AMD Phenom II X4 B95 vs Intel Core i7-960

Comparative analysis of AMD Phenom II X4 B95 and Intel Core i7-960 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, Security & Reliability, Advanced Technologies, 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 - 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), 3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score.

AMD Phenom II X4 B95

Intel Core i7-960

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom II X4 B95

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
Around 37% lower typical power consumption: 95 Watt vs 130 Watt
2.9x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s): 3.2 vs 1.115

Specifications (specs)
L1 cache	128 KB (per core) vs 64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB (per core) vs 256 KB (per core)
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	95 Watt vs 130 Watt
Benchmarks
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	3.2 vs 1.115

Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-960

Around 15% higher clock speed: 3.46 GHz vs 3 GHz
Around 33% more L3 cache; more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
Around 17% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1459 vs 1242
Around 39% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 3358 vs 2411
Around 46% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Single Core: 565 vs 386
Around 72% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core: 2198 vs 1280
8x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s): 59.327 vs 7.417
2.2x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s): 0.374 vs 0.167
Around 25% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s): 0.395 vs 0.316
Around 42% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s): 4.942 vs 3.481

Specifications (specs)
Maximum frequency	3.46 GHz vs 3 GHz
L3 cache	8192 KB (shared) vs 6144 KB (shared)
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1459 vs 1242
PassMark - CPU mark	3358 vs 2411
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	565 vs 386
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	2198 vs 1280
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	59.327 vs 7.417
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.374 vs 0.167
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	0.395 vs 0.316
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	4.942 vs 3.481

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Phenom II X4 B95
CPU 2: Intel Core i7-960

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1242

1459

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

2411

3358

Geekbench 4 - Single Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

386

565

Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

1280

2198

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

3.2

1.115

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

7.417

59.327

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

0.167

0.374

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

0.316

0.395

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

3.481

4.942

Name	AMD Phenom II X4 B95	Intel Core i7-960
PassMark - Single thread mark	1242	1459
PassMark - CPU mark	2411	3358
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	386	565
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	1280	2198
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	3.2	1.115
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	7.417	59.327
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.167	0.374
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	0.316	0.395
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	3.481	4.942
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score		0

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Phenom II X4 B95	Intel Core i7-960
Essentials
Architecture codename	Deneb	Bloomfield
Family	AMD Phenom
Launch date	October 2009	October 2009
Launch price (MSRP)	$80	$316
OPN Tray	HDXB95WFK4DGM
Place in performance rating	2985	2764
Price now	$72.95	$99.99
Series	AMD Business Class - AMD Phenom X4 Quad-Core	Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors
Value for money (0-100)	14.95	17.14
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Processor Number		i7-960
Status		Discontinued
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	3 GHz	3.20 GHz
Die size	258 mm	263 mm2
L1 cache	128 KB (per core)	64 KB (per core)
L2 cache	512 KB (per core)	256 KB (per core)
L3 cache	6144 KB (shared)	8192 KB (shared)
Manufacturing process technology	45 nm	45 nm
Maximum frequency	3 GHz	3.46 GHz
Number of cores	4	4
Transistor count	758 million	731 million
Unlocked
Bus Speed		4.8 GT/s QPI
Front-side bus (FSB)		1333 MHz
Maximum core temperature		67.9°C
Number of QPI Links		1
Number of threads		8
VID voltage range		0.800V-1.375V
Memory
Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3 800/1066
Max memory channels		3
Maximum memory bandwidth		25.6 GB/s
Maximum memory size		24 GB
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Sockets supported	AM3	FCLGA1366
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	95 Watt	130 Watt
Low Halogen Options Available
Package Size		42.5mm x 45.0mm
Security & Reliability
Execute Disable Bit (EDB)
Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT)
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology
Idle States
Instruction set extensions		Intel® SSE4.2
Intel 64
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Demand Based Switching
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® Turbo Boost technology
Physical Address Extensions (PAE)		36-bit
Thermal Monitoring
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)