% lead (7,069 vs. 5,262), while Cinebench R20 multi-core narrows to just 9.3% (3,983 vs. 3,612). This suggests that the N355’s 8 efficiency cores can compete more closely when all cores are saturated, but the i7-1250U’s 12 threads (from 10 cores) provide the extra throughput needed to pull ahead. Cinebench R15 multi-core shows a 29.9% gap (1,172.94 vs. 822), indicating that the i7-1250U’s advantage grows in older, less optimized workloads.

PassMark results tell a similar story. The i7-1250U wins integer math by 16% (40,328 vs. 33,894), floating-point math by 14.8% (26,625 vs. 22,695), and physics by 29.1% (881 vs. 625). The most lopsided PassMark result is find prime numbers, where the i7-1250U scores 58 versus the N355’s 27 — a 53.4% blowout that reflects the i7-1250U’s superior integer and branch-prediction capabilities. Extended instructions also favor the i7-1250U by 8.1%.

The N355’s two wins are worth examining. In data encryption, the N355 scores 8,121 versus 7,642, a 6.3% lead. In random string sorting, it scores 14,706 versus 13,593, an 8.2% lead. These are the only tests where the N355’s architecture outperforms, and the margins are modest. They suggest that the N355’s simpler, uniform core design handles certain memory-access patterns (random string sorting) and cryptographic workloads more efficiently, possibly due to lower latency in its L2 cache or better instruction scheduling on the Gracemont cores.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: The Intel Core i7-1250U is faster in 15 of 17 head-to-head benchmarks. Its average benchmark score is 13,351, which is 1.1% lower than the Core 3 N355’s 13,492, but this aggregate figure is skewed by the N355’s two narrow wins. In compute-heavy tasks, the i7-1250U leads by 10% to 34%.

Q: Does the Core 3 N355 win any benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins two tests: PassMark data encryption (8,121 vs. 7,642, a 6.3% lead) and PassMark random string sorting (14,706 vs. 13,593, an 8.2% lead). These are the only workloads where the N355 outperforms the i7-1250U.

Q: Why does the i7-1250U have a lower TDP but higher performance?

A: The i7-1250U has a TDP of 9 watts versus the N355’s 15 watts, yet it delivers higher performance. This is due to its hybrid architecture, which uses performance cores for burst workloads and efficiency cores for lighter tasks, allowing it to boost to 4.70 GHz when needed while idling at a very low 1100.00 MHz base clock.

Q: How do the memory systems differ?

A: The Core 3 N355 supports single-channel memory with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the Core i7-1250U supports dual-channel memory. Both support DDR4 and DDR5, but the N355 also adds LPDDR5 support. The dual-channel setup on the i7-1250U likely contributes to its performance lead in memory-sensitive tasks.

Q: Which CPU is better for gaming?

A: The data does not include gaming benchmarks, but the i7-1250U has a 20.3% lead in PassMark single-thread performance and a 29.1% lead in physics, which are strong indicators for gaming. It also has the more capable Iris Xe 96EU integrated graphics versus the N355’s UHD Graphics 770.

Q: Are these CPUs in the same performance class?

A: Yes, both sit at the 68th percentile of all CPUs. The i7-1250U’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-7700K, while the Core 3 N355 is closest to the Intel Core i3-12100F and Intel Core i5-9500. Their average benchmark scores differ by only 1.1%.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core 3 N355 | Intel Core i7-1250U |

|----------------|-------------------|---------------------|

| Cores | 8 | 10 |

| Threads | 8 | 12 |

| Base Clock | 1.90 GHz | 1100.00 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.90 GHz | 4.70 GHz |

| TDP | 15 W | 9 W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 1264 | Intel BGA 1781 |

| Architecture | Twin Lake | Alder Lake |

| Codename | Twin Lake | Alder Lake-U |

| Generation | Core 3 (Alder Lake-N) | Core i7 (Alder Lake-U) |

| L1 Cache | 96 KB (per core) | 80 KB (per core) |

| L2 Cache | 2 MB (shared) | 1.25 MB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 6 MB (shared) | 12 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR4, DDR5, LPDDR5 | DDR4, DDR5 |

| Memory Bus | Single-channel | Dual-channel |

| Memory Bandwidth | 38.4 GB/s | Not specified |

| PCIe | Gen 3, 9 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 4 |

| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 770 | Iris Xe 96EU |

| Release Date | 2025-01-06 | 2022-02-22 |

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-1250U is the superior processor for the vast majority of users. The data is unambiguous: it wins 15 of 17 benchmarks, and its victories are not marginal. In single-core workloads, it is 20.3% to 34% faster, which directly impacts everyday responsiveness. In multi-core rendering, it leads by 9.3% to 29.9%, making it the better choice for creative professionals. Even in mixed workload tests like PassMark multithread, it maintains a 10.2% advantage. The only reasons to choose the Core 3 N355 are if your workload is exclusively focused on data encryption or random string sorting, where it offers a 6.3% and 8.2% edge, respectively.

The i7-1250U’s lower TDP (9W vs. 15W) further solidifies its position, offering more performance while consuming less power. Its dual-channel memory bus and PCIe Gen 4 support also provide a more future-proof platform. The N355’s single-channel memory and PCIe Gen 3 are limiting factors that will constrain performance in memory-intensive applications. For a balanced, high-performance mobile processor, the i7-1250U is the clear choice. The N355 is a niche part for specific data-processing tasks, but for general computing, rendering, or productivity, the i7-1250U wins decisively.