Both chips share the same core count and target the same budget-friendly laptop segment, but the 3700U’s newer architecture and manufacturing process give it a consistent, if modest, edge across most performance measures. Here’s how they actually compare.
Core Specifications
Both processors share fundamentally similar specs on paper. The Ryzen 7 3700U has 4 cores and 8 threads with a maximum turbo frequency of 4.0GHz, while the Ryzen 7 2700U also has 4 cores and 8 threads but a slightly lower turbo frequency of 3.8GHz. Base clock speeds are close too, with the 2700U running at 2.2GHz and the 3700U at 2.3GHz.
The 3700U is positioned as the newer, refined entry in AMD’s mobile lineup, while the 2700U represented AMD’s earlier push into the mid-range and performance laptop segment.
Performance Benchmarks
Across independent benchmark comparisons, the results consistently favor the 3700U by a modest margin.
The AMD Ryzen 7 3700U is around 8% faster in single-thread testing compared to the 2700U, according to PassMark’s aggregated data. Geekbench results tell a similar story with a slightly wider gap in multi-core work — in single-core testing the difference is 4%, while in multi-core testing the gap widens to 19% in the 3700U’s favor.
Both chips draw similar power. Both CPUs operate at similar power levels (TDP), meaning the 3700U’s performance gains come from architectural improvements rather than a higher power budget.
What’s Actually Different Under the Hood
The performance gap traces back to a few underlying changes AMD made between generations. Compared to the previous generation, the manufacturing process was slightly improved, moving from 14nm to 12nm, which allows for higher clock rates at the same power consumption. AMD also made minor microarchitecture improvements, delivering roughly 3% higher instructions-per-clock performance. Combined, these changes were expected to make the newer generation about 8% faster than its predecessor, according to AMD’s own figures — a claim that lines up closely with what independent single-thread benchmarks actually measured.
How They Stack Up Against Other Chips
For context on where these two sit in the broader lineup, it’s worth noting that the 3700U isn’t a huge leap forward — when compared against the desktop-class Ryzen 7 2700, that desktop chip outperforms the Ryzen 7 3700U by a wide margin based on aggregate benchmark results, since desktop processors in this range typically have significantly higher power budgets and thermal headroom than their ultra-thin laptop counterparts. This is a useful reminder that these two chips are competing within the same tier of thin, low-power laptops rather than against higher-performance desktop or gaming-laptop processors.
Which One Should You Choose
- If you’re comparing two laptops at similar prices, the 3700U is the better pick given its consistent, if modest, performance advantage across single and multi-core workloads.
- If you already own a 2700U laptop, the performance gap is small enough that upgrading solely for CPU performance likely isn’t worth it — the difference shows up more in benchmarks than in everyday use.
- If you’re buying used or budget hardware, the 2700U remains a reasonable option for basic productivity tasks, given how close the two chips actually perform in real-world terms despite the 3700U’s edge on paper.
Join The Discussion
Have you used a laptop with either of these processors, and how did real-world performance match up with what the benchmarks suggest? Share your experience with everyday tasks like browsing, office work, or light multitasking, and if you’ve compared either chip against newer Ryzen mobile generations, it’d be great to hear how much of a jump you noticed moving up.
