In case you are in the market to buy a new laptop or desktop for your everyday computing needs, you would want to get something highly powerful. Whether you are using your PC for office work, gaming, entertainment, education, content creation, or anything else, having a powerful PC is always great.
And even though there are a lot of components and factors that affect the performance of a given gaming PC, the processor surely plays a highly important role. When you are talking about powerful CPU models for desktops and laptops, then the Intel Core i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 prove to be great options. Thus, we are here with a detailed comparison between Intel Core i7 vs AMD Ryzen 7 including their differences on desktop and laptop platforms as mentioned here:
Intel Core i7 vs AMD Ryzen 7 for Desktops
Starting with desktops, it is the preferred platform when you are talking about high performance computing. As for the CPU options, both Intel Core i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 are meant to go inside high end desktops with similar high end components. Talking about their supported motherboards, the latest CPU models of AMD Ryzen 7 are meant for AM4 motherboards.
On the other hand, the Intel Core i7 lineup of processors is designed for the LGA 1200. While both of them are meant to be replaced in the next generation of CPUs, AM4 offers slightly better compatibility in terms of using older and cheaper motherboards with the same socket.
CPU Models
Now that you know more about the Intel Core i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 processors in general, let’s take a deeper look at their specific models. As you would expect, both Intel and AMD offer multiple CPU models within a given lineup. And for the sake of an easy comparison, we will be taking a look at the high end models of the Intel Core i7 and AMD Ryzen 7.
Starting with Intel Core i7, its Core i7 11700KF has a total of 8 cores and 16 threads along with 16M cache. These are rated to run at a 3.6 GHz base clock speed and up to 5.0 GHz boost clock speed. As for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, it comes with 8 cores and 16 threads paired with 32M cache. And thanks to its 3.8 GHz base clock speed and up to 4.7 GHz boost clock speed, you can expect excellent performance from it.
CPU Benchmarks
While the specifications of any given CPU can be a great way to compare its performance, you need to know more to get an idea of its real world performance. One great way to check this is to simply check the benchmarks of the CPU model that you are using in your computer.
Taking a look at Cinebench R23, the Intel Core i7 11700KF has a single core score of 1569 which is slightly lower than the 1594 single core score of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X. Similarly, the multi core score for the Intel Core i7 11700KF is rated at 15011 which comes right under the 15245 multi core score of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X.
Intel Core i7 vs AMD Ryzen 7 for Laptops
Even though the laptop market used to be dominated by Intel in the past, these days you can also find a wide range of high end options from AMD as well. In other words, even if you are buying high performance laptops, you can still find both Intel Core i7 as well as AMD Ryzen 7 models in those.
Talking about the laptops that feature these powerful processors, you can find gaming laptops under $1000 and also business laptops out there with these CPU options. Although, to make these CPUs work in thin and light chassis, their power configuration is much lower to keep cooling manageable. As for the available options, Intel takes a lead here because you can find many more laptop models to choose from if you are going with Intel.
CPU Models
As mentioned earlier, you can find both low power U series processors as well as high end H series ones while buying high performance laptops. And because there are multiple processor models within the U series and H series lineups from both Intel and AMD, the total number of CPU models is quite high that you can choose from while buying laptops. To help you in understanding their differences easily, we will be taking a look at the high end models of the Intel Core i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 which are available in laptops.
Beginning with Intel, the Intel Core i7 11850H features 8 cores and 16 threads alongside 24M cache. As for its clock speeds, it features 2.5 GHz base clock speeds and up to 4.8 GHz boost clock speeds. Coming to AMD, its AMD Ryzen 7 5800H has a total of 8 cores and 16 threads paired with 16M cache. Talking about its clock speeds, you get 3.2 GHz base clock speeds and up to 4.4 GHz boost clock speeds.
CPU Benchmarks
Just like desktop processor models offered by Intel and AMD, you cannot get an idea of their real life performance by taking a look at their specifications. Thus, we are here with all the detailed CPU benchmarks in the form of Cinebench R23 scores for both the Intel Core i7 11850H and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H. Taking a look at the single core scores in Cinebench R23 for these CPUs, the AMD Ryzen 5800H falls behind at 1445 which is much lower than Intel Core i7 11850H’s 1517 single core score.
Although, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800H still takes a lead in multi core score which is given at 12969 that happens to be slightly higher than the 12345 score of the Core i7 11850H. While the Intel Core i7 does offer better single core performance, it has much higher power consumption. As a result, the AMD Ryzen 7 still makes for a better overall option thanks to its excellent power efficiency resulting in better battery life.
Conclusion
After checking out all these various details regarding the Intel Core i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs, you must be ready to pick the right one for you. Starting with desktops, both the AMD Ryzen 7 and Intel Core i7 offer excellent CPU performance.
Although, for content creation and multithreaded applications, the AMD Ryzen 7 proves to be a better option. As for laptops, the AMD Ryzen 7 is the much better option as not only do you get similar performance but you get much better efficiency which is important for cooling in a laptop as well as its battery life.