As the battle between AMD and Intel continues to heat up, we’re constantly receiving questions about choosing between the two. One of our recent inquiries is: “What is an AMD equivalent to Intel Core i7?”
Well, the answer is that the AMD equivalent to the intel core i7 series is the Ryzen 7. The Ryzen 7 series is AMD’s high-end line of processors and competes directly with Intel’s i7-series.
These powerful processors are designed for heavy multitasking, extreme gaming, and content creation. They have 8 cores & 16 threads, and their frequencies range from 3.6GHz to more than 4.0GHz (with boost).
Let’s see these two different series of processors, what they can do, and then compare their specs.
Intel Core I7 AMD Equilevant
As we already mentioned, the Ryzen 7 is the AMD equivalent to i7. Both Intel i7s and AMD Ryzen 7s are high-end, octa-core processors with eight cores and 16 threads.
But not all Intel Core i7 and Ryzen 7 processors are the same. When you compare two series processors, you should also consider the generation of both CPUs.
You should compare CPUs from the same generations in order to get a realistic comparison. If you’re comparing a Ryzen 7 5000 with an 11th-generation Intel Core i7 7700, you should take into consideration that the Ryzen 7 was released earlier than the 11th-generation Intel Core i7, so it won’t be that powerful.
Related Article: What Is AMD Equivalent To I5?
What is the Intel Corei7?
Intel Core i7 is a high-end processor series created by Intel. It started back in 2008 and has been a huge success ever since. Currently, we are on the 12th generation of the i7, which means that Intel improved and enhanced its processors with every new generation.
With that being said, Intel has fallen behind in the race with AMD Ryzen lately with regard to performance. But we are going to talk more in-depth about that later.
What is Ryzen 7?
Ryzen 7 series is the AMD equivalent to the Intel Core i7. It’s a high-end line of processors that has been around since 2017, and it seems like it will be here for a while.
The Ryzen 7 CPUs have 8 cores and 16 threads. They have a greater number of cores than Intel i7 CPUs and a higher CPU clock rate.
This makes them ideal for gaming, streaming, and content creation. They have extreme overclocking capabilities, and this is another thing that differentiates them from the i7s.
Related Article: What Is AMD Equivalent To Intel Core i3
Intel i7 vs. AMD Ryzen 7
Now that you know the basics of both AMD Ryzen 7 and the Intel Core i7 series, it’s time to compare them. We are going to talk about the differences between these CPUs, their characteristics, and what they are good for.
1. MOSFET Technology Node
The MOSFET technology node is a technology that describes the size of a transistor. In simple words, it’s basically the size of a transistor in a CPU or in another component.
The smaller the transistor, the faster it operates and consumes less power. As you can imagine, this technology node is extremely important for processors since they are voltage-powered units.
Intel uses the 14nm technology MOSFET node, and AMD uses the 7nm+ technology node.
But why should you care?
CPUs are basically made up of thousands of small transistors; the smaller the distance between the transistors, the more transistors you can fit in a certain area.
This means less heat, less power consumption, more computing power, and overall better performance.
The Intel Core i7 CPUs are still on the 14nm MOSFET technology node, while AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs are on the latest 7nm+ technology node. This means that the new generation of Ryzen processors is better than the i7s in this respect.
2. Smart Access Memory
Smart Access Memory is a technology developed by AMD that allows CPUs to use the full VRAM memory of the GPU.
Without the Smart Access Memory, only 256MB of your GPU’s VRAM can be used by the CPU at a time. As you can understand, this technology improves the performance of CPU operations on graphics cards.
This will mean better and more stable CPU gaming performance, but only if your GPU has enough VRAM to support this feature.
To use this feature, you should have an all-AMD build. A Radeon RX 6000 series GPU and a Radeon 5000 CPU are the minimum requirements to use the Smart Access Memory technology.
Related Article: Can You Use An Nvidia Graphics Card With An AMD Processor?
3. Thunderbolt
In collaboration with Apple, Intel developed Thunderbolt protocol for high-speed data transfers. This protocol uses the standard USB Type connector and enables data transfer rates of 10Gbps.
It is already used in Mac devices, but if you want to use this technology in your Windows PC, you need to have an Intel motherboard with an Intel CPU, so if you go for a Ryzen build, thunderbolt won’t be an option.
4. Price
For a lot of years, Intel has had almost complete control of the CPU market. That’s why their products were overpriced compared to AMD CPUs. But this has changed in the past few years after AMD released Ryzen processors and began competing with Intel.
The demand for AMD Ryzen CPUs has increased, and thus the price has gone up. This is why, regarding the performance per price ratio, Intel processors offer better value for money.
5. PCIe 4.0
As you know, PCIe 4.0 is the latest version of the PCI standard, and it is two times faster than the previous PCIe 3.0.
While AMD Ryzen CPUs support PCIe 4.0 from the Ryzen 3000 generation, Intel CPUs started supporting this technology in their 11th generation. To know if your Intel 11th gen CPU supports PCIe 4.0, you should look for the code name “Rocket Lake” in the specs.
Related Article: PCIe 2.0 VS 3.0 – What Is The Difference?
Top Ryzen 7 CPUs
Ryzen 7 5800
Ryzen 7 5800 is a high-end CPU that has 8 cores and 16 threads. It’s a generation 5 Ryzen CPU that has a base clock of 3.8GHz and a turbo boost clock of 4.7GHz. There are several versions of the Ryzen 7 5800:
Ryzen 7 5800x
This is the most powerful version of the Ryzen 7 5800 lineup. The X indicates that this is an “X” series processor, one of the fastest series. It has a higher clock speed than the other versions, has an unlocked multiplier, and can be overclocked.
