AMD’s quest for CPU dominance has expanded lately—after first clawing again into relevance with its desktop processors, the corporate set its sights on laptops. Ryzen 5000 cellular chips dunked on Intel’s Comet Lake H elements, zipping previous Staff Blue’s greatest with ease.
With Tuesday’s announcement of Tiger Lake H, Intel might regain floor as an business chief. Its long-in-the-tooth 14nm course of is gone, and with that change comes the promise of notable efficiency jumps and help for cutting-edge options. As you’ll see in our fast head-to-head comparability with the equal H-class Ryzen 5000 chips, this rivalry would possibly develop into fierce once more.
The contenders: Tiger Lake H vs. Ryzen 5000 cellular
Intel’s Eleventh technology of cellular processors already consists of four-core, eight-thread Tiger Lake H35 CPUs, introduced throughout CES 2021 in January. This freshly unveiled set of 5 Tiger Lake H chips (nicknamed by some as Tiger Lake H45) spherical out the lineup: Two Core i5, one Core i7, and two Core i9 choices function both six or eight cores with Hyperthreading. The highest-tier Core i9 processor can increase to a max of 5GHz on as much as two cores. It’s additionally the lone half with a 65W TDP—the opposite 4 chips have a 45W TDP.
These CPUs are based mostly on Intel’s 10nm Willow Cove microarchitecture, and help PCIe 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4. You possibly can learn extra particulars on these Tiger Lake H processors in our full rundown of the announcement.

Tiger Lake H processors are based mostly on Intel’s 10nm Willow Cove microarchitecture.
In distinction, Ryzen 5000 cellular processors supply extra alternative—and a bit of extra complexity. AMD’s competing line of H-class elements launched throughout CES 2021 with eight processors, all based mostly on the corporate’s 7nm Zen 3 microarchitecture. This lineup of laptop computer CPUs is weighted towards the excessive finish, with two mid-range Ryzen 5 variants with 6 cores and 12 threads, two high-end Ryzen 7 choices with 8 cores and 16 threads, and 4 top-tier Ryzen 9 chips with 8 cores and 16 threads. Nevertheless, some CPUs are HS fashions with a decrease 35W TDP, whereas the H variations have a TDP of 45W and the HX processors are listed as 45W+. The HX elements are additionally overclockable.
Not like Tiger Lake H, Ryzen 5000 cellular elements don’t help PCIe 4.0 nor Thunderbolt 4. (That could be a distinction with desktop Ryzen 5000 chips, which do help PCIe 4.0.) You possibly can learn extra specs and particulars in our complete overview of Ryzen 5000 cellular processors.

The H-class of Ryzen 5000 cellular processors are all based mostly on AMD’s 7nm Zen 3 microarchitecture.
The lineup: Tiger Lake H and Ryzen 5000 cellular processors
5 Tiger Lake H processors might be present in upcoming shopper laptops. (5 Tiger Lake H processors for business laptops will launch as properly—we have now extra particulars on these in our full overview of Tiger Lake H.) These vary from the beefy Core i9-11980HK with 8 cores, 16 threads, and a 65W TDP, all the best way right down to the extra budget-friendly Core i5-11260H with 6 cores, 12 threads, and a 45W TDP. The 45W TDP chips ostensibly are 35W chips able to utilizing extra energy, as they’re additionally listed with a set of decrease base clocks at a “config TDP” of 35W.
As at all times, precise efficiency will differ from laptop computer to laptop computer, as a result of different elements like dimension and panel kind affect the general expertise. Anticipate to see totally different benchmark outcomes based mostly on the main target (i.e., gaming vs. content material creation) of the particular mannequin.
Tiger Lake H shopper processor lineup:
- Core i9-11980HK (8 cores / 16 threads): Max increase 5.0GHz, 3.3GHz at config TDP of 65W
- Core i9-11900H (8 cores / 16 threads): Max increase 4.9GHz, 2.5GHz at 45W TDP
- Core i7-11800H (8 cores / 16 threads): Max increase 4.6GHz, 2.3GHz at 45W TDP
- Core i5-11400H (6 cores / 12 threads): Max increase 4.5GHz, 2.7GHz at 45W TDP
- Core i5-11260H (6 cores / 12 threads): Max increase 4.4GHz, 2.6GHz at 45W TDP
(For full specs, see the chart picture beneath.)
Intel has promised 80 laptop computer designs that includes Tiger Lake H, with Acer, Asus, Dell, Gigabyte, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Razer named as companions. These notebooks goal avid gamers and creators, with options like slim-bezel 17-inch screens, 1080p 360Hz panels, 1440p shows, and resizeable bar help teased. Ultraportable fashions might be obtainable as properly.

