Intel Core i5-12500H vs AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS vs AMD Ryzen 5 6600HS

Intel Core i5-12500H

The Intel Core i5-12500H is a high-end mobile CPU for laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture. It was announced in early 2022 and offers 4 of the 6 performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and all 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 16 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 2.5 to 4.5 GHz on the performance cluster and 1.8 to 3.3 GHz on the efficient cluster. The performance of the E-cores should be similar to old Skylake cores (compared to the Core i7-6700HQ). All cores can use up to 18 MB L3 cache. Compared to the 12600H, the 12500H offers base clock for both clusters, a slower clocked iGPU and only "Essentials" vPro support.

Performance

The average 12500H in our database is in the same league as the Ryzen 9 6900HS, Ryzen 9 6900HX, Core i7-12650H and also the Core i9-11900H, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned. For something that's supposedly a mid-range chip, this kind of performance is just outrageously good, as of Q3 2023.

Thanks to its decent cooling solution and a long-term CPU power limit of 80 W, the Gigabyte G7 KE is among the fastest laptops built around the 12500H that we know of. It can be more than 40% faster in CPU-bound workloads than the slowest system featuring the same chip in our database, as of August 2023.

Architecture

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 80 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 1.3 GHz.

Power consumption

This Core i5 has a "minimum assured" power consumption of 35 W. Its Base power consumption sits at 45 W and its maximum Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption isn't supposed to exceed 95 W. A high-performance cooling solution is a must for a CPU like this one here.

Last but not he least, Intel Core i5-12500H is manufactured on Intel's fourth-generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for decent, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS

The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS is a processor for big (gaming) laptops based of the Rembrandt generation. The R7 6800HS integrates all eight cores based on the Zen 3+ microarchitecture. They are clocked at 3.2 (guaranteed base clock) to 4.7 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT / Hyperthreading (16 threads). The chip is manufactured on the modern 6 nm TSMC process. The HS variant offers a 10 W reduced TDP and therefore a lower sustained performance than the H version.

The new Zen 3+ is a refresh of the Zen 3 architecture and should not offer a lot of changes. The chip itself however, offers a lot of new features, like support for USB 4 (40 Gbps), PCI-E Gen 4, DDR5-4800MT/s or LPDDR5-6400MT/s, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth LE 5.2, DisplayPort 2, and AV1 decode.

A big novelty is the integrated GPU Radeon 680M, that is now based on the RDNA2 architecture and offers 12 CUs at up to 2.2 GHz. It should be the fastest iGPU at the time of announcement.

Performance

The average 6800HS in our database is in the same league as the Ryzen 7 5800H and also the Core i7-11800H, as far as multi-thread benchmark scores are concerned.

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

Power consumption

This Ryzen 7 has a default TDP of 35 W (also known as the long-term power limit). Which is definitely too high to allow for passively cooled designs.

The APU is built with TSMC's 6 nm process making for great, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.

AMD Ryzen 5 6600HS

The AMD Ryzen 5 6600HS is a processor for big (gaming) laptops based of the Rembrandt generation. The R5 6600HS integrates six of the eight cores based on the Zen 3+ microarchitecture. They are clocked at 3.3 (guaranteed base clock) to 4.5 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT / Hyperthreading (12 threads). The chip is manufactured on the modern 6 nm TSMC process. The HS variant is notable for its 10 W lower TDP than the usual 45 W and therefore a lower sustained performance than the H version.

The new Zen 3+ is a refresh of the Zen 3 architecture and should not offer a lot of changes. The chip itself however, offers a lot of new features, like support for USB 4 (40 Gbps), PCI-E Gen 4, DDR5-4800MT/s or LPDDR5-6400MT/s, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth LE 5.2, DisplayPort 2, and AV1 decode.

Performance

The average 6600HS in our database pretty much matches the Ryzen 5 5600H, the Ryzen 7 5800U and also the Core i7-1260P in multi-thread performance. Whish if fairly impressive, as of late 2022.

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

In the 6000 series, AMD finally switched to the current RDNA 2 graphics architecture for the iGPU. The 6600HS only offers the slower Radeon 660M with 6 of the 12 CUs enabled and 1.9 GHz max. clock rate.

The TDP of the APU is specified at 35 Watts making the Ryzen 5 better suited for thin and light laptops. The power efficiency should be very good, thanks to the improved 6nm process  and additional power saving features in the 6000 series.