AMD Ryzen 5 3501U vs Intel Core 5 320 Comparison

AMD Ryzen 5 3501U and Intel Core 5 320 are both 15-watt mobile processors, but they occupy different positions in the database’s performance hierarchy. The Intel part is the clear aggregate winner, holding an average benchmark score of 18023 against the AMD’s 14320, a gap of roughly 26%. The Intel chip also sits at the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, while the AMD lands at the 69th. In the head-to-head set of eleven recorded benchmarks, the Intel Core 5 320 wins all eleven. That sweep is the central fact of this comparison, but the margin of victory varies sharply by workload, which points to very different architectural strengths.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core 5 320 wins every benchmark category in the database, so the use-case split is not about which chip takes a given test, but rather about which workloads the Intel chip dominates by a small margin versus those where it is overwhelmingly faster. The smallest Intel advantage comes in integer math, where the Core 5 320 scores 32323 against the Ryzen’s 26321, a delta of 18.6% in Intel’s favor. That is the only head-to-head test where the two chips are in the same general performance class. By contrast, the largest Intel win is in prime number finding, where the Intel score of 110 is 80.9% higher than the AMD’s 21. This indicates that the Intel chip’s advantage grows dramatically in workloads that stress instruction-level parallelism and branch-heavy integer loops.

For single-threaded work, the Intel Core 5 320 delivers 4045 in the Passmark single-thread test, a 47.2% lead over the Ryzen’s 2136. That single-thread gap is consistent across the Cinebench suite, where the Intel part scores 276 in Cinebench R15 single-core, 771 in R20 single-core, and 1926 in R23 single-core. The Ryzen 5 3501U has no Cinebench entries in the database, so those are Intel-only figures, but the Passmark single-thread numbers make the relative position clear. For multithreaded throughput, the Intel chip scores 15450 in Passmark multithread versus the AMD’s 7071, a 54.2% advantage. The Intel part also posts 1054 in Cinebench R15 multicore, 5462 in R20 multicore, and 6197 in R23 multicore.

The practical interpretation is that the Intel Core 5 320 is the faster processor for every recorded workload, but the margin is modest in integer-heavy general code and enormous in floating-point, encryption, and extended instruction workloads. The Ryzen 5 3501U does not win any category, so its role is limited to lighter mobile tasks where its lower performance is sufficient. The data shows no workload where the AMD chip is competitive with the Intel part beyond the 18.6% deficit in integer math.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different design philosophies and manufacturing generations. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U is built on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries, using the Picasso die with a Zen+ microarchitecture. It integrates 4,940 million transistors on a 210 mm² die. The Intel Core 5 320 uses a 3 nm process at Intel, under the Wildcat Lake codename with a Core 5 generation label. The Intel chip’s transistor count and die size are not recorded in the database, but the process node difference alone, 12 nm versus 3 nm, explains a substantial portion of the efficiency and frequency gap.

The core counts differ as well. The AMD part has 4 cores and 4 threads, meaning no simultaneous multithreading. The Intel part has 6 cores and 6 threads, also without hyper-threading, but with two more physical cores. The Intel chip’s base clock is 1.50 GHz, lower than the AMD’s 2.10 GHz, yet its boost clock reaches 4.60 GHz versus the AMD’s 3.70 GHz. That 0.90 GHz boost advantage, combined with the newer process, drives the large single-thread lead.

Cache hierarchy also differs sharply. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U provides 96 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 4 MB of shared L3. The Intel Core 5 320 provides 192 KB of L1 (total, not per-core), 2.5 MB of L2, and 6 MB of shared L3. The Intel L2 figure is total, not per-core, so per-core L2 is roughly 416 KB, less than the AMD’s 512 KB per core. However, the Intel chip has more total L3 and a larger aggregate L1.

Memory support is a major divergence. The AMD chip uses DDR4 with a dual-channel memory bus and a recorded bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. The Intel chip supports DDR5 and LPDDR5X with a single-channel memory bus, yet achieves a higher recorded bandwidth of 59.7 GB/s. This is a notable result: single-channel DDR5/LPDDR5X on the Intel side delivers 55% more bandwidth than dual-channel DDR4 on the AMD side. Neither chip supports ECC memory, and both have locked multipliers.

PCIe connectivity also differs. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U supports PCIe Gen 3. The Intel Core 5 320 supports PCIe Gen 4 with 6 lanes for the CPU. The Intel chip’s newer PCIe generation and higher bandwidth are consistent with its overall platform advantage.

The integrated graphics differ as well. The AMD part uses Radeon Vega 8, while the Intel part uses Intel Xe3 Graphics with 2 Xe cores. The database does not record graphics benchmark scores for either chip, so the comparison is limited to naming and core counts. The Intel Xe3 solution is newer, but without measured data, no performance claim can be made.

