Intel Core i7-3820 vs AMD Phenom X4 9850B

Comparative analysis of Intel Core i7-3820 and AMD Phenom X4 9850B processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, 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).

Intel Core i7-3820

AMD Phenom X4 9850B

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-3820

CPU is newer: launch date 3 year(s) 6 month(s) later
Around 52% higher clock speed: 3.80 GHz vs 2.5 GHz
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 32 nm vs 65 nm
5x more L3 cache, more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
Around 76% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1745 vs 992
3x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 5769 vs 1946

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	February 2012 vs August 2008
Maximum frequency	3.80 GHz vs 2.5 GHz
Manufacturing process technology	32 nm vs 65 nm
L3 cache	10240 KB (shared) vs 2048 KB (shared)
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1745 vs 992
PassMark - CPU mark	5769 vs 1946

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom X4 9850B

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

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

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Core i7-3820
CPU 2: AMD Phenom X4 9850B

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1745

992

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

5769

1946

Name	Intel Core i7-3820	AMD Phenom X4 9850B
PassMark - Single thread mark	1745	992
PassMark - CPU mark	5769	1946
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	756
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	3163
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score	3318
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	4.665
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	84.218
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.606
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	2.267
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	5.758

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Core i7-3820	AMD Phenom X4 9850B
Essentials
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge E	Agena
Launch date	February 2012	August 2008
Launch price (MSRP)	$400
Place in performance rating	2232	2274
Price now	$199.99
Processor Number	i7-3820
Series	Intel® Core™ X-series Processors
Status	Discontinued
Value for money (0-100)	13.26
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	3.60 GHz
Bus Speed	5 GT/s DMI2
Die size	294 mm	285 mm
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	128 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	512 KB (per core)
L3 cache	10240 KB (shared)	2048 KB (shared)
Manufacturing process technology	32 nm	65 nm
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	67 °C
Maximum core temperature	66.8°C
Maximum frequency	3.80 GHz	2.5 GHz
Number of cores	4	4
Number of threads	8
Transistor count	1270 million	450 million
VID voltage range	0.600V – 1.350V
Memory
Max memory channels	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	51.2 GB/s
Maximum memory size	64.23 GB
Supported memory types	DDR3 1066/1333/1600
Compatibility
Low Halogen Options Available
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Package Size	52.5mm x 45.0mm
Sockets supported	FCLGA2011	AM2+
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	130 Watt	95 Watt
Peripherals
Max number of PCIe lanes	40
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
Idle States
Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
Intel 64
Intel® Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX)
Intel® AES New Instructions
Intel® Demand Based Switching
Intel® Hyper-Threading technology
Intel® Smart Response 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)
AMD Virtualization (AMD-V™)