Intel vs AMD Laptops in 2024 - What a Mess...

Summary

In this video, the host compares the AMD Ryzen 8000 series and Intel Core Ultra Series processors in laptops, highlighting the difficulty in finding identical models for a fair test. Four laptops from Asus and Lenovo, two each using AMD and Intel, are put through various tests focusing on battery life, port selection, and performance. The results show Intel's processors outperforming AMD in battery life and creator applications, with AMD holding its own in gaming. The video emphasizes the importance of manufacturer optimization and advises consumers to consider current market offerings and wait for upcoming Zen 5 and Lunar Lake architectures for the best value.

Takeaways

• 💻 The video compares the AMD Ryzen 8000 series and Intel Core Ultra Series processors in laptops, focusing on performance, battery life, and port selection.
• 🔍 The test used four laptops from Asus and Lenovo, designed to be as identical as possible except for the CPU, to ensure a fair comparison.
• 💰 The Intel Ultra 7 model with a 1 TB SSD was priced $200 higher than the AMD device, but both offered good value for money.
• 🔋 The Intel Core Ultra 7 devices showed better battery life compared to the AMD ones, despite having the same battery capacities.
• 🔌 Both AMD and Intel laptops now offer similar port selections with USB 4 and Thunderbolt 4, reducing Intel's previous advantage.
• 📊 In performance tests, the Intel processors outperformed the AMD ones in full core workloads and creator applications when power delivery was equal.
• 🎮 In gaming, the Intel Arc graphics showed competitive performance with AMD, but inconsistent driver performance affected the experience.
• ❌ Asus's power management was criticized for not optimizing the Intel platform as well as the AMD one, leading to performance discrepancies.
• 📉 The Ryzen 8000 series was seen as an incremental update over the 7000 series, with Intel's Meteor Lake taking advantage of this to perform better in many areas.
• 💡 The video suggests waiting for next year's Zen 5 and Lunar Lake architectures for potential improvements over current offerings.

Q & A

What is the main challenge in comparing laptop processors?

The main challenge is getting identical laptop models with the same chassis, specifications, and price for both Intel and AMD processors.

What are the two pairs of laptops used in the video for comparison?

The two pairs are the Asus Zenbook 14 OLEDs and the Lenovo Pro 7 Series, with each pair being clones of one another with the only major difference being the processors used.

What is the difference in storage between the Intel and AMD Zenbook 14 OLEDs?

The Intel Ultra 7 model has a 1 TB SSD, which is likely the reason for its $200 premium over the AMD device.

How do the battery capacities of the compared laptops compare?

Both sets of laptops have identical 75W battery capacities.

What is the battery life advantage of the Intel Core Ultra 7 devices over the AMD ones?

The Intel Core Ultra 7 devices have an edge over the AMD ones, with the ultra 755h getting about 2 and 1/2 hours more battery life than the AMD device.

How does the port selection differ between the AMD and Intel versions of the Zenbook laptops?

The AMD version has two USB type-c connectors, one of which is a USB 4 and the other a USB 3.2 Gen 2, while the Intel version has two full-speed Thunderbolt 4 connectors.

What is the issue with the power delivery to the CPUs in the Asus Zenbook 14 during the benchmarking?

The Asus Zenbook 14 with the Intel CPU has power limits that hinder its performance, with the system feeding less and less power over time, leading to degraded clock speeds in longer tests.

What is the performance comparison between the Intel and AMD processors in the Lenovo Pro 7 Series?

In the Lenovo Pro 7 Series, when both CPUs are fed the same amount of power, they perform almost identically in full core workloads, but the Intel Ultra 7 has a slight edge in lightly threaded scenarios.

How does the Intel Core Ultra Series perform in GPU accelerated rendering compared to the Ryzen 8000 series?

The Intel Core Ultra Series outperforms the Ryzen 8000 series in GPU accelerated rendering, especially in applications like Premier Pro and Resolve.

What is the recommendation for those in need of a new laptop based on the video's findings?

The recommendation is to either wait for next year's architectures or buy a discounted 2023 AMD Ryzen 7000 series laptop, as both current architectures are seen as Band-Aid solutions.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Laptop CPU Showdown: Ryzen vs. Intel

The video script introduces a comparison between AMD's Ryzen 8000 series and Intel's Core Ultra Series processors in laptops. The narrator has procured four laptops, two from Asus and two from Lenovo, which are nearly identical except for the CPUs. The Asus Zenbook 14 OLEDs are highlighted for their thin and light form factor, with a 1200p OLED display and 75W battery capacity. The Lenovo Pro 7 Series laptops are mentioned for their potential to showcase more performance. The script also discusses the challenges in comparing CPUs due to differences in laptop designs, such as cooling and power delivery, and how the test aims to control for these variables.

05:03

🔌 Port Selection and Power Management

This section delves into the differences in port selection and power management between the Intel and AMD laptops. It discusses how Intel's advantage with Thunderbolt is mitigated by AMD's adoption of USB 4. The Asus Zenbook's port configuration is compared to the Lenovo's, with the latter offering a more balanced approach. The script also addresses the power management issues on the Asus Zenbook, where the Intel CPU receives less power than the AMD counterpart, leading to performance disparities. The Lenovo laptops, in contrast, are praised for their consistent power delivery to both Intel and AMD CPUs.

10:05

📊 Performance Benchmarks and Real-World Applications

The final paragraph discusses the performance benchmarks and real-world application testing. It reveals that when the CPUs are fed the same power, they perform similarly, but the Intel Ultra 755H shows a slight advantage in full-core workloads. In creator-focused applications, Intel's CPUs lead, and in gaming, while AMD's integrated graphics show promise, Intel's Arc graphics provide a more consistent experience. The narrator concludes that Intel's architecture currently outperforms AMD's in most scenarios, and suggests that buyers might want to consider waiting for the next generation of CPUs instead of purchasing current models.

Keywords

💡Ryzen 8000 Series

The Ryzen 8000 Series refers to the latest generation of processors from AMD, designed for laptops. In the video, the Ryzen 8000 Series is compared against Intel's Core Ultra Series to determine which offers better performance in laptops. The script discusses how these processors perform in various tests, including battery life and benchmarking, with the Ryzen 8000 Series being one of the two main contenders in the comparison.

💡Intel Core Ultra Series

The Intel Core Ultra Series is a line of high-performance laptop processors from Intel. The video script compares these processors to AMD's Ryzen 8000 Series to evaluate their performance in laptops. The comparison includes aspects like battery life, port selection, and performance in various applications, with the Intel Core Ultra Series showcasing its capabilities in a head-to-head test with the Ryzen 8000 Series.

💡Benchmarking

Benchmarking is the process of evaluating a system's performance by running standardized tests and trials. In the context of the video, benchmarking is used to compare the performance of the Ryzen 8000 Series and Intel Core Ultra Series processors. The script mentions how benchmark results can vary based on the laptop's design and how the test results can be influenced by factors like power delivery and cooling solutions.

💡Battery Life

Battery life is a measure of how long a device can operate on a single charge. The video script discusses the battery life of laptops equipped with either the Ryzen 8000 Series or Intel Core Ultra Series processors. It is a critical factor for laptop users, and the script reveals that the Intel Core Ultra Series has an advantage in battery life over the AMD counterparts.

💡Port Selection

Port selection refers to the variety and types of physical connections available on a laptop, such as USB, HDMI, and Thunderbolt ports. The video script compares the port selection on laptops with AMD and Intel processors, highlighting the differences in connectivity options. It points out that while Intel traditionally has an advantage with Thunderbolt, AMD's adoption of USB 4 has reduced this gap.

💡Power Management

Power management refers to the strategies and technologies used to optimize energy consumption in electronic devices. In the video, power management is discussed in the context of how laptops handle power delivery to their processors, which can affect performance and battery life. The script notes that Asus's power management for the Intel platform needs improvement, as it leads to reduced performance in certain tests.

💡Thermal Limiter

A thermal limiter is a safety feature that prevents a device from overheating by limiting its power consumption or performance when it reaches a certain temperature. The video script mentions the thermal limiter in the context of the Ryzen 8000 Series processor hitting its limit during a test, which affects its performance and stability.

💡Creator Applications

Creator applications are software tools used for content creation, such as video editing, 3D rendering, and graphic design. The video script discusses how the Intel Core Ultra Series outperforms the Ryzen 8000 Series in these types of applications, which are often CPU-intensive and can benefit from specific hardware optimizations.

💡Integrated Graphics

Integrated graphics refers to the graphics processing unit (GPU) that is built into the CPU or the system's chipset. The video script mentions that the laptops being tested have integrated graphics, which is a common feature in laptops and impacts gaming and media processing performance. The script also compares the integrated graphics performance of Intel and AMD processors.

💡Gaming Performance

Gaming performance is a measure of how well a device can run games, which is influenced by the processor, graphics capabilities, and overall system design. The video script evaluates the gaming performance of laptops with the Ryzen 8000 Series and Intel Core Ultra Series processors. It notes that while Intel's integrated graphics show promise, there are driver limitations that affect the gaming experience.

💡AI Marketing

AI marketing refers to the use of artificial intelligence in marketing strategies, often to enhance product appeal or performance. In the video, the term is used metaphorically to criticize AMD for not making significant improvements in the Ryzen 8000 Series, suggesting that the company is merely adding AI-related marketing without substantial architectural changes.

Highlights

Comparison between AMD Ryzen 8000 series and Intel Core Ultra Series laptops.

Challenge of finding identical laptop models for AMD and Intel for fair comparison.

Introduction of four laptops: two Asus and two Lenovo, with Intel and AMD processors as the only major difference.

Zenbook 14 OLEDs with 75W battery capacities and 1200p OLED screens for both Intel and AMD models.

Lenovo Pro 7 Series laptops for performance testing, with efforts to keep specifications identical.

Intel Ultra 7 model's $200 premium over AMD device due to a 1 TB SSD.

Battery life testing shows Intel Core Ultra 7 devices outperforming AMD ones.

Port selection comparison, with Intel having an edge due to Thunderbolt 4 connectors.

Benchmarking challenges due to laptop design variability and power management.

Asus's power management issues affecting Intel CPU performance on Zenbook 14.

Lenovo Pro 7 Series provides a true apples-to-apples comparison between Intel and AMD CPUs.

Cinebench results show a virtual dead heat between Intel and AMD CPUs when fed the same power.

Intel CPUs show an advantage in Creator applications over AMD CPUs.

AMD's historical strength in gaming is challenged by Intel's Arc graphics.

Gaming performance results are inconsistent, with both AMD and Intel showing dominance in different games.

Intel's architecture outperforms AMD's in most full core workloads and creator applications.

Recommendation to wait for next-generation architectures from both AMD and Intel for potential buyers.

Advice to research and not base assumptions on one-sided comparisons for laptop purchasing decisions.

Transcripts

all right everybody so in this video I

decided to set out to answer the burning

question for laptop users do you go with

the ryzen 8000 series or the Intel Core

Ultra Series now the main issue that

we've always had with laptop testing is

getting exactly the same models exactly

the same chassis and almost exactly the

same price in both Intel and AMD laptops

has almost been impossible but I think

for this video I've finally figured it

out so what I've got here are four

laptops two from Asus and two from

Lenovo each pair are literal clones of

one another with the only major

difference being two use Intel and the

other two they use AMD on one hand

there's the new Zenbook 14 oleds which

are literal copy pastes of one another

from a specification standpoint right

down to their 75w battery capacities our

Intel Ultra 7 model does get a 1 TB SSD

though which is likely the only thing

contributing to its $200 premium over

the AMD device regardless though both

models off for amazing bang for your

buck they're both ultra thin and come in

under 3 lb so they should be a really

good representation of what each

platform can offer in a true thin and

light form factor in the past we've also

seen a lot of AMD laptops cheaping out

on the screen but here both of them get

the exact same stunning 1200p OLED since

Ultra compact designs like these Zen

books typically cut down on the top end

power that's available to all processors

I wanted something that allowed both

platforms to stretch their legs a little

bit so that fell to the Lenovo Pro 7

Series these are 14-in Creator laptops

that do allow for a lot more performance

than something like the zenbooks and

once again we tried our best to keep the

specifications as identical as possible

or at least as identical as lenovo's

configurator allowed there are some

differences though the AMD Pro 7 uses

ddr5 6400 memory that runs at tighter

timings while the Intel model has a

slower though higher capacity SSD either

way both have basically the same price

when they're similarly configured and

while the models I have use integrated

Graphics here in North America they'll

typically come with a discrete GPU an

RTX 4050 or 4060 on the Intel side and a

3050 on AMD so at least around here the

core Ultra model will always be more

expensive another interesting thing is

that the Intel device comes with a

second SSD slot for additional storage

upgrades while the AMD one doesn't and

you know what you won't need an upgrade

for anytime soon that's this cooler from

Arctic question why is it so cold in

here well I got new coolers installed

turns out they're a little too good

they're meant for computers you know

that right I got them in every room the

price is just too good I guess the large

vrm fans help with cooling yeah plus the

pivoting connection hoses are wonderful

I do love the Styles and different sizes

too the new Arctic freezer 3 aios please

use on CPUs only they are specifically

optimized for LGA 1700 and a54 check

them out below all right have fun with

your freezer

so with all things being equal across

these two pairs of laptops are there any

fundamental quality of life differences

between the ryzen 8000 series and Intel

Core Ultra well the first thing I wanted

to talk about in that respect is battery

life and I have to say this again both

sets of laptops have identical battery

capacities and straight off the Jump we

see the core Ultra 7 devices have an

edge over the AMD ones this isn't

shocking since we've already seen insane

battery numbers from meteor Lake and

this just confirms those findings you

might also be wondering why the Zenbook

with its lower power CPUs and larger

capacity battery is getting worse

battery life than Lenovo well that's

because asus's light load power

management needs a lot of work and that

leads to the Zenbook actually getting

better battery life during YouTube

playback than it did in a light load

scenario we're also seeing the numbers

from the yoga Pro 7 take a massive dive

here since its CPU runs at a typically

higher wattage in the situation either

way Intel's newest processors do have a

distinct battery life Advantage if

anything their lead actually widens by a

fair amount with the zenbooks ultra 755h

getting about 2 and 1/2 hours more than

the AMD device and finally under a more

CPU intensive situation the Intel

systems finally fall behind a bit though

only by a few minutes heavy workloads

tend to just Crush battery life on

Windows laptops so this shouldn't come

as a surprise to anyone another element

that typically gets completely

overlooked in CPU comparisons on laptops

is Port selection because Intel has

always had a distinct Advantage with

Thunderbolt but now that AMD has tied

themselves to USB 4 a lot of that

Advantage is completely gone and if you

look at the Zen books they're pretty

similar both have an HDMI 2.1 output

along with a usba a connector there's

also a couple of USBC connections though

there's one notable difference the AMD

version has two USB type-c connectors

one of which is a USB 4 running at its

maximum of 40 gbits per second while the

other is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 with a top

speed of just 10 gbit per second

unfortunately that USB 4 Port is the

only one that supports full range

charging so if you want the fastest

recharge possible you'll need to

sacrifice your highest bandwidth

connector meanwhile the Intel version

has a pretty serious Edge since it has

two full-speed Thunderbolt 4 connectors

that can run at 40 gbits per second both

of which support full range charging

Lenova has pretty much the same port

layout as the zenbooks but they don't

discriminate between AMD and Intel

instead of going with the core Ultra

platform's full allocation of two

Thunderbolt 4 connectors like Asus did

there's a single tb4 and one USBC rated

at 10 gbits per second honestly I think

that's a huge Miss on their part but at

least the fastest Port here isn't used

for full speed charging but I'm sure

what everybody wants to know is what

about comparative performance well well

that actually didn't go quite as planned

on some of these devices and I think it

deserves a little bit of an explanation

to begin with benchmarking laptop

components isn't as simple as the

desktop side since every device is

uniquely designed around its internal

platform there's huge variability things

like cooling power delivery and even the

size of a laptop can have a massive

impact on how it's internal components

behave and in the past Intel and AMD

laptops typically had very separate

Lanes so they didn't share designs that

fact that they didn't share designs

means that all of the Intel versus AMD

laptop testing that we've conducted and

I'm sure that's out there as well was

influenced by at least a small measure

or sometimes a bigger measure of

platform bias now with this test I was

hoping that we would completely overcome

that we have two sets of laptops that

are virtual clones of one another

thought we were out of the woods but boy

oh boy was I wrong first of all let's

show how the ryzen 7 8840 HS behaves on

a 10-minute full core test on the

Zenbook 14 in its highest performance

mode it hits somewhere between 42 watts

and 39 Watts while being pretty

