Intel Core i3-1215U vs AMD Ryzen 5 7520C

Intel Core i3-1215U

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.

AMD Ryzen 5 7520C

The AMD Ryzen 5 7520C is a mobile processor for chromebooks of the Mendocino series. It integrates four older Zen 2 cores (similar to the Ryzen 4000 series like the Ryzen 3 4300U). The CPU cores clock from 2.8 GHz (base) to 4.3 GHz (single core Turbo) and can use 4 MB L3 cache. Thanks to SMT/Hyperthreading, the CPU can work on 8 threads simultaneously. The integrated memory controller only supports fast LPDDR5 memory (5500 MHz max.). The 7520C is the Chromebook variant of the Ryzen 5 7520U and offers the same specifications (and therefore performance).

The integrated graphics card (Radeon 610M iGPU) uses the modern RDNA 2 architecture, but only 2 CUs (128 shaders) and clocks with up to 1.9 GHz.

The CPU performance should be slightly better than a Ryzen 4000U quad-core thanks to the faster memory and high clock speeds.

The Mendocino series are produced in a relatively modern 6nm FinFET process at TSMC and should offer a good power efficiency. The R5 7520C is rated at 15 W TDP and therefore well suited for thin and light laptops.