AMD Athlon II X2 255 vs AMD Phenom II X4 820

Comparative analysis of AMD Athlon II X2 255 and AMD Phenom II X4 820 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core.

AMD Athlon II X2 255

AMD Phenom II X4 820

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Athlon II X2 255

CPU is newer: launch date 4 month(s) later
Around 11% higher clock speed: 3.1 GHz vs 2.8 GHz
2.1x lower typical power consumption: 45 Watt vs 95 Watt
Around 10% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1234 vs 1121

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	January 2010 vs September 2009
Maximum frequency	3.1 GHz vs 2.8 GHz
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	45 Watt vs 95 Watt
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1234 vs 1121

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom II X4 820

2 more cores, run more applications at once: 4 vs 2
2x more L1 cache, more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
Around 77% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 2081 vs 1175
Around 3% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Single Core: 364 vs 353
Around 66% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core: 1098 vs 660

Specifications (specs)
Number of cores	4 vs 2
L1 cache	128 KB (per core) vs 256 KB
Benchmarks
PassMark - CPU mark	2081 vs 1175
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	364 vs 353
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	1098 vs 660

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Athlon II X2 255
CPU 2: AMD Phenom II X4 820

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1234

1121

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1175

2081

Geekbench 4 - Single Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

353

364

Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

660

1098

Name	AMD Athlon II X2 255	AMD Phenom II X4 820
PassMark - Single thread mark	1234	1121
PassMark - CPU mark	1175	2081
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	353	364
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	660	1098

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Athlon II X2 255	AMD Phenom II X4 820
Essentials
Architecture codename	Regor	Deneb
Family	AMD Athlon Processors
Launch date	January 2010	September 2009
Launch price (MSRP)	$60	$90
OPN PIB	AD255EHDGMBOX
OPN Tray	AD255EHDK23GM
Place in performance rating	2555	2565
Price now	$65.22	$74.95
Series	AMD Athlon II X2
Value for money (0-100)	8.34	13.36
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	3.1 GHz
Die size	117 mm	258 mm
L1 cache	256 KB	128 KB (per core)
L2 cache	2 MB	512 KB (per core)
Manufacturing process technology	45 nm	45 nm
Maximum core temperature	72°C
Maximum frequency	3.1 GHz	2.8 GHz
Number of cores	2	4
Number of threads	2
Transistor count	410 million	758 million
Unlocked
L3 cache		4096 KB (shared)
Memory
Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Sockets supported	AM3	AM3
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	45 Watt	95 Watt