With three extra processors in its lineup of H-class elements, Ryzen 5000 cellular is extra sophisticated, because it spans HS, H, and HX variants. HS fashions are lower-wattage elements with decrease base clocks, designed for ultraportable laptops; H fashions have greater clock speeds and a 45W TDP; and HX processors boast the very best speeds and have a versatile “45W+” TDP. Solely the HX processors are unlocked for overclocking.
Ryzen 5000 cellular processor lineup:
- Ryzen 9 5980HX (8 cores, 16 threads): Max increase 4.8GHz, base clock 3.3GHz, 45W+ TDP
- Ryzen 9 5900HX (8 cores, 16 threads): Max increase 4.6GHz, base clock 3.3GHz, 45W+ TDP
- Ryzen 7 5800H (8 cores, 16 threads): Max increase 4.4GHz, base clock 3.2GHz, 45W TDP
- Ryzen 5 5600H (6 cores, 12 threads): Max increase 4.2GHz, base clock 3.3GHz, 45W TDP
- Ryzen 9 5980HS (8 cores, 16 threads): Max increase 4.8GHz, base clock 3.0GHz, 35W
- Ryzen 9 5900HS (8 cores, 16 threads): Max increase 4.6GHz, base clock 3.0GHz, 35W TDP
- Ryzen 7 5800HS (8 cores, 16 threads): Max increase 4.4GHz, base clock 2.8GHz, 35W TDP
- Ryzen 5 5600HS (6 cores, 12 threads): Max increase 4.2GHz, base clock 3.0GHz, 35W TDP
(For full specs, see the chart picture beneath.)
Like Tiger Lake H, most laptops that includes Ryzen 5000 cellular H-class processors concentrate on gaming or content material creation. Just a few have significantly distinctive approaches, just like the Asus ROG Circulate X13 and its eGPU accent. Nevertheless, availability has been restricted, as a consequence of a rolling launch of fashions and excessive demand. Not all processors may even be discovered within the wild but—the highest-end chip you may presently get your palms on is the 5900HX. Intel says that it’ll have over one million processors shipped by launch, so on this level, the shortages plaguing AMD might come to hang-out it additional.

Efficiency
At present, we solely know half the story on efficiency for this face-off. Ryzen 5000 cellular processors dazzled us again in late January, offering a strong 10- to 12-percent enchancment over Ryzen 4000. It additionally handily trounced Intel’s Tenth-gen Comet Lake H chips by whopping 20 % in single-threaded duties and a median of 18 % for multi-threaded duties. (You possibly can see the total particulars in our overview of Ryzen 5000 cellular.)
After all, Comet Lake H was all that Intel had obtainable for comparability when Ryzen 5000 cellular launched. Now that Tiger Lake H is right here, Intel claims that AMD must take a step down the rostrum to second place. The corporate says we’ll see a 19-percent efficiency improve shifting from Tenth-gen to Eleventh-gen chips, with its top-tier Core i9-11980HK beating AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900HX—the highest obtainable competing chip—by as a lot as 26 % in gaming. Much more fascinating is the assertion that the Core i5-11400H can usually go toe-to-toe with the Ryzen 9 5900HS, successful in some video games, ending in a attract others, and shedding by a minimal quantity in the remaining.

Intel claims that its top-tier Tiger Lake H processor can outperform AMD’s present obtainable greatest by as much as 26 %.
Nobody will understand how this finally shakes out till unbiased benchmarks (resembling our personal) are full. However as you may see from this announcement, Intel implies that it’ll quickly reclaim its former repute for superior gaming efficiency.

Extra astonishing is Intel’s assertion that its Core i5 Tiger Lake H chip can match the efficiency of a 35W Ryzen 9 cellular CPU.
Who’s on prime?
With out onerous efficiency information, calling a winner on this showdown can be untimely—except the forecast names customers because the victor on this tug of struggle. Shortages of most issues tech has plagued everybody over the previous 12 months. If Intel can put {hardware} in palms, tech-starved consumers will profit. Intel received’t even have to thrash AMD in terms of efficiency, both. Simply monitoring carefully might be sufficient, and good laptop computer designs from companions will ship the remaining.
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