Consumercarts is reader-supported. Learn more
AMD Ryzen 5 230 vs AMD Ryzen 5 8640U: Comparison
Ryzen 5 230 vs Ryzen 5 8640U p-core boost clock compared
The first real difference is p-core boost clock: Ryzen 5 230 Up to 4.9 GHz against Ryzen 5 8640U 4.9 GHz. There is a split on memory type as well, DDR5 , LPDDR5X , DDR5 , LPDDR5X , 2-Channel on the Ryzen 5 230 versus DDR5, LPDDR5x on the Ryzen 5 8640U.
Which should you buy, Ryzen 5 230 or Ryzen 5 8640U?
The Ryzen 5 230 is the one to take for budget and midrange thin-and-light laptops and office work, browsing and video calls, though it is not the pick for modern games at high settings without a dedicated GPU and copilot+ PC AI features, which need a 40+ TOPS NPU. It is not the one for heavy video rendering or 3D work, where 8-core chips finish much sooner. Buy the Ryzen 5 8640U for midrange thin-and-light laptops and office work, browsing and video calls, though it is not built for modern games at high settings without a dedicated GPU and copilot+ PC AI features, which need a 40+ TOPS NPU. Avoid it for heavy video rendering or 3D work, where 8-core chips finish much sooner. Our rating of the Ryzen 5 8640U (7.8/10): the AMD Ryzen 5 8640U is a well-balanced ultraportable chip that prioritizes battery life and everyday responsiveness.
What Ryzen 5 230 and Ryzen 5 8640U have in common
The common ground is wider than the gap: total cores, performance cores, efficiency cores, total threads and tdp are identical here. They match on 5 further specifications as well.
Do the Ryzen 5 230 and Ryzen 5 8640U differ on p-core base clock?
Yes. P-Core Base Clock reads 3.5 GHz on the Ryzen 5 230 versus 1.7 GHz on the Ryzen 5 8640U.
Is the L3 Cache the same on the Ryzen 5 230 and Ryzen 5 8640U?
It is. Both are listed at 16 MB, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Form Factor
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- Laptop
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- Laptop
Codename
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- Hawk Point
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- Hawk Point
Release Year
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 2025
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 2023
TDP
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 28 W
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 28 W
iGPU
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- AMD Radeon 760M (8 cores, up to 2600 MHz)
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- AMD Radeon 740M/760M/780M Graphics (RDNA 3)
Market Segment
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- Laptop
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- Laptop
Socket
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- FP8, FP7, FP7r2
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- BGA (soldered, mobile)
Process Node
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 4 nm
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 4 nm
Total Cores
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 6
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 6
Performance Cores
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 6
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 6
Efficiency Cores
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 0
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 0
Total Threads
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 12
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 12
SMT Enabled
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- Yes
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- Yes
P-Core Base Clock
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 3.5 GHz
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 1.7 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- Up to 4.9 GHz
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 4.9 GHz
L3 Cache
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 16 MB
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 16 MB
Base Power
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- 15-30W
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- 28 W
Memory Type
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- DDR5 (FP8) , LPDDR5X (FP8) , DDR5 (FP7r2) , LPDDR5X (FP7), 2-Channel
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- DDR5, LPDDR5x
Integrated Graphics
- AMD Ryzen 5 230
- Yes
- AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
- Yes
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD Ryzen 5 230 if you want the higher L3 cache (16 MB vs 16 MB).
Choose AMD Ryzen 5 8640U if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Verdict
AMD Ryzen 5 8640U
7.8 / 10 Expert Rating
The AMD Ryzen 5 8640U is a well-balanced ultraportable chip that prioritizes battery life and everyday responsiveness.