Intel Core i5-10210U vs Ryzen 5 3500U – AMD is “the thing” here

LaptopMedia.com Comparisons Intel Core i5-10210U vs Ryzen 5 3500U - AMD is "the thing" here

From: Nikolay Palaozov 11 November 2019 / 02:34 5

Oh yes, Intel vs AMD. One of the hottest topics in the IT world right now. AMD is on the rise after the Ryzen debut. As always, AMD CPUs are offering a very good Price/Performance ratio but let’s check the performance of the Core i5-10210U and Ryzen 5 3500U in our comparison.

Quick Specs

Ok, its time for the specs. Intel CPU’s base frequency is 1.10 GHz lower compared to the Ryzen 5 3500U one – 1.60 GHz to 2.70 GHz. Core i5-10210U got 500 MHz higher boost frequency – 4.20 GHz vs 3.70 GHz. A word about the cache size – 2MB more cache for i5-10210U – 6MB vs 4MB. The max memory size for the Intel contender is 64GB (DDR4-2666, LPDDR3-2133) while the AMD CPU can be equipped with a max size of 32GB (DDR4-2400).

The TDP levels are close for both (a bit higher TDP up/down values for AMD) – 15W / 25W / 10W and 15W / 35W / 12W for AMD, respectively.

The other difference is the integrated graphics – the well-known Intel UHD Graphics and for AMD we have Radeon Vega 8 Graphics.

It’s time for the direct comparisons.

Our table with detailed specs is down below.

	Intel Core i5-10210U	Ryzen 5 3500U
Cores / Threads	4/8	4/8
Base / Max frequency	1.60 – 4.20 GHz	2.70 – 3.70 GHz
Cache	6 MB Intel Smart Cache	4 MB L3 Cache
TDP / up / down	15W / 25W / 10W	15W / 35W / 12W
Memory support	DDR4-2666, LPDDR3-2133	DDR4-2400

CPU Benchmarks

In Cinebench the Core i5-10210U is a bit faster – 6.5%. Not a big difference but we have to note it.

3D Rendering

Results are from the Cinebench 20 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)

Intel Core i5-10210U Lenovo Yoga C740 14

1456

AMD Ryzen 5 3500U ASUS ZenBook 14 UM431

1310

GPU Benchmarks

Well, it’s time to compare the IGPs’ performance and things are getting a bit ugly for Intel. The Radeon Vega 8 Graphics is 112% faster than Intel UHD Graphics. How about that!

cs-go-benchmarks

CS:GO	HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)	HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings)	HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings)
Intel UHD Graphics	54 fps	28 fps	– fps
Radeon Vega 8 Graphics	65 fps	50 fps	38 fps

DOTA 2	HD 1080p, Low (Check settings)	HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings)	HD 1080p, High (Check settings)
Intel UHD Graphics	77 fps	36 fps	18 fps
Radeon Vega 8 Graphics	86 fps	51 fps	31 fps

GTA-V-benchmarks

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5)	HD 768p, Normal (Check settings)	HD 768p, High (Check settings)	HD 768p, Very High (Check settings)
Intel UHD Graphics	30 fps	– fps	– fps
Radeon Vega 8 Graphics	68 fps	29 fps	– fps

Now it’s time for some popular light games (ok, GTA V is not that light). Same thing – Radeon Vega 8 Graphics is just crushing Intel UHD Graphics. With Radeon Vega 8 Graphics you can even play CS:GO and DOTA 2 with average FPS above 30. That is absolutely impossible for the Intel UHD Graphics.

Intel or AMD?

Good question. It depends. Overall AMD is the clear winner. A bit lower Cinebench score but when it comes to the raw integrated graphics power Radeon Vega 8 is a T-Rex.

Core i5-10210U got a better TDP up and down levels so it will be useful for you if you need a more compact machine.

Almost every device equipped with Ryzen 5 3500U is significantly cheaper than the devices with Core i5-10210U. As we said in the beginning – the Price / Performance ratio is on the AMD side again.

Good job AMD – you got the power!