AMD Phenom II X4 850 vs Intel Core i5-2500K

Comparative analysis of AMD Phenom II X4 850 and Intel Core i5-2500K processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Graphics, Graphics interfaces, Peripherals, Security & Reliability, Advanced Technologies, Virtualization. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core, 3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score, CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s), CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s).

AMD Phenom II X4 850

Intel Core i5-2500K

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom II X4 850

CPU is newer: launch date 4 month(s) later
2x more L1 cache, more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
2x more L2 cache, more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later

Launch date	June 2011 vs January 2011
L1 cache	512 KB vs 64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	2 MB vs 256 KB (per core)

Reasons to consider the Intel Core i5-2500K

Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
Around 12% higher clock speed: 3.70 GHz vs 3.3 GHz
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 32 nm vs 45 nm
Around 38% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1698 vs 1230
Around 72% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 4117 vs 2400
2.2x better performance in Geekbench 4 - Single Core: 806 vs 366
2.2x better performance in Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core: 2657 vs 1217

Specifications (specs)
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Maximum frequency	3.70 GHz vs 3.3 GHz
Manufacturing process technology	32 nm vs 45 nm
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1698 vs 1230
PassMark - CPU mark	4117 vs 2400
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	806 vs 366
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	2657 vs 1217

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Phenom II X4 850
CPU 2: Intel Core i5-2500K

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1230

1698

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

2400

4117

Geekbench 4 - Single Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

366

806

Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

1217

2657

Name	AMD Phenom II X4 850	Intel Core i5-2500K
PassMark - Single thread mark	1230	1698
PassMark - CPU mark	2400	4117
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	366	806
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	1217	2657
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score		1575
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)		3.325
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)		78.071
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)		0.384
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)		1.818
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)		4.627

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Phenom II X4 850	Intel Core i5-2500K
Essentials
Architecture codename	Propus	Sandy Bridge
Family	AMD Phenom
Launch date	June 2011	January 2011
Launch price (MSRP)	$111	$289
OPN PIB	HDX850WFGMBOX
OPN Tray	HDX850WFK42GM
Place in performance rating	2447	2462
Price now	$64.99	$123.99
Series	AMD Phenom II X4	Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors
Value for money (0-100)	16.08	15.38
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Processor Number		i5-2500K
Status		Discontinued
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	3.3 GHz	3.30 GHz
Die size	169 mm	216 mm
L1 cache	512 KB	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	2 MB	256 KB (per core)
Manufacturing process technology	45 nm	32 nm
Maximum frequency	3.3 GHz	3.70 GHz
Number of cores	4	4
Number of threads	4	4
Transistor count	300 million	1160 million
Unlocked
Bus Speed		5 GT/s DMI
L3 cache		6144 KB (shared)
Maximum core temperature		72.6°C
Memory
Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3 1066/1333
Max memory channels		2
Maximum memory bandwidth		21 GB/s
Maximum memory size		32 GB
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Sockets supported	AM3	LGA1155
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	95 Watt	95 Watt
Low Halogen Options Available
Package Size		37.5mm x 37.5mm
Graphics
Device ID		0x112
Graphics base frequency		850 MHz
Graphics max dynamic frequency		1.10 GHz
Graphics max frequency		1.1 GHz
Intel® Clear Video HD technology
Intel® Flexible Display Interface (Intel® FDI)
Intel® InTru™ 3D technology
Intel® Quick Sync Video
Processor graphics		Intel® HD Graphics 3000
Graphics interfaces
Number of displays supported		2
Wireless Display (WiDi) support
Peripherals
Max number of PCIe lanes		16
PCI Express revision		2.0
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Identity Protection technology
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
Flexible Display interface (FDI)
Idle States
Instruction set extensions		Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
Intel 64
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Fast Memory Access
Intel® Flex Memory Access
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Intel® vPro™ Platform Eligibility
Thermal Monitoring
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)