Core i5-1235U vs Ryzen AI 5 330

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i5-1235U

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +24.3% higher average FPS across 26 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 28W, a 13W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Iris Xe Graphics 80EU, while Ryzen AI 5 330 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (12,740 vs 12,794).

Ryzen AI 5 330

2025

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-1235U across 26 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 12 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $350 MSRP, while Core i5-1235U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌86.7% higher power demand at 28W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-1235U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i5-1235U

2022

Ryzen AI 5 330

2025

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +24.3% higher average FPS across 26 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Draws 15W instead of 28W, a 13W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (20 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Iris Xe Graphics 80EU, while Ryzen AI 5 330 needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (12,740 vs 12,794).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-1235U across 26 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 12 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $350 MSRP, while Core i5-1235U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌86.7% higher power demand at 28W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i5-1235U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen AI 5 330 better than Core i5-1235U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Core i5-1235U is ahead with a 24.3% average FPS lead across 26 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI 5 330 pulls ahead with 0.4% better PassMark. Core i5-1235U also has the bigger cache pool with 200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen AI 5 330 is the better fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 8 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Ryzen AI 5 330 is the smarter buy today. Ryzen AI 5 330 is at an unclear MSRP at $350 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you 0.4% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i5-1235U is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 24.3% average FPS lead across 26 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (36.6 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Ryzen AI 5 330 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2025 vs 2022) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 8 threads instead of 10/12. That should give you a better long-term upgrade path for motherboard, RAM, and future CPU swaps.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i5-1235U Benchmark Check

Ryzen AI 5 330 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i5-1235U	Ryzen AI 5 330
1080p
low	186 FPS	169 FPS
medium	153 FPS	136 FPS
high	127 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	105 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	142 FPS
medium	119 FPS	113 FPS
high	97 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	74 FPS
4K
low	84 FPS	79 FPS
medium	72 FPS	67 FPS
high	58 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	42 FPS

Open Core i5-1235U Open Ryzen AI 5 330

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i5-1235U	Ryzen AI 5 330
1080p
low	208 FPS	168 FPS
medium	172 FPS	142 FPS
high	158 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	139 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	183 FPS	142 FPS
medium	156 FPS	122 FPS
high	146 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	125 FPS	97 FPS
4K
low	148 FPS	101 FPS
medium	130 FPS	90 FPS
high	124 FPS	77 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	65 FPS

Open Core i5-1235U Open Ryzen AI 5 330

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i5-1235U	Ryzen AI 5 330
1080p
low	318 FPS	320 FPS
medium	318 FPS	320 FPS
high	318 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	320 FPS
1440p
low	318 FPS	320 FPS
medium	318 FPS	320 FPS
high	318 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	320 FPS
4K
low	318 FPS	320 FPS
medium	318 FPS	320 FPS
high	318 FPS	286 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	226 FPS

Open Core i5-1235U Open Ryzen AI 5 330

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i5-1235U	Ryzen AI 5 330
1080p
low	318 FPS	320 FPS
medium	318 FPS	320 FPS
high	318 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	320 FPS
1440p
low	318 FPS	320 FPS
medium	318 FPS	320 FPS
high	318 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	320 FPS
4K
low	318 FPS	320 FPS
medium	318 FPS	320 FPS
high	318 FPS	320 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	320 FPS

Open Core i5-1235U Open Ryzen AI 5 330

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-1235U and Ryzen AI 5 330

Core i5-1235U

The Core i5-1235U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 23 February 2022 (3 years ago). It is based on the Alder Lake-U (2022) architecture. It features 10 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 1.3 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.25 MB (per core). Built on Intel 7 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1744. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4, DDR5. Passmark benchmark score: 12,740 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen AI 5 330

The Ryzen AI 5 330 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 16 July 2025 (less than a year ago). It is based on the Krackan Point 2 (2025) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB (per core). Built on 4 nm process technology. Socket: FP8. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR5, LPDDR5X. Passmark benchmark score: 12,794 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-1235U packs 10 cores / 12 threads, while the Ryzen AI 5 330 offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i5-1235U has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 4.4 GHz on the Core i5-1235U versus 4.5 GHz on the Ryzen AI 5 330 — a 2.2% clock advantage for the Ryzen AI 5 330 (base: 1.3 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i5-1235U uses the Alder Lake-U (2022) architecture (Intel 7 nm), while the Ryzen AI 5 330 uses Krackan Point 2 (2025) (4 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-1235U scores 12,740 against the Ryzen AI 5 330's 12,794 — a 0.4% lead for the Ryzen AI 5 330. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i5-1235U vs 4 MB on the Ryzen AI 5 330.

Feature	Core i5-1235U	Ryzen AI 5 330
Cores / Threads	10 / 12+150%	4 / 8
Boost Clock	4.4 GHz	4.5 GHz+2%
Base Clock	1.3 GHz	2 GHz+54%
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)+200%	4 MB
L2 Cache	1.25 MB (per core)+25%	1 MB (per core)
Process	Intel 7 nm	4 nm-43%
Architecture	Alder Lake-U (2022)	Krackan Point 2 (2025)
PassMark	12,740	12,794
Geekbench 6 Single	2,095	—

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-1235U uses the FCBGA1744 socket (PCIe 5.0), while the Ryzen AI 5 330 uses FP8 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-1235U	Ryzen AI 5 330
Socket	FCBGA1744	FP8
PCIe Generation	PCIe 5.0+25%	PCIe 4.0
Max RAM Speed	LPDDR5-5200	—
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	20	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-1235U) / not specified (Ryzen AI 5 330). The Core i5-1235U includes integrated graphics (Iris Xe Graphics 80EU), while the Ryzen AI 5 330 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-1235U targets Mainstream Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i5-1235U rivals Ryzen 5 6600U.