AMD Ryzen 5 40 vs Intel Core 5 120U: Same Class Only in Name

The AMD Ryzen 5 40 and Intel Core 5 120U appear to be direct competitors for budget laptops: both belong to the "5" series and have a base thermal package of 15W. In practice, these are processors of different levels. The Core 5 120U is noticeably faster in everyday tasks and multithreaded workloads, features more powerful integrated graphics, and offers a more flexible platform.

The reason for the gap lies in the origins of the chips. The Ryzen 5 40 is a rebranded Ryzen 5 7520U, released in 2022. It has four Zen 2 cores and lower-end Radeon 610M graphics. The Core 5 120U is also not based on the latest architecture, but its hybrid configuration of two performance cores and eight energy-efficient cores is designed for more serious workloads.

Key Differences

The Ryzen 5 40 uses four identical cores with SMT support. The Core 5 120U has two fast P-cores working alongside eight E-cores, which handle background tasks and well-parallelizable workloads. This arrangement gives Intel a significantly larger headroom when running multiple applications simultaneously.

Processor Performance

In PassMark, the Ryzen 5 40 scores about 9350 CPU Mark points, while the Core 5 120U's result is around 15,200 points. The performance advantage of Intel is approximately 60%. In single-threaded tests, the difference is smaller but still significant-around 40%.

These are not just numbers from synthetic tests. The Core 5 120U opens heavy web pages faster, processes large spreadsheets, installs programs, and unzips archives more efficiently. The gap becomes particularly noticeable when working simultaneously with browsers, video calls, office suites, and background applications.

The Ryzen 5 40 is suitable for documents, videos, studying, and a moderate number of tabs. However, four Zen 2 cores quickly hit their limits when processing photos, compiling code, or during prolonged multitasking.

The performance of a specific laptop depends on cooling and the power limits set by the manufacturer. The Core 5 120U can momentarily increase power consumption significantly above the base 15W, thus its performance is more dependent on the quality of the cooling system. Even with moderate limits, Intel maintains a noticeable advantage.

Integrated Graphics

The name Radeon might create the impression that Ryzen should lead in graphics. However, the Radeon 610M contains only two compute units, or 128 stream processors. Despite using RDNA 2 architecture, this is an entry-level solution mainly designed for system interfaces, video playback, and casual gaming.

The Core 5 120U features Intel integrated graphics with 80 execution units. Its performance depends on the memory bandwidth, but it typically surpasses that of the Radeon 610M.

With a laptop featuring the Core 5 120U, you can expect a more comfortable performance in Valorant, Dota 2, League of Legends, and older games at low settings. The Radeon 610M is suitable for less demanding online and indie projects. For modern heavy games, both integrated graphics solutions are too weak.

Platform Capabilities

The limitations of the Ryzen 5 40 do not only concern the processor cores. It supports LPDDR5-5500 memory, with a maximum capacity of 16GB. Usually, it is soldered onto the motherboard and is not replaceable. Additionally, the processor is limited to a PCIe 3.0 interface.

The Core 5 120U supports various types of memory, including DDR4, DDR5, and LPDDR5, with a maximum capacity of up to 96GB. It also has PCIe 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4 support.

This does not mean that every Intel laptop will have two memory slots or fast ports. The manufacturer may choose to install soldered memory to cut costs. Nevertheless, the Core 5 120U platform provides more options for creating a well-equipped device.

When Ryzen 5 40 Makes Sense

You can consider a laptop with AMD when:

• It is significantly cheaper than the model with Core 5 120U;
• It has 16GB of RAM installed;
• Tasks are limited to browsing, documents, videos, and video calls;
• The screen, battery, or chassis is better than the Intel alternative.

Buying the Ryzen 5 40 simply for being part of the Ryzen 5 series is not advisable. In terms of capabilities, it is a budget four-core processor, not a modern mid-range model.

Conclusion

The Intel Core 5 120U confidently wins in processor performance, multitasking capability, and integrated graphics power. It also supports more RAM, PCIe 4.0, and more modern peripherals.

The AMD Ryzen 5 40 remains a suitable solution for an affordable student or home laptop, but only when substantial savings are involved. At comparable prices and equal device quality, the Core 5 120U appears significantly more advantageous. Its performance will last longer for multitasking and more demanding applications.