[Comparison] AMD Ryzen 3 5300U vs AMD Ryzen 5 3500U – the age difference is put on full display
Today we have a true test between old and new, and a good way to test how far AMD technology has progressed. In the left corner sits the Ryzen 3 5300U and opposite to it, we have the Ryzen 5 3500U. Both processors use the same 4/8 layout, with the Ryzen 3 having both a higher base and boost clock speeds, along with more cache and support for faster memory.
The new Ryzen 3 also uses the newer Zen 2 architecture, while the Ryzen 5 relies on the older Zen+, which was no slouch back in its days. The Ryzen 5 is also considered to be in a higher price bracket, so it will be great to see the improvement in between different price brackets.
You can take a look at our Top Laptop CPU Ranking, where we showcase the best laptop processors.
Today we are comparing the AMD Ryzen 3 5300U against the Ryzen 5 3500U.
You can find more information about both CPUs here: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U / Ryzen 5 3500U
Specs table
AMD Ryzen 3 5300U | AMD Ryzen 5 3500U | |
---|---|---|
Architecture | Zen 2 | Zen+ |
Cores / Threads | 4/8 | 4/8 |
Clock Speeds – Base/Boost | 2.60 – 3.80GHz | 2.10 – 3.70GHz |
Cache | 6MB | 4MB |
Lithography | 7nm | 12nm |
TDP | 15W | 15W |
Memory type | DDR4–3200MHz, LPDDR4x–4266MHz | DDR4-2400MHz |
Integrated GPU | AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000, 15W) | AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000, 15W) |
CPU benchmarks
The Ryzen 3 managed to perform better in both 3D and 2D Rendering, scoring 40% higher in the Cinebench 20 test and being 3.2 seconds faster in the Photoshop test.
Results are from the Cinebench 20 CPU test (the higher the score, the better)
Results are from our Photoshop benchmark test (the lower the score, the better)
GPU benchmarks
The GPU benchmarks were definitely closer, but still in favor of the newer processor. The RX Vega, which uses the improved Vega Renoir architecture and has fewer cores, performed 3%, 22%, and 105 better in 3DMark Fire Strike, Unigine Heaven 4.0, and Unigine Superposition, respectively. The Gaming tests went in favor of the newer iGPU as well, across all games and settings presets.
Results are from the 3DMark: Time Spy (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the 3DMark: Fire Strike (Graphics) benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Results are from the Unigine Superposition benchmark (higher the score, the better)
Gaming tests
CS:GO | HD 1080p, Low (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Medium (Check settings) | HD 1080p, MAX (Check settings) |
---|---|---|---|
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000, 15W) | 107 fps (+51%) | 66 fps (+16%) | 44 fps (+5%) |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 2000/3000, 15W) | 71 fps | 57 fps | 42 fps |
DOTA 2 | HD 1080p, Low (Check settings) | HD 1080p, Normal (Check settings) | HD 1080p, High (Check settings) |
---|---|---|---|
AMD Radeon RX Vega 6 (Ryzen 4000/5000, 15W) | 106 fps (+26%) | 68 fps (+17%) | 36 fps (+13%) |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000, 15W) | 84 fps | 58 fps | 32 fps |
Conclusion
The Ryzen 3 5300U, although being in a lower price bracket, managed to perform better than its older brother, the Ryzen 5 3500U. Still, we are talking about an age difference of three years, which in the realm of technology might as well be an eternity. The space progresses very fast and new processors and chips get released every few months, making the previous ones, less exciting and less coveted. There is no doubt that the Ryzen 3 is the better option, but this was still a fun experiment to do.