Ryzen 7 5800G
The G in this model name stands for graphics, meaning that this version has a built-in graphics processor. It also has 8 cores and 16 threads like the 5800X. The clock speed is 3.8GHz and can be overclocked to 4.6Ghz.
Ryzen 7 5800H
This is the most powerful version of the Ryzen 7 5800 series. It has 8 cores and 16 threads like the 5800X; when it comes to CPU frequency, it gives you a base clock speed that can be overclocked to 4.4Ghz.
Ryzen 7 3800X
Ryzen 7 3800X is an older generation CPU (3rd gen) that has 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 3.9GHz and an XFR boost clock of 4.2.
Related Article: Does Ryzen Have Integrated Graphics?
Top Intel i7 CPUs
Intel Core i7-11700
This is the 11th generation i7, and it has 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 2.5GHz, and the turbo boost clock is 4.9Ghz. If you want more power, the Intel i711700K is a more powerful version of this CPU and has a base clock of 3.6GHz, and can be overclocked to 5.0GHz.
Intel Core i7 11800H
This is one of the most powerful CPUs of the 11th generation, and it has 8 cores and 16 threads like all other Core i7 CPUs. Its base clock is 2.3GHz, and the turbo boost clock is 4.6Ghz.
Related Article: Is intel core i7 good for gaming?
Intel i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 CPUs Benchmark
If you want more than the specs of these CPUs, you can check the table below to see the benchmark scores :
| CPU | Multi-Core Benchmark Score | Single-Core Benchmark Score | Clock Speed(Base/Boost) | Cores/Threads | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intel i7 12700K | 8911 | 755 | 2.70 GHz / 5.00 GHz | 12 / 20 | Q4 2021 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 5800X | 6046 | 629 | 3.80 GHz / 4.70 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q4 2020 |
| Intel i7 11700K | 5615 | 612 | 3.60 GHz / 5.00 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q1 2020 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 5700G | 5465 | 582 | 3.80 GHz / 4.60 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q2 2021 |
| Intel i7 10700K | 5293 | 417 | 3.80 GHz / 5.10 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q2 2020 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 3800X | 5054 | 508 | 3.90 GHz / 4.50 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q3 2019 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 3700X | 4856 | 494 | 3.60 GHz / 4.40 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q3 2019 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 2700X | 3956 | 411 | 3.70 GHz / 4.30 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q2 2018 |
| Intel i7 8700K | 3793 | 479 | 3.70 GHz / 4.70 GHz | 6 / 12 | Q4 2017 |
| Intel i7 7800X | 3752 | 481 | 3.50 GHz / 4.00 GHz | 6 / 12 | Q2 2017 |
| Intel i7 9700K | 3656 | 466 | 3.60 GHz / 4.90 GHz | 8 / 8 | Q4 2018 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | 3587 | 351 | 3.60 GHz / 4.00 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q1 2017 |
| Intel i7 8700 | 3547 | 331 | 3.20 GHz / 4.60 GHz | 6 / 12 | Q4 2017 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 2700 | 3448 | 403 | 3.20 GHz / 4.10 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q2 2018 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 1700X | 3336 | 344 | 3.40 GHz / 3.80 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q1 2017 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 1700 | 3189 | 331 | 3.00 GHz / 3.70 GHz | 8 / 16 | Q1 2017 |
| Intel i7 9750H | 2653 | 442 | 2.60 GHz / 4.50 GHz | 6 / 12 | Q2 2019 |
| Intel i7 8750H | 2497 | 419 | 2.20 GHz / 4.10 GHz | 6 / 12 | Q2 2018 |
| Intel i7 8850H | 2468 | 403 | 2.60 GHz / 4.30 GHz | 6 / 12 | Q2 2018 |
| Intel i7 7700K | 2257 | 466 | 4.20 GHz / 4.50 GHz | 4 / 8 | Q1 2017 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 3700U | 1515 | 367 | 2.30 GHz / 4.00 GHz | 4 / 8 | Q1 2019 |
| AMD Ryzen 7 2700U | 1387 | 349 | 2.20 GHz / 3.80 GHz | 4 / 8 | Q4 2017 |
| Intel i7 8650U | 1299 | 365 | 1.90 GHz / 4.20 GHz | 4 / 8 | Q3 2017 |
As you can see from the table above, the most powerful CPU is the Ryzen 7 5800x (I won’t count the 12th gen Intel i7 12700K cause there is no AMD equivalent out there yet), but with regard to performance to price ratio Intel i7 11700K does better.
In general, the Ryzen 7 5000 series performs better in single and multi-core than the Intel Core i7 CPUs as they have better benchmark scores than the Intel Core i7 CPUs. But with regard to performance per price ratio, Intel i7 11th gen CPUs offer the best value for money.
Related Article: What Is A Good Processor Speed For A Laptop?
Conclusion
We have covered a lot of things in this article! We have discussed the equivalent AMD processor to Intel i7 CPUs and the differences between Intel i7 and AMD Ryzen CPUs regarding the number of cores, threads, clock speeds, etc.
Now it is your turn to make a choice; think about your budget, the purpose of the PC you are planning to build, and make a choice regarding these two great lines of CPUs.
Thanks for reading; I hope you liked this article! If you have more questions, please leave them in the comments section below.
Nick Ryley is a computer architect and the owner of The Pc Geekz.
His love for playing games got him interested in computers in the first place. He wanted to be able to build a gaming PC that could run all the latest games at max settings, and this has him pursuing a major in computer architecture!
He started this blog to help people out and answer some of the most common questions about computer building
