Core i7-8557U vs Ryzen 3 4300U

Core i7-8557U vs Ryzen 3 4300U Performance Spectrum

Core i7-8557U

4 / 8

7,309

0.0%

7,359

+0.7%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

About PassMark

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.

Core i7-8557U vs Ryzen 3 4300U FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Core i7-8557U vs Ryzen 3 4300U: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Core i7-8557U

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +19.1% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Draws 1W instead of 15W, a 14W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (7,309 vs 7,359).

Ryzen 3 4300U

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.7% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8557U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).
❌1400% higher power demand at 15W vs 1W.

Quick Answers

So, is Ryzen 3 4300U better than Core i7-8557U?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i7-8557U is ahead with a 19.1% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 3 4300U pulls ahead with 0.7% better PassMark. Core i7-8557U also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Ryzen 3 4300U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.7% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads.

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

Ryzen 3 4300U still makes the most sense overall. Ryzen 3 4300U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.7% better PassMark.

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

Ryzen 3 4300U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/8. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Core i7-8557U vs Ryzen 3 4300U Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Core i7-8557U

The Core i7-8557U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 16 July 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 1.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.5 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1528. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 7,309 points. Launch price was $149.

Ryzen 3 4300U

The Ryzen 3 4300U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 January 2020 (5 years ago). It is based on the Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 7 nm process technology. Socket: FP6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 7,359 points. Launch price was $149.

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Processing Power

The Core i7-8557U packs 4 cores / 8 threads, matching the Ryzen 3 4300U's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.5 GHz on the Core i7-8557U versus 3.7 GHz on the Ryzen 3 4300U — a 19.5% clock advantage for the Core i7-8557U (base: 1.7 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Core i7-8557U uses the Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Ryzen 3 4300U uses Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021) (7 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-8557U scores 7,309 against the Ryzen 3 4300U's 7,359 — a 0.7% lead for the Ryzen 3 4300U. L3 cache: 8 MB on the Core i7-8557U vs 4 MB (total) on the Ryzen 3 4300U.

Feature	Core i7-8557U	Ryzen 3 4300U
Cores / Threads	4 / 8	4 / 4
Boost Clock	4.5 GHz+22%	3.7 GHz
Base Clock	1.7 GHz	2.7 GHz+59%
L3 Cache	8 MB+100%	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	512 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	7 nm-50%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)	Renoir-U (Zen 2) (2020−2021)
PassMark	7,309	7,359

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Memory & Platform

The Core i7-8557U uses the FCBGA1528 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Ryzen 3 4300U uses FP6 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.