AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX vs Intel Core i3-1215U
AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX
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The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is a high-end notebook processor from the Dragon Range series with 16 cores and hyperthreading (SMT), which means it can process up to 32 threads simultaneously. The CPU uses the current Zen 4 architecture for the 16 cores and clocks these from 2.4 GHz (base clock) up to 5.2 GHz (single-core boost). The CPU offers 16 MB L2 cache and 64 MB L3 cache (i.e. a total of 80 MB cache). The 7940HX consists of three chiplets, two CCD clusters with 8 CPU cores each made with a 5nm node (71mm²) and one IO die on 6nm (122mm²), are all manufactured at TSMC's fabs.
The performance of the Ryzen 9 should be comparable to a Core i9-13900HX (24 hybrid cores, max 5.4 GHz) in the top range of mobile processors from 2024. AMD itself advertises a clear lead over the old Ryzen 9 6900HX (8 Zen 3 cores, 4.9 GHz), which can be explained by the additional cores, improved architecture and higher frequencies. Compared to the top model, the Ryzen 9 7945HX, the 7940HX is slightly lower clocked.
The chip also integrates 4x USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) ports (no USB 4), 28 PCIe 5.0 lanes (for GPUs and SSDs), a dual-channel DDR5-5200 memory controller and a small AMD Radeon 610M graphics card (2CUs, 400 - 2200 MHz).
The R9 7940HX is specified with 55 watts TDP and can be configured up to 75 watts (cTDP).
Intel Core i3-1215U
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The Intel Core i3-1215U is a mid-range mobile CPU for thin and light laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in early 2022 and offers 2 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 4 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 8 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 1.2 to 4.4 GHz on the performance cluster and 0.9 to 3.3 GHz on the efficient cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compare to the Core i7-6700HQ). All cores can use up to 10 MB L3-cache. Compared to the faster i5 and i7 models, the i3 does not include vPro features.
Performance
The average 1215U in our database is in the same league as the Ryzen 3 5300U and also the Core i7-1185G7, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. This is decent enough of a result, as of late 2022. For an entry-level CPU, that is.
Your mileage may vary depending on how competent the cooling solution of your laptop is, and how high the CPU power limits are.
Features
The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200, LPDDR5-5200, and LPDDR4x-4267. The Thread Director (in hardware) can support the operating system to decide which thread to use on the performance or efficient cores for the best performance. For AI tasks, the CPU also integrates GNA 3.0 and DL Boost (via AVX2). Quick Sync in version 8 is the same as in the Rocket Lake CPUs and supports MPEG-2, AVC, VC-1 decode, JPEG, VP8 decode, VP9, HEVC, and AV1 decode in hardware. The CPU only supports PCIe 4.0 (x8 for a GPU and two x4 for SSDs).
The integrated graphics card is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 64 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.1 GHz.
The CPU is rated at 15 W base power (TDP, PL1) and 55 W max. Turbo power (PL2) and the whole SoC is manufactured in a 10nm process at Intel, which is known as Intel 7.
| Model | AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX | Intel Core i3-1215U | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Codename | Dragon Range-HX (Zen 4) | Alder Lake-U | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series | AMD Dragon Range (Zen 4, Ryzen 7X4X/8X4X) | Intel Alder Lake-M | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series: Alder Lake-M Alder Lake-U |
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| Clock | 2400 - 5200 MHz | 900 - 4400 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L1 Cache | 1 MB | 544 KB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L2 Cache | 16 MB | 5 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| L3 Cache | 64 MB | 10 MB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cores / Threads | 16 / 32 16 x 5.2 GHz AMD Zen 4 | 6 / 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TDP | 55 Watt | 15 Watt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transistors | 9900 Million | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology | 5 nm | 10 nm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| max. Temp. | 100 °C | 100 °C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Socket | FL1 | BGA1744 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Features | DDR5-5200 RAM, PCIe 5, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4A, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, AVX-512, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, SMT, CPB, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA, SME | DDR4-3200/LPDDR4x-4266/DDR5-4800/LPDDR5-5200 RAM, PCIe 4, Thr. Dir., DL Boost, GNA, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, AVX2, BMI2, ABM, FMA, ADX, SMEP, SMAP, EIST, TM1, TM2, HT, Turbo, SST, AES-NI, RDRAND, RDSEED, SHA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| iGPU | AMD Radeon 610M (400 - 2200 MHz) | Intel UHD Graphics 64EUs (Alder Lake 12th Gen) ( - 1100 MHz) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architecture | x86 | x86 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announced | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | www.amd.com | ark.intel.com |
Benchmarks
Average Benchmarks AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX → 100% n=7
Average Benchmarks Intel Core i3-1215U → 48% n=7
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation
