AMD Athlon II X4 651 vs AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE

Comparative analysis of AMD Athlon II X4 651 and AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Virtualization. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core, CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s).

AMD Athlon II X4 651

AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Athlon II X4 651

CPU is newer: launch date 1 year(s) 2 month(s) later
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 32 nm vs 45 nm
2x more L2 cache, more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
Around 25% lower typical power consumption: 100 Watt vs 125 Watt
Around 88% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s): 3.042 vs 1.62

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	November 2011 vs September 2010
Manufacturing process technology	32 nm vs 45 nm
L2 cache	1024 KB (per core) vs 512 KB (per core)
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	100 Watt vs 125 Watt
Benchmarks
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	3.042 vs 1.62

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE

Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
Around 17% higher clock speed: 3.5 GHz vs 3 GHz
Around 10% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1417 vs 1287
Around 10% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 2739 vs 2500
Around 10% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Single Core: 437 vs 396
Around 11% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core: 1485 vs 1335

Specifications (specs)
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Maximum frequency	3.5 GHz vs 3 GHz
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1417 vs 1287
PassMark - CPU mark	2739 vs 2500
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	437 vs 396
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	1485 vs 1335

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Athlon II X4 651
CPU 2: AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1287

1417

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

2500

2739

Geekbench 4 - Single Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

396

437

Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

1335

1485

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

3.042

1.62

Name	AMD Athlon II X4 651	AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE
PassMark - Single thread mark	1287	1417
PassMark - CPU mark	2500	2739
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	396	437
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	1335	1485
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	3.042	1.62
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	3.69
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)		12.098
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)		0.204

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Athlon II X4 651	AMD Phenom II X4 970 BE
Essentials
Architecture codename	Llano	Deneb
Launch date	November 2011	September 2010
Place in performance rating	2708	2715
Price now	$178.04
Value for money (0-100)	5.93
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Performance
64 bit support
Die size	228 mm	258 mm
L1 cache	128 KB (per core)	128 KB (per core)
L2 cache	1024 KB (per core)	512 KB (per core)
Manufacturing process technology	32 nm	45 nm
Maximum frequency	3 GHz	3.5 GHz
Number of cores	4	4
Transistor count	1178 million	758 million
L3 cache		6144 KB (shared)
Unlocked
Memory
Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Sockets supported	FM1	AM3
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	100 Watt	125 Watt
Virtualization
AMD Virtualization (AMD-V™)