AMD Ryzen 5 1600 vs Intel Core i3-1210U

AMD Ryzen 5 1600

The AMD Ryzen 5 1600 is a desktop processor with 6 cores and Hyper Threading (SMT = 12 threads). It is the second fastest Ryzen 5 processor in the beginning of 2017, but the 65-watt TDP is much lower compared to the higher-clocked Ryzen 5 1600X.

The Ryzen 5 1600 has a base frequency of 3.2 GHz and can reach up to 3.6 GHz via Turbo (up to 2 cores) or 3.7 GHz via XFR (also up to 2 cores). The maximum clock for all six cores is 3.4 GHz.

The performance is particularly good in applications. The chip can benefit from its six native cores. They are divided into two clusters (3 cores with dedicated L3 cache each), which connected via Infinity Fabric.

The processor based on the Zen architecture is not fully convincing in games. AMD blames missing optimizations from the gaming producers. Intel's powerful Core i7 quad-cores are usually faster in this case.

Intel Core i3-1210U

The Intel Core i3-1210U is a low power 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 to 4.4 GHz on the performance cluster and 0.7 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. 

Performance

While we have not tested a single system built around the 1210U as of August 2023, we fully expect its multi-thread performance to be pretty much identical to that of the i3-1215U. Which is pretty fast for an entry-level chip, as of mid 2023.

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

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 adapter is based on the Xe-architecture and offers 64 of the 96 EUs (Execution Units) operating at up to 0.9 GHz.

Power consumption

This Core i3 has a Base power consumption of 9 W, with 29 W being its maximum Intel-recommended Turbo power consumption. TDP values that low allow for passively designs as long as performance is not a priority.

The CPU is built with Intel's 3rd generation 10 nm process marketed as Intel 7 for decent, as of early 2023, energy efficiency.