Intel Core i5-1334U vs AMD Ryzen 3 5425U

Intel Core i5-1334U

The Intel Core i5-1334U is a mid-range mobile CPU for thin and light laptops based on the Alder Lake architecture (Raptor Lake-U / RPL-U series). It was announced in early 2023 and offers 2  performance cores (P-cores, Golden Cove architecture) and 8 efficient cores (E-cores, Gracemont architecture). The P-cores support Hyper-Threading leading to 12 supported threads when combined with the E-cores. The clock rate ranges from 1.3 to 4.6 GHz on the performance cluster and 0.9 to 3.4 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 12 MB L3 cache. The CPU supports only "Essentials" vPro management features. Compared to the P-series (28W) or H-series (45W), the 15W TDP may limit the sustained performance.

Performance

Thanks to the similar clock speed, the Core i5-1334U is very similar to the older Core i7-1250U (+100 MHz P-Cores base clock rate). The faster i7 like the i7-1365U models offer only higher clock rates (and a faster iGPU). Compared to the similar i5-1335U, the 1334U only supports slower LPDDR5-5200 (vs 6400 of the faster models) and is therefore slightly slower.

Architecture

The integrated memory controller supports various memory types up to LPDDR5-5200. 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 still only supports PCIe 4.0 x8 for a GPU and two PCIe 4.0 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 1.25 GHz.

Power consumption

This Core i5 CPU is rated at a TDP of 15W (base power, PL1) and a maximum turbo power of 55W (PL2). The RPL-U processors are built in a further improved Intel 7 process (10nm SuperFin) that allows higher clock rates.

AMD Ryzen 3 5425U

The AMD Ryzen 3 5425U is a processor for thin and light laptops based on the Cezanne generation. It is part of the "Barcelo" refresh in early 2022 and offers 100 MHz higher clocked CPU cores compared to the old Ryzen 3 5400U. The R3 5425U integrates four of the eight cores based on the Zen 3 microarchitecture and is the slowest U-series processor of the Barcelo refresh at launch. The cores are clocked at 2.7 (guaranteed base clock) to 4.1 GHz (Turbo) and support SMT / Hyperthreading (8 threads). The chip is manufactured in the 7 nm process at TSMC.

In addition to the four CPU cores, the APU also integrates a Radeon RX Vega 6 integrated graphics card with 6 CUs and up to 1600 MHz. The dual channel memory controller supports DDR4-3200 and energy efficient LPDDR4-4266 RAM. Furthermore, 8 MB level 3 cache (same as the old 4800U) can be found on the chip.

Performance

While we have not tested a single system built around the 5425U as of August 2023, we are fairly confident the chip is a little faster than the Ryzen 3 5300U and its four Zen 2 cores running at clock speeds similar to what the 5425U has. Naturally, 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 3 has a default TDP (also known as the long-term power limit) of 15 W. Which is fairly low - yet not low enough to allow for passively cooled designs.

This a 7 nm chip; it thus has higher-than-average, as of late 2022, energy efficiency.