Intel Core i5-8260U vs AMD Ryzen 5 3550H

Processor comparisons   03-04-2021
   You may have difficulties with the choice of a processor, you will solve them by reading the full tests Intel Core i5-8260U vs AMD Ryzen 5 3550H and understand which is better for games or normal use for video editing, streaming, rendering, programming, machine learning. Here you can find useful information from different benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A step-by-step analysis of all the specifications, to make it easier to read, is summarized in the table.
   From the comparison video, you can get the results of parallel examination in special test applications like Gears 5, 7zip, UserBenchmark, GeekBench 6, 5.2, Blender, MATLAB, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Dolphin Emulator, Handbrake, Furmark, VeraCrypt, RealBench, Blender, WPrime, AIDA64, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, PCMark 10, 3DMark, Prime95, PassMark, SuperPi.
   Gaming performance of CPUs in:

Death Stranding
Grand Theft Auto V
Fortnite
Valorant
Fallout 76
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Cyberpunk 2077
Overwatch
Halo Infinite
Borderlands 3
Red Dead Redemption 2
Apex Legends
Rainbow Six Siege
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Watch Dogs Legion
Valheim
DOOM: Eternal
Last Man Standing

After looking at the data these benchmarks and videos, you can already make an informed decision about which processor is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 5 3550H or Intel Core i5-8260U.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i5-8260U

52%

Ryzen 5 3550H

52%

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i5-8260U

52%

Ryzen 5 3550H

51%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor at the moment. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will play games. Because this processor costs several tens of thousands of dollars. And if it seems to you that the selected CPU has a low game result, look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Forza Horizon 4, Metro Exodus, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Ghostrunner, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Horizon Zero Dawn, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), Monster Hunter World, League of Legends (LOL), DOTA 2A, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, NBA 2K20, Hitman 3, Control, Battlefield V, Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	92.3	91.4
Valorant	104.9	103.9
Cyberpunk 2077	58.7	58.2
Apex Legends	98.6	97.7
Call of Duty Warzone	78.7	77.9
Overwatch	85.0	84.2
Red Dead Redemption 2	72.4	71.7
DOOM Eternal	52.4	51.9
Warzone	81.8	81.0
Assassin's Creed	88.1	87.3
Valheim	87.1	86.2

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different amounts of RAM and different video cards. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: FullHD, 2K or 4K. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i5-8260U

221%

Ryzen 5 3550H

84%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. It is clear that the newer the generation, the better the performance of the processor in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Core i5-8260U is more energy efficient than the Ryzen 5 3550H since it has less power consumption: 15W vs. 35W. Power consumption is particularly important for laptops. Also, when choosing a processor cooling system, you must know its TDP. It is necessary to count so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

If you want to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for machine learning, programming, video rendering or video editing, streaming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the CPU includes all threads and cores that it has to the maximum to reach maximum performance. You will learn this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to check whether the program you are going to use on your computer supports multi-threaded mode. Because there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the advantages of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i5-8260U	AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
Cinbench 15 Single-core	157	141
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	596	742
Cinbench 20 Single-core	409	360
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	2046	1660
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1029	945
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	4033	4442

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i5-8260U	AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
Single-Core	2385	2129
Multi-Core	7652	8087

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i5-8260U	AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
Single-Core	997	890
Multi-Core	4222	3362

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most helpful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The later the processor is released, the longer it will last you. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS even in the newest games. Accordingly, you do not need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer. The economy are obvious!

	Intel Core i5-8260U	AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
Announcement date	April 01, 2020	February 07, 2019
Type	Laptop	Laptop
Socket	FCBGA1528	FP5
Core name	Coffee Lake	Picasso
Architecture	x86	Zen+
Generation	8	3
Turbo Frequency	3.9 MHz	3.7 MHz
Frequency	1.6 MHz	2.1 MHz
Cores	4	4
Threads	8	8
Bus rate	4 GT/s OPI
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	12 nm
Transistors count	1900 millions	4200 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	15 W	35 W
Memory type	DDR4-2400, LPDDR3-2133
Max. Memory	64 Gb
Memory Frequency		2400
Memory bandwidth	37.5 GB/s
L1 cache		384KB
L2 cache		2MB
L3 cache	6 MB	4MB
Overclocking	No	No
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		YM3500C4T4MFG n/a

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 5 3550H is 23% better than Core i5-8260U in terms of CPU frequency. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i5-8260U is better: 26
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is better: 9
Although it should be realized that the summary data in the text above do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple comparison of these numbers. Better to watch benchmarks video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i5-8260U and AMD Ryzen 5 3550H before making a choice which CPU to buy for gaming and which not.

Intel Core i5-8260U - all data

• Cinebench r15 score
• Cinebench r20 score
• Cinebench r23 score
• GeekBench 6, 5.2 score

• Intel Core i5-8260U specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 5 3550H specs and review.