Intel Core i7-3970X vs AMD Phenom II X2 550
Comparative analysis of Intel Core i7-3970X and AMD Phenom II X2 550 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).
Differences
Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-3970X
- CPU is newer: launch date 2 year(s) 11 month(s) later
- Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
- 4 more cores, run more applications at once: 6 vs 2
- Around 29% higher clock speed: 4.00 GHz vs 3.1 GHz
- A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 32 nm vs 45 nm
- Around 50% more L1 cache; more data can be stored in the L1 cache for quick access later
- Around 50% more L2 cache; more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
- 2.5x more L3 cache, more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
- Around 50% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1849 vs 1233
- 7.3x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 8516 vs 1167
| Specifications (specs) | |
| Launch date | November 2012 vs November 2009 |
| Unlocked | Unlocked vs Locked |
| Number of cores | 6 vs 2 |
| Maximum frequency | 4.00 GHz vs 3.1 GHz |
| Manufacturing process technology | 32 nm vs 45 nm |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) vs 128 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) vs 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15360 KB (shared) vs 6144 KB (shared) |
| Benchmarks | |
| PassMark - Single thread mark | 1849 vs 1233 |
| PassMark - CPU mark | 8516 vs 1167 |
Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom II X2 550
- Around 88% lower typical power consumption: 80 Watt vs 150 Watt
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 80 Watt vs 150 Watt |
Compare benchmarks
CPU 1: Intel Core i7-3970X
CPU 2: AMD Phenom II X2 550
| PassMark - Single thread mark |
|
|
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| PassMark - CPU mark |
|
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| Name | Intel Core i7-3970X | AMD Phenom II X2 550 |
|---|---|---|
| PassMark - Single thread mark | 1849 | 1233 |
| PassMark - CPU mark | 8516 | 1167 |
| Geekbench 4 - Single Core | 792 | |
| Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core | 4715 | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score | 0 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s) | 21.513 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s) | 24.951 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s) | 0.954 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s) | 4.518 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s) | 7.433 |
Compare specifications (specs)
| Intel Core i7-3970X | AMD Phenom II X2 550 | |
|---|---|---|
Essentials |
||
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge E | Callisto |
| Launch date | November 2012 | November 2009 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $593 | $133 |
| Place in performance rating | 2038 | 2043 |
| Price now | $909.99 | $49.99 |
| Processor Number | i7-3970X | |
| Series | Intel® Core™ X-series Processors | |
| Status | Discontinued | |
| Value for money (0-100) | 4.10 | 11.92 |
| Vertical segment | Desktop | Desktop |
Performance |
||
| 64 bit support | ||
| Base frequency | 3.50 GHz | |
| Bus Speed | 5 GT/s DMI2 | |
| Die size | 435 mm | 258 mm |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 128 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15360 KB (shared) | 6144 KB (shared) |
| Manufacturing process technology | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 70 °C | |
| Maximum core temperature | 66.8°C | |
| Maximum frequency | 4.00 GHz | 3.1 GHz |
| Number of cores | 6 | 2 |
| Number of threads | 12 | |
| Transistor count | 2270 million | 758 million |
| Unlocked | ||
| VID voltage range | 0.6V-1.35V | |
Memory |
||
| Max memory channels | 4 | |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | |
| Maximum memory size | 64.45 GB | |
| Supported memory types | DDR3 1066/1333/1600 | DDR3 |
Compatibility |
||
| Low Halogen Options Available | ||
| Max number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Package Size | 52.5mm x 45.0mm | |
| Sockets supported | FCLGA2011 | AM3 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 150 Watt | 80 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) | ||
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