Intel Core i3-1210U vs AMD Ryzen 5 8640HS vs AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS

Intel Core i3-1210U

The Intel Core i3-1210U is a low power 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 to 4.4 GHz on the performance cluster and 0.7 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. 

Performance

While we have not tested a single system built around the 1210U as of August 2023, we fully expect its multi-thread performance to be pretty much identical to that of the i3-1215U. Which is pretty fast for an entry-level chip, as of mid 2023.

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

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 adapter is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 64 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 0.9 GHz.

Power consumption

This Core i3 has a Base power consumption of 9 W, with 29 W being its maximum Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption. TDP values that low allow for passively designs as long as performance is not a priority.

The CPU is built with Intel's 3rd generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for decent, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 5 8640HS

The Ryzen 5 8640HS is a mid-range, Hawk Point family processor that was unveiled in Q4 2023. The 8640HS isn't actually a new chip; instead, it's a rebadged Ryzen 5 7640U with a slightly higher wattage as well as higher clock speeds on the Ryzen AI NPU. The 8640HS 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.

Architecture & Features

Hawk Point chips are powered by the Zen 4 architecture, much like Phoenix and Dragon Range family chips are. That's not to say there is no difference between the three. With Hawk Point, AMD is betting big on generative AI; these processors are set to deliver an up to 40% increase in generative AI performance over 7040 series APUs.

Unlike Zen 3, Zen 4 features AVX512 support and, thanks to a plethora of other improvements including larger caches/registers/buffers, is slated to deliver a double-digit IPC improvement over the former.

Elsewhere, the 8640HS 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 still impressive as of late 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 8640HS is neither overclockable nor user-replaceable. It gets soldered to the motherboard for good (FP7, FP7r2, FP8 socket interfaces).

Performance

It's safe to expect the APU to be at least 15% faster than the Zen 3 Plus-powered Ryzen 5 6600U (6 cores, 12 threads, up to 4.5 GHz), 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 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 8640HS has a long-term power limit (default TDP) of 28 W that laptop makers are free to change to anything between 20 W and 30 W. Most companies will probably go for a higher value to get better performance. Either way, an active cooling solution is a must for any system powered by the chip.

Last but not the least, the 8640HS is manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process for high, as of late 2023, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS

The Ryzen 7 8745HS is a China-only Hawk Point family chip that never received an official launch. Targeted at gaming and productivity laptops but widely used in mini-PCs, too, the 8745HS features 8 cores (16 threads thanks to SMT support) running at up to 4.9 GHz, along with the still fairly capable Radeon 780M iGPU. There is no NPU here.

As an APU meant for use within China, this Ryzen 7 should be fully compliant with the Chinese government-approved cryptography standards.

The only difference between the 8745HS and the 8745H is the slightly lower default wattage of the latter, potentially leading to slightly lower clock speeds.

Performance

We fully expect this Zen 4 architecture processor to be about as fast as the Ryzen 7 7745HX (8 Zen 4 cores, 3.6 GHz to 5.1 GHz) meaning its multi-thread performance is a little better than the Core Ultra 9 185H but a few percentage points behind the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370.

Architecture and Features

Unlike Zen 3, Zen 4 features AVX512 support along with other improvements, like larger caches/registers/buffers across the board. Elsewhere, the 8745HS has 16 MB of L3 cache and a fast RAM controller (up to LPDDR5x-7500 and up to DDR5-5600). There are 20 PCI-Express 4 lanes for connecting devices such as NVMe SSDs (1.97 GB/s per lane) and graphics cards; USB 4 / Thunderbolt support is onboard, too. Please note that the APU isn't overclockable and neither is it user-replaceable. It gets soldered on to the motherboard for good (FP7r2 or FP8 socket interfaces).

Graphics

The Radeon 780M (12 CUs / 768 shaders, up to 2,600 MHz) can drive 4 monitors simultaneously with resolutions as high as SUHD 4320p. It will also have little issue hardware-encoding and hardware-decoding the most widely used video codecs (AV1, AVC, HEVC). As far as gaming is concerned, many titles are still playable at 1080p as of early 2025 albeit with most settings dialed down do Lowest or Low.

Power consumption

This Ryzen 7 series chip has a long-term power limit (default TDP) of 35 W to 54 W, giving system makers a choice between improving battery life and making the system they're designing faster. Either way, an active cooling solution is a must for a laptop or a mini-PC built around this APU.