AMD Ryzen 7 260 vs Intel Core 7 251TE Comparison

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen 7 260 and Intel Core 7 251TE occupy the same performance percentile (88th) among all CPUs, yet they achieve that standing through fundamentally different strengths. The Ryzen 7 260 wins 6 of the 15 head-to-head tests, while the Core 7 251TE takes 9. The Intel part is the clear multi-threaded throughput leader, especially in Cinebench R23 multi-core where it scores 25518 against 17211.5, a 32.6% advantage. The AMD part counters with superior single-thread PassMark scores (3736 vs 3568, a 4.7% edge) and a dominant 56.4% lead in extended instructions (26544 vs 16974).

Buyers who prioritize raw parallel compute, physics simulation, or integer-heavy workloads should choose the Intel Core 7 251TE. It leads by 37.2% in PassMark physics (1938 vs 1218), by 30.5% in floating point math (85607 vs 59462), and by 23.1% in integer math (125739 vs 96737). The AMD Ryzen 7 260 suits workloads that emphasize compression, sorting, and instruction-set flexibility, along with lighter single-threaded tasks where its PassMark score leads despite the Intel part's higher boost clock.

The average benchmark scores tell a similar story: the Ryzen 7 260 posts 43717, while the Core 7 251TE posts 41650, a 5.0% overall gap in favor of AMD. However, the Intel chip's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700T at 41914 (0.6% above it), while the AMD chip's closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 7745 at 43704 (essentially tied). Neither processor is a universal winner; the correct choice depends entirely on the workload mix.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different design philosophies. The AMD Ryzen 7 260 uses Zen 4 architecture on TSMC's 4 nm process, with a die size of 178 mm² and 25,000 million transistors. It packs 8 cores and 16 threads on the AMD Socket FP8 platform. The Intel Core 7 251TE uses Bartlett Lake on Intel's 10 nm process, with a larger 215 mm² die and no transistor count recorded in the database. It offers 24 cores and 32 threads on Intel Socket 1700.

Cache hierarchies differ substantially. The AMD part provides 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3. The Intel part offers 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a much larger 36 MB of shared L3. That larger L3 pool helps explain the Intel chip's multi-core advantage in several tests, though the AMD chip's higher base clock of 3.80 GHz versus 1.40 GHz gives it an edge in latency-sensitive single-thread work.

Memory support also separates the two. The Ryzen 7 260 supports DDR5 only, while the Core 7 251TE supports both DDR4 and DDR5. Both run dual-channel memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The Intel part adds ECC memory support, which the AMD part lacks. PCIe generations differ: AMD offers Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes, while Intel offers Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes. Integrated graphics also differ, with the AMD Radeon 780M in the Ryzen 7 260 versus Intel UHD Graphics 770 in the Core 7 251TE.

The market segments diverge as well. The Ryzen 7 260 targets mobile, while the Core 7 251TE targets desktop. Both are active production parts with locked multipliers. The AMD part was released on 2025-01-05, and the Intel part on 2025-01-12, a week later. The Intel part carries a launch MSRP of $384.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest AMD victory comes in PassMark extended instructions, where the Ryzen 7 260 scores 26544 against 16974, a 56.4% margin. This suggests the Zen 4 core handles advanced instruction sets more efficiently than the Bartlett Lake design. AMD also wins PassMark random string sorting with 42383 versus 39643, a 6.9% edge, and PassMark data compression with 351517 versus 334399, a 5.1% advantage. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the AMD part scores 2747.5 against 2572, a 6.8% win, showing that the older Cinebench version favors the AMD design despite the Intel chip's core count advantage.

The Intel part dominates the newer Cinebench R23 multi-core test with 25518 versus 17211.5, a 32.6% lead. Single-core Cinebench R23 shows an even larger gap: 3602 versus 1770.5, a 50.8% advantage for Intel. Cinebench R15 single-core also goes to Intel at 362 versus 276.5, a 23.6% margin. These results indicate that Intel's boost clock of 5.40 GHz, combined with its larger L3 cache, produces substantially higher single-threaded Cinebench scores despite the AMD part's 5.10 GHz boost and higher base clock.

PassMark tests split more evenly. Intel wins PassMark multithread with 30022 versus 28078, a 6.5% edge, and PassMark physics with 1938 versus 1218, a 37.2% margin. Intel also takes PassMark floating point math at 85607 versus 59462 (30.5% ahead), PassMark integer math at 125739 versus 96737 (23.1% ahead), PassMark data encryption at 22176 versus 20267 (8.6% ahead), and PassMark find prime numbers at 140 versus 77 (45.0% ahead). The AMD part counters with PassMark single-thread at 3736 versus 3568, a 4.7% win, appearing in both the "single_thread" and "singlethread" test entries with identical scores.

The pattern is clear: Intel wins through raw multi-core throughput and single-core Cinebench performance, while AMD wins through instruction-level efficiency, compression, sorting, and the PassMark single-thread metric. The 15-test record shows 6 wins for AMD and 9 for Intel, but the AMD wins include the largest single margin (56.4% in extended instructions) and several narrow victories in real-world data tasks.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts differ sharply: the AMD Ryzen 7 260 has 8 cores and 16 threads, while the Intel Core 7 251TE has 24 cores and 32 threads. Base clocks are 3.80 GHz for AMD versus 1.40 GHz for Intel, while boost clocks are 5.10 GHz for AMD versus 5.40 GHz for Intel. The process nodes differ at 4 nm (TSMC) for AMD and 10 nm (Intel) for Intel. Die sizes are 178 mm² for AMD and 215 mm² for Intel. The AMD part lists 25,000 million transistors; the Intel part has no recorded transistor count.

Cache configurations differ in every level: L1 is 64 KB per core for AMD versus 80 KB per core for Intel; L2 is 1 MB per core for AMD versus 1.25 MB per core for Intel; L3 is 16 MB shared for AMD versus 36 MB shared for Intel. Memory support shows AMD limited to DDR5, while Intel supports DDR4 and DDR5. ECC memory is true for Intel, false for AMD. PCIe is Gen 4 with 20 lanes for AMD versus Gen 5 with 16 lanes for Intel. Integrated graphics are Radeon 780M for AMD and UHD Graphics 770 for Intel. The AMD part uses AMD Socket FP8, and the Intel part uses Intel Socket 1700. The AMD part is mobile; the Intel part is desktop. The architecture is Zen 4 for AMD, while the Intel architecture field is null, though its codename is Bartlett Lake.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core 7 251TE has 24 cores and 32 threads, while the AMD Ryzen 7 260 has 8 cores and 16 threads.

Q: How do the two compare in Cinebench R23 multi-core?

A: The Intel Core 7 251TE scores 25518, which is 32.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 260's 17211.5.

Q: Which processor is better for single-threaded PassMark performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 260 scores 3736 in PassMark single-thread, ahead of the Intel Core 7 251TE's 3568, a 4.7% advantage.

Q: Does either processor support ECC memory?

A: The Intel Core 7 251TE supports ECC memory, while the AMD Ryzen 7 260 does not.

Q: What is the difference in average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 260 has an average benchmark score of 43717, while the Intel Core 7 251TE has 41650, a 5.0% gap in favor of AMD.

Q: Which processor offers the largest single-test margin in the head-to-head results?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 260 leads by 56.4% in PassMark extended instructions (26544 versus 16974), the largest delta of any head-to-head test.