AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE (140W) vs AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+

Comparative analysis of AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE (140W) and AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Compatibility, Virtualization. Benchmark processor performance analysis: 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), Geekbench 4 - Single Core, Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core.

AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE (140W)

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+

Differences

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE (140W)

CPU is newer: launch date 1 year(s) 5 month(s) later
Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
2 more cores, run more applications at once: 4 vs 2
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 65 nm vs 90 nm
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
2.7x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s): 3.118 vs 1.147
Around 60% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s): 6.836 vs 4.278
Around 88% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s): 0.162 vs 0.086

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	March 2008 vs September 2006
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Number of cores	4 vs 2
Manufacturing process technology	65 nm vs 90 nm
L1 cache	128 KB (per core) vs 256 KB
L2 cache	512 KB (per core) vs 1024 KB
Benchmarks
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	3.118 vs 1.147
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	6.836 vs 4.278
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.162 vs 0.086

Reasons to consider the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+

Around 57% lower typical power consumption: 89 Watt vs 140 Watt

Thermal Design Power (TDP)	89 Watt vs 140 Watt

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE (140W)
CPU 2: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

3.118

1.147

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

CPU 1

CPU 2

6.836

4.278

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

CPU 1

CPU 2

0.162

0.086

Name	AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE (140W)	AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	3.118	1.147
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	6.836	4.278
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.162	0.086
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	0.298
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	3.494
Geekbench 4 - Single Core		266
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core		498

Compare specifications (specs)

	AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE (140W)	AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+
Essentials
Architecture codename	Agena	Windsor
Launch date	March 2008	September 2006
Place in performance rating	3295	3297
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Price now		$53.09
Value for money (0-100)		7.68
Performance
64 bit support
Die size	285 mm	220 mm
L1 cache	128 KB (per core)	256 KB
L2 cache	512 KB (per core)	1024 KB
L3 cache	2048 KB (shared)
Manufacturing process technology	65 nm	90 nm
Maximum frequency	2.6 GHz	2.6 GHz
Number of cores	4	2
Transistor count	450 million	154 million
Unlocked
Compatibility
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Sockets supported	AM2+	AM2
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	140 Watt	89 Watt
Virtualization
AMD Virtualization (AMD-V™)