consistent overall but look at how Asus

handles the ultra

755h over time it just keeps getting fed

less and less power to the point where

it average just 34 Watts during the

whole run that puts it at a distinct

disadvantage since it leads to to

gradually degrading clock speeds in

longer tests versus the AMD systems

absolute stability through the entire

10-minute run and honestly it's hard to

tell why isus is even doing this since

the Intel system is running way below

its maximum temperature whereas the 8840

HS is smashing its face into the

system's 95° thermal limiter and look

we've talked to Asus until we're blue in

the face we've done troubleshooting with

them and hours and hours and hours of

back and forth and and this hasn't

changed since launch we saw the exact

same thing when the core Ultra Series

was launched on Zenbook 14 months and

months ago so comes down to one of two

possibilities either they are having a

hell of a hard time optimizing for

Intel's new platform or at this point in

time months later they simply don't care

because Lenovo well they're absolutely

on point here power that's identical

from one system to another clock speeds

those are consistent for both Intel and

AMD and temperature Fe they're in check

too actually they're impressive when you

consider both laptops are running their

CPUs above 60 WTS so I guess that

completely sets the stage what we have

here are two very different approaches

to this comparison on one hand we've got

the pro 7 Series which is your true

Apples to Apples comparison between

Intel and AMD with their latest CPUs on

the other hand I'm going to keep the

zenbooks in the charts not because this

is an accur accurate or perfect

representation of what will happen when

Intel lines up against AMD but rather is

a perfect example of what is happening

in the laptop market right now when you

have a completely identical platform on

Intel and AMD and for whatever reason

the manufacturer tends to treat one very

differently from the other I should also

mention that all laptops were tested in

their highest performance modes in order

to display the best that each platform

has to offer and the cinebench results

well they show how different our

conclusion would have been if we'd only

used the zenbooks and called it a day

because when the two CPUs are fed

exactly the same amount of average power

they're in a virtual Dead Heat and an

allcore workload with Intel actually

coming out with a very narrow lead the

interesting thing is that despite being

fed with significantly less power the

155h in the Zenbook is only about 15%

slower than the higher wattage 8840 HS

meanwhile in lightly threaded scenarios

power has less of an effect so we see a

truer comparison with the ultra 7

holding a narrow lead again and in more

realistic rendering and media conversion

scenarios the new Intel CPUs stay in

front of the ryzen 7 when fed with an

equal amount of juice meanwhile numbers

really do flip onto their heads when

otherwise identical laptops have

different amounts of power sent to their

CPUs more lightly threaded programs like

office apps aren't influenced by power

envelopes so overall you get identical

performance regardless of the platform

Intel's biggest Advantage though that is

in Creator focused apps in completely

identical setups the ultra

755h can in some cases offer a

significant speed up over the 8845 and

8840 HS even with that huge power

disadvantage on the Zenbook Intel can

still put up a great fight AMD has also

made some great strides when it comes to

GPU accelerated rendering in NL but so

has Intel and the results in Premier Pro

aren't even close regardless of the

laptop being compared here the same

thing goes for resolve the ryzen 8000

series puts up a decent fight but that's

not enough to beat the kind of

acceleration Intel's Arc brings to the

table so at least in real world

applications from our testing Intel has

at the very least met and in most cases

surpassed what AMD is offering right now

but there is one area that AMD has

historically been a lot stronger in and

that is gaming let's start with three

Mark and here the yoga 7 eyes arc

graphics engine pulls ahead of the AMD

laptop's 78m meanwhile the zenbooks

crazy power limits end up hindering

performance on the Intel side in a big

way moving on to actual gaming and the

results are all over the place

flip-flopping between AMD and Intel

dominance but while Arc is ultra

competitive a lot more than I actually

expected there's some driver limitations

which cause inconsistent 1% lows so a

less fluid gameplay experience and

overall poor performance in some games

also these CPUs need a good amount of

power to Simply deliver a minimally

playable experience so asus's

kneecapping leads to even worse gaming

results and the 155h ends up being

spanked by the 8840 HS and where does

this all lead us and I'm going to be

very critical of AMD again I said this

in a previous video what they've done

with the ryzen 8000 series is simply

take the 7,000 series sprinkle a little

bit of that AI marketing pixie dust on

it and called it a day what that has

done is left the door wide open for

Intel and guess what Boop Here Comes

meteor Lake walking right through that

door because when these two

architectures are lined up against one

another in a true Apples to Apples

comparison with both in the same chassis

and being fed with an identical amount

of power Intel simply has the better

architecture right now they win in most

full core workloads they dominate in

Creator applications and yes they even

have an advantage now in battery life

the only area where they don't have a

leg up yet is igp gaming and just to

bust that assumption that's out there

about AMD being the more affordable

solution that might have been the case

in the past but their laptop platform is

now a lot more compelling and

manufacturers are pricing the laptops

accordingly as a matter of fact if you

set me down right now and you said Mike

you have to choose a laptop architecture

to buy right now I would actually choose

neither of the current generation

architectures from either AMD or Intel

that's simply because both of them are

Band-Aid Solutions meant to carry the

market forward into next year when we're

going to see Zen 5 go up against lunar

lake so what you should be doing if you

absolutely need a laptop right now is

buying a

2023 AMD ryzen 7,000 series laptop and

you're going to be fine for years to

come not only that is that they are

being heavily discounted right now I'm

going to leave some links down below I

also need to mention the Zenbook again

because its results highlight what could

happen at any time in any generation to

either side if a manufacturer optimizes

properly for one CPU architecture and

completely drops the ball on another

this time it was Intel getting shafted

but it could be AMD getting the short

end of the stick on a different laptop

so of course what that means is that do

your research and make sure that your

assumptions about a given laptop or at

least a given architecture aren't made

based on comparisons showing one very

different spec to another and most of

all I think Eber says it best spend

responsibly though this year you might

not want to spend at all on a new laptop