AMD Phenom X2 B59 vs Intel Core i7-980

Comparative analysis of AMD Phenom X2 B59 and Intel Core i7-980 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Compatibility, Memory, Security & Reliability, Advanced Technologies, Virtualization. Benchmark processor performance analysis: PassMark - Single thread mark, PassMark - CPU mark, 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 X2 B59

Intel Core i7-980

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom X2 B59

Around 63% lower typical power consumption: 80 Watt vs 130 Watt

Thermal Design Power (TDP)	80 Watt vs 130 Watt

Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-980

4 more cores, run more applications at once: 6 vs 2
10 more threads: 12 vs 2
Around 50% more L2 cache; more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
Around 10% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1539 vs 1395
4.8x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 6936 vs 1431

Specifications (specs)
Number of cores	6 vs 2
Number of threads	12 vs 2
L2 cache	256 KB (per core) vs 1 MB
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1539 vs 1395
PassMark - CPU mark	6936 vs 1431

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Phenom X2 B59
CPU 2: Intel Core i7-980

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1395

1539

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1431

6936

Name	AMD Phenom X2 B59	Intel Core i7-980
PassMark - Single thread mark	1395	1539
PassMark - CPU mark	1431	6936
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)		18.942
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)		111.484
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)		0.821
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)		3.445
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)		19.686

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Phenom X2 B59	Intel Core i7-980
Essentials
Family	AMD Phenom
OPN Tray	HDXB59WFK2DGM
Place in performance rating	1844	1839
Series	AMD Business Class - AMD Phenom X2 Dual-Core	Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Architecture codename		Gulftown
Launch date		June 2011
Launch price (MSRP)		$1,109
Price now		$198.99
Processor Number		i7-980
Status		Discontinued
Value for money (0-100)		12.83
Performance
Base frequency	3.4 GHz	3.33 GHz
L2 cache	1 MB	256 KB (per core)
Number of cores	2	6
Number of threads	2	12
Unlocked
64 bit support
Bus Speed		4.8 GT/s QPI
Die size		239 mm2
L1 cache		64 KB (per core)
L3 cache		12288 KB (shared)
Manufacturing process technology		32 nm
Maximum core temperature		68.8°C
Maximum frequency		3.60 GHz
Number of QPI Links		1
Transistor count		1170 million
VID voltage range		0.800V-1.300V
Compatibility
Sockets supported	AM3	FCLGA1366
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	80 Watt	130 Watt
Low Halogen Options Available
Max number of CPUs in a configuration		1
Package Size		45mm x 42.5mm
Memory
Max memory channels		3
Maximum memory size		24 GB
Supported memory types		DDR3 1066
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
Thermal Monitoring
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)