Release timing also differs. The Intel Core 5 320’s recorded release date is 2026-04-15, while the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U’s is 2026-05-31, making the AMD part a later entry in the database. Both are listed as Active in production status.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head table shows all eleven tests won by the Intel Core 5 320. The largest margins are in the most compute-intensive workloads. In Passmark find prime numbers, the Intel score of 110 is 80.9% higher than the AMD’s 21. That is the single biggest relative gap in the set. In extended instructions, the Intel score of 13262 is 75.3% higher than the AMD’s 3274. Floating-point math shows a 70.1% Intel advantage, with scores of 42440 versus 12707. These three tests indicate that the Intel chip’s newer architecture handles complex arithmetic and specialized instruction sets far more efficiently than the older Zen+ design.

Physics simulation, which is often a proxy for game physics and constraint solving, shows the Intel chip scoring 1221 against the AMD’s 483, a 60.4% lead. Multithread performance shows a 54.2% Intel advantage, with 15450 versus 7071. Data encryption shows a 49.2% Intel lead, with 10984 versus 5580. The single-thread tests (Passmark single-thread and singlethread, which are duplicates in the database) both show the Intel chip at 4045 versus the AMD’s 2136, a 47.2% lead.

Random string sorting shows a 42.3% Intel advantage, with 18038 versus 10414. Data compression shows a 41.3% Intel lead, with 148779 versus 87380. The smallest gap is in integer math, where the Intel chip scores 32323 versus the AMD’s 26321, a 18.6% lead. Even in that closest test, the Intel part is still clearly ahead.

The Cinebench results are only recorded for the Intel Core 5 320, so they cannot be compared head-to-head. They are included in the database as part of the Intel chip’s benchmark profile. The multicore Cinebench scores (1054 in R15, 5462 in R20, 6197 in R23) and single-core scores (276 in R15, 771 in R20, 1926 in R23) are consistent with the Intel chip’s Passmark multithread and single-thread results, confirming a strong all-around performance profile.

The aggregate average benchmark score for the Intel chip is 18023, which places it between the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (17994, delta 0.2%) and the Intel Core i5-1334U (18154, delta -0.7%) in the nearest rivals table. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U’s average score of 14320 sits between the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14336, delta -0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277, delta 0.3%). The Intel chip’s nearest rivals also include the Intel Core 5 120U (17898, delta 0.7%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT (17891, delta 0.7%).

Specification Differences

The specification table below lists only the fields where the two processors differ.

• Cores: 4 (AMD) versus 6 (Intel)
• Threads: 4 (AMD) versus 6 (Intel)
• Base clock: 2.10 GHz (AMD) versus 1.50 GHz (Intel)
• Boost clock: 3.70 GHz (AMD) versus 4.60 GHz (Intel)
• Socket: AMD Socket FP5 versus Intel BGA 1516
• Codename: Picasso versus Wildcat Lake
• Generation: Ryzen 5 (Zen+ Picasso) versus Core 5 (Wildcat Lake)
• Process node: 12 nm versus 3 nm
• Foundry: GlobalFoundries versus Intel
• Transistors: 4,940 million versus not recorded
• Die size: 210 mm² versus not recorded
• L1 cache: 96 KB per core versus 192 KB total
• L2 cache: 512 KB per core versus 2.5 MB total
• L3 cache: 4 MB shared versus 6 MB shared
• Memory support: DDR4 versus DDR5, LPDDR5X
• Memory bus: Dual-channel versus Single-channel
• Memory bandwidth: 38.4 GB/s versus 59.7 GB/s
• PCIe: Gen 3 versus Gen 4, 6 lanes (CPU only)
• Integrated graphics: Radeon Vega 8 versus Intel Xe3 Graphics (2 Xe)
• Release date: 2026-05-31 versus 2026-04-15
• Launch MSRP: none recorded versus $340
• Part number: YM3501C4T4MFG versus SAE3H

The two chips share the same TDP (15 watts), both lack ECC support, and both have locked multipliers. Neither chip has a recorded 3D V-Cache. The Intel part carries a launch MSRP of $340, which is the only pricing information in the database; the AMD part has no recorded launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core 5 320 has an average benchmark score of 18023, which is 26% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U’s 14320. The Intel chip also holds the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, while the AMD chip holds the 69th.

Q: How large is the single-thread performance gap?

A: In the Passmark single-thread test, the Intel Core 5 320 scores 4045, which is 47.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 3501U’s 2136. The same margin appears in the duplicate singlethread test.

Q: Does the AMD chip win any head-to-head benchmark?

A: No. Across all eleven recorded head-to-head tests, the Intel Core 5 320 wins every one. The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U’s closest result is in integer math, where it trails by 18.6%.

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

A: The largest relative gap is in the Passmark find prime numbers test, where the Intel Core 5 320 scores 110 against the AMD’s 21, an 80.9% advantage. Extended instructions and floating-point math also show Intel leads above 70%.

Q: How do the memory systems compare?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U uses dual-channel DDR4 with 38.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The Intel Core 5 320 uses single-channel DDR5 or LPDDR5X with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth. Despite having half the memory channels, the Intel chip delivers 55% more bandwidth.

Q: What are the core and thread counts?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3501U has 4 cores and 4 threads. The Intel Core 5 320 has 6 cores and 6 threads. Neither processor supports simultaneous multithreading, but the Intel chip has two additional physical cores.