Intel Core i3-1115G4 vs AMD Ryzen 5 7640U vs AMD Ryzen 3 7440U

Intel Core i3-1115G4

The Intel Core i3-1115G4 is a dual-core SoC for laptops and Ultrabooks based on the Tiger Lake-U generation (UP3) that was launched in September 2020. It integrates two Willow Cove processor cores (4 threads thanks to HyperThreading). Each core can clock from 3 GHz (base speed) to 4.1 GHz (single- and dual-core boost). The faster Core i5 and i7 models offer more cores and are therefore significantly faster.

Another novelty is the integrated Xe graphics card based on the completely new Gen 12 architecture. In the i3-1115G4 Intel is naming the GPU UHD Graphics and offers only 48 of the 96 EUs clocked at 400 - 1250 MHz. GPU and CPU can together use the 6 MB of L3 cache.

Furthermore, Tiger Lake SoCs add PCIe 4 support (four lanes), AI hardware acceleration, and the partial integration of Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 and WiFi 6 in the chip.

The chip is produced on the second-gen 10 nm Intel SuperFin process that should be comparable to the 7 nm TSMC process (e.g. Ryzen 4000 series).

Performance

Multi-thread peformance is most comparable to what the Intel Core i5-8250U and the AMD Ryzen 5 3450U deliver. This makes the i3 a more than decent option for day-to-day tasks; that said, any workload of the more taxing kind (such as exporting a high-bitrate, hour long UHD video) will be enough to bring the i3 to its knees.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 25 W, the ThinkPad L15 G2-20X4S0KU00 is one of the fastest laptops powered by the 1115G4 we know of. It can be more than 20% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Power consumption

This Core i3 series chip has a default TDP of 12 W to 28 W, the expectation being that laptop makers will go for a higher value in exchange for higher performance. Either way, that's a tad too high to allow for passively cooled laptops, tablets, mini-PCs.

The Core i3-1115G4 is built with Intel's third-gen 10 nm process marketed as SuperFin for decent, as of mid 2022, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 5 7640U

The Ryzen 5 7640U is a Phoenix family processor that was unveiled in H1 2023. The mid-range laptop chip has 6 SMT-enabled cores (12 threads) running at 3.5 GHz to 4.9 GHz. Those Zen 4 architecture cores are mated to the Radeon 760M integrated graphics adapter; the latter is about as fast as the aging Intel Iris Xe options.

Furthermore, the 7640U is one of the first AMD processors to support Ryzen AI which is AMD's answer to Intel's DL Boost and GNA technologies.

Architecture & Features

Phoenix family chips are powered by the Zen 4 architecture, much like Dragon Range family chips are. The latter however lacks hardware AI workload acceleration capabilities that Phoenix has.

More importantly, Zen 4 introduces AVX512 support (which Zen 3 chips did not have) and, thanks to a plethora of other improvements including larger caches/registers/buffers across the board, is set to deliver a double-digit IPC improvement.

Elsewhere, the 7640U has 16 MB of L3 cache and USB 4 support (therefore, Thunderbolt is supported as well). The chip is compatible with DDR5-5600 and LPDDR5x-7500 RAM which is really impressive as of H1 2023.

A system powered by this Ryzen 5 will have access to twenty PCIe 4 lanes; this means a speedy enough NVMe SSD will be able to deliver speeds up to 7.8 GB/s.

Systems powered by this APU are expected to run 64-bit Windows 11, 64-bit Windows 10, or Linux. Like most laptop chips, the 7640U is neither overclockable nor user-replaceable. It gets soldered down for good (FP7, FP7r2, FP8 socket interfaces).

Performance

While we have not tested a single system built around the 7640U as of December 2023, it's safe to expect the chip to be at least 10% faster than the Zen 3 Plus-powered Ryzen 5 6600U (6 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.5 GHz).

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are and how competent the cooling solution of your laptop is.

Graphics

The Radeon 760M has 8 CUs (512 shaders) running at up to 2,600 MHz. While not great for gaming (unless you are fine with resolutions such as 900p and low detail settings), the iGPU will let you use up to 4 monitors with resolutions as high as SUHD 4320p. It also HW-decodes and HW-encodes the most widely used video codecs including AV1, HEVC, AVC without breaking a sweat.

Power consumption

The 7640U has a long-term power limit (default TDP) of 28 W that laptop makers are free to change to anything between 15 W and 30 W. Either way, an active cooling solution is a must for any system powered by the chip.

Last but not the least, the 7640U is manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process for high, as of late 2023, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 3 7440U

The Ryzen 3 7440U is an oddball Phoenix family processor (APU) that has one Zen 4 core and three Zen 4c cores working together. This lower mid-range chip saw the light of day in H1 2023; it offers 8 threads, since all of the cores are SMT-enabled, and a base clock speed of 3.0 GHz. The highest Boost clock speed that a 7440U can run at is 4.7 GHz.

Unlike its faster and costlier brethren, this Ryzen 3 series chip features the Radeon 740M integrated graphics adapter instead of the more powerful 760M or 780M options. It also comes with no Ryzen AI support.

Architecture & Features

Phoenix family chips are powered by the Zen 4 architecture, much like Dragon Range family chips are. Zen 4 introduces some rather solid AVX512 support (which Zen 3 chips did not have) and, thanks to a plethora of other improvements including larger caches/registers/buffers across the board, is set to bring a double-digit IPC improvement.

The 7440U has 8 MB of L3 cache and support for various flavours of DDR5 RAM, up to DDR5-5600 and LPDDR5x-7500. It is compatible with USB 4 and thus with Thunderbolt; PCI-Express support is limited to the 4.0 spec which means speeds up to 7.8 GB/s are possible provided a fast NVMe SSD is used. There is no Ryzen AI functionality here which is, much like replacing full-fat Zen 4 cores with more compact Zen 4c cores, a way for AMD to get the costs down.

OS support is limited to 64-bit Windows 11 and Windows 10 editions and of course to Linux. The chip is not overclockable, and neither can you replace it with a faster one as it gets soldered down for good (FP7 or FP7r2 socket interface).

Performance

While we have not tested a single system built around the 7440U as of late 2023, it's safe to expect the chip to be about as fast as hexa-core Ryzen 4000U options (these are powered by Zen 2) such as the Ryzen 5 4600U, as far as multi-thread performance is concerned.

Your mileage may vary depending on how high the CPU power limits are and how competent the cooling solution of your system is.

Graphics

The Radeon 740M has 4 CUs (256 shaders) purring away at up to 2,500 MHz. This iGPU will let you connect up to four SUHD 4320p monitors and it is capable of both decoding and encoding most video codecs including AVC, HEVC and AV1. Its gaming performance is fairly unimpressive, as of late 2023; running simpler titles such as CS:GO in resolutions such as HD 720p is the best it can do for you.

Power consumption

This Ryzen 3 series chip has a long-term power limit (default TDP) of 28 W that laptop makers are free to tune. Values between 15 W and 30 W are possible; most companies will probably go for a higher value to get higher performance.

The 7440U is built with TSMC's 4 nm* process for high, as of late 2023, energy efficiency.