GuidesComparisonsCore i5 1235U Vs Ryzen 5 7520U - Is Intel Better?

Core i5 1235U Vs Ryzen 5 7520U – Is Intel Better?

Read on to find out how these two CPUs perform in our productivity test and also learn about their specs along with the architectural differences.

Expert Verified By

Intel Core i5 1235U

Rated: 7/10

AMD Ryzen 5 7520U

Rated: 8.5/10


Pros And Cons

CPUProsCons
Ryzen 7 7520U✅ Lower Price Tag
✅ Modern Design
❌ Lower Performance
❌ Higher Power Consumption
Core i5 1235U✅ Better Overall Performance
✅ Better Power Efficiency
❌ Older Processing Node
❌ Higher Power Draw

Key Takeaways
  • The Core i5 1235U features Alder Lake architecture and FCBGA1744 socket (10nm) in contrast to the Ryzen 5 7520’s Zen 2 architecture and FP6 socket (6nm).
  • We also witnessed that the Core i51235U performs about 28% better than the Ryzen 5 7520U in the Cinebench R23 test.
  • Considering the power consumption, the Ryzen 5 7520U operates on a modest 15W default TDP, while the Core i5 1235U runs a higher 55W turbo TDP.

Core i5 1235U Vs Ryzen 5 7520U – Comparison Table

FeatureIntel Core i5-1235UAMD Ryzen 5 7520U
ArchitectureAlder LakeZen 2
No. of Cores2 P-Cores + 8 E-CoresTotal: 10
No. of Threads128
L1 Cache80K (per core)256KB
L2 Cache1.25MB (per core)2MB
L3 Cache12 MB Intel Smart Cache4MB
Instruction Set64-bitx86-64
Max Memory Size64GB16GB
Integrated GraphicsIntel Iris Xe Graphics eligibleAMD Radeon 610M
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency1.20 GHz1.90 GHz
PCI Express RevisionGen 4Gen 3
No. of PCI Express Lanes204
Max Operating Temperature100°C95°C
Launch DateQ1'22Q3'22

Architectural Differences

  1. Architecture: The Core i5 1235U appears with an avant Intel Alder Lake architecture, while the Ryzen 5 7520U from AMD is built on the Zen 2 architecture. Regarding the fabrication resolution, the Core i5 1235U employs a 10nm production node, whereas the Ryzen 5 7520U leverages TSMC’s advanced 4nm FinFET technology.
  2. CPU Socket: Looking at the processor socket, the Core i5 1235U features Intel’s FCBGA1744 socket, which has 1744 pins for connecting to the motherboard. The Ryzen 5 7520U, in comparison, uses AMD’s FP6 socket, which has 1140 pins.
  3. Clock Frequency: The Ryzen 5 7520U showcases its dominance over the Core i5 1235U with a remarkable 1.5 GHz lead in base clock speed, providing a substantial margin of 115%. On the other hand, the Core i5 1235U yields a marginally higher turbo clock, edging past the Ryzen 5 7520U by 0.1 GHz or 2.3%. 
  4. CPU Memory: While the Core i5 1235U supports DDR5 and DDR4 memory, the Ryzen 5 7520U supports only DDR5 memory. Both CPUs have two memory channels. The Core i5 1235U has 64GB max memory, while the Ryzen 5 7520U has only 16GB.
    Notably, the Ryzen 5 7520U offers
    LPDDR5 at 5500 MT/s, while the Core i5 1235U features DDR5 memory at 5200 MT/s. Furthermore, these processors lack compatibility with ECC memory.
  5. TDP: Coming to thermal specs, the Core i5 1235U has a base power of 15W and a turbo power of 55W, whereas the Ryzen 5 7520U keeps a default TDP of 15W.

In the exploration of laptop processors, we have come across the Core i5 1235U Vs Ryzen 5 7520U. These mid-range options offer distinct features and performance. Join us as we compare their strengths and weaknesses, aiming to guide you in choosing the right processor for your next laptop. We’ll head into performance benchmarks, power efficiency, and integrated graphics to provide a clear picture of how these CPUs fare in everyday use.


Productivity Benchmarks 

Cinebench R23

Cinebench R23 Benchmarks
Cinebench R23 Benchmarks of the 2 CPUs- Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)

Single-Core Performance

  • When we compare the single-core performance of the Cinebench R23, we see that the Core i5 1235U outperforms the Ryzen 5 7520U by around 40.2%.
  • The Ryzen 5 7520U scored only 1171 on Cinebench R23 compared to the Core i5 1235U’s outstanding 1640 results.

Multi-Core Performance

  • The Ryzen 5 7520U rises above the Core i5 1235U by roughly 28.2% in our tested Cinebench R23’s multi-core test.
  • In multi-core benchmarks, the Core i5 1235U scored an impressive 6601, outpacing the Ryzen 5 7520U’s achievement of 5149.

Blender 2.79 BMW27

Blender Benchmarks
Blender 2.79 BMW27 Benchmarks of the 2 CPUs- Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • According to the benchmark results from Blender 2.79, the Ryzen 5 7520U completes the tasks around 38.8% more quickly than the Core i5 1235U.
  • The Core i5 1235U took only 423.5 seconds to complete the Blender 2.79 test, compared to the 588 seconds for the Ryzen 5 7520U.

7-Zip Compression Test

Compression Test
Data compression rates of the 2 CPUs – Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • When comparing data compression performance that we pulled off in 7-Zip, the Ryzen 5 7520U outperforms the Core i5 1235U by 39.3%.
  • Compared to the Core i5 1235U’s admirable 33,736 MIPS data compression rate, the Ryzen 5 7520U fared at 24,219 MIPS.

3DMark11 Benchmarks

3DMark11 Benchmarks
3DMark11 Benchmarks of the 2 CPUs – Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • According to 3DMark11 Benchmarks, the graphics processing power of the Core i5 1235U is 53.9% better than the Ryzen 5 7520U.
  • The Core i5 1235U scored an impressive 11,915 points, while the Ryzen 5 7520U scored 7,743 points at full performance.

Mozilla Kraken 1.1

Mozilla Kraken 1.1 Benchmarks
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 Benchmarks of the 2 CPUs- Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • The Core i5 1235U’s Javascript processing in our Mozilla Kraken 1.1 test was approximately 45.4% faster than the Ryzen 5 7520U.
  • During the Mozilla Kraken 1.1 assessment, the Core i5 1235U had a stunning ping of 584ms, while the Ryzen 5 7520U functioned at 849ms.

CrossMark Benchmarks

CrossMark Benchmarks
CrossMark Benchmarks of the 2 CPUs- Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • The Ryzen 5 7520U outperformed the Core i5 1235U by a fantastic margin of nearly 54.3% in the CrossMark performance test.
  • The Ryzen 5 7520U scored 960 points, while the Core i5 1235U achieved a respectable 1,481 points.

WebXPRT 4 Benchmarks

WebXPRT 4 Benchmarks
Browsing Performance of the 2 CPUs- Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • The Core i5 1235U’s browsing performance is roughly 48.7% better than the Ryzen 5 7520U measured by WebXPRT 4 Benchmarks that we tested.
  • In the WebXPRT 4 Benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 7520U achieved 155.3, whereas the Core i5 1235U scored 231.

FP32 – iGPU Test

Productivity Benchmarks
FP32 – iGPU Benchmarks – Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • According to our FP32 benchmarks, the Core i5 1235U’s iGPU performs about 288% more effectively than the Ryzen 5 7520U’s iGPU.
  • In the iGPU performance test, the Ryzen 5 7520U had a shallow frame rate of 383 GFLOPS compared to the Core i5 1235U’s great 1,487 GFLOPS.

Geekbench 6

Geekbench 6 Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 Benchmarks of the 2 CPUs- Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)

Single Core Performance

  • Geekbench 6 single-core comparison results show that the Core i5 1235U outperforms the Ryzen 5 7520U by 26.1%.
  • The Core i5 1235U achieves a remarkable score of 1688 points in the single-core test, surpassing the Ryzen 5 7520U’s 1338 points.

Multi-Core Performance

  • Comparing multi-core performance revealed to us that the Core i5 1235U performs about 33.4% better than the Ryzen 5 7520U.
  • In Geekbench 6, the Ryzen 5 7520U scores 4253 points, whereas the Core i5 1235U hits an incredible 5677 multi-core points.

HWBOT 4K – x265

HWBOT Benchmarks
4K Video Encoding Performance of the 2 CPUs – Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • The Ryzen 5 7520U outscored the Core i5 1235U by about 46% in a test that involved encoding a 4K video using the x265 codec.
  • The Ryzen 5 7520U encoded the 4K video at a rate of 6.3 FPS, while the Core i5 1235U did so with a brilliant performance of 9.2 FPS.

PassMark Benchmarks

PassMark Benchmarks
PassMark Benchmarks of the 2 CPUs- Image Credits (Tech4Gamers)
  • Considering the multi-core performance of the two processors in our PassMark test, the Core i5 1235U beats the Ryzen 5 7520U by 40%.
  • The Core i5 1235U achieved a respectable 13,681 points, whereas the Ryzen 5 7520U could only muster up a score of 9,770 points.

Core i5 1235U Vs Ryzen 5 7520U – Which One Should You Go For?

Intel Core i5 1235U: If you want to improve the performance of multi-core and iGPU-dependent tasks like video encoding, gaming, programming, and content creation, the Core i5 1235U is highly recommended in such a situation due to its superior ability to tackle these duties over the Ryzen 5 7520U.

AMD Ryzen 5 7520U: On the other hand, the Ryzen 5 7520U has an advantage over the Core i5 1235U only in that it is a more recent chip made using a cutting-edge 6nm manufacturing process. However, in terms of performance, it trails behind the Core i5 1235U.

We recommend using the Intel Core i5 1235U because this processor amazes us with a dominant performance in the benchmark tests despite having an older processing node and older design and launch. This processor has what it takes to register its dominion over the AMD Ryzen 5 7520U in this comparison.


Common Questions Answered

Which processor has a higher clock, the Core i5-1235U or the Ryzen 5 7520U?

Regarding the base clock, the Ryzen 5 7520U establishes its dominance with a significant 115% margin over the Core i5 1235U. Conversely, the Core i5 1235U edges ahead of the Ryzen 5 7520U by a slim 0.1 GHz or 2.3% in turbo clock performance.

Does the AMD Radeon 610M perform better than Intel Iris Xe Graphics?

No. The AMD Radeon 610M of the Ryzen 5 7520U is a low-grade iGPU, and the Intel Iris Xe Graphics of the Core i5 1235U perform much better.

Which processor is more energy-efficient, the Core i5-1235U or the Ryzen 5 7520U?

The Ryzen 5 7520U is more energy-efficient due to its lower TDP of 15W compared to 55W for the Core i5 1235U.


More From Core i5 1235U:

More From Ryzen 5 7520U:

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