Intel Core i7-5960X vs AMD Athlon II X2 280

Comparative analysis of Intel Core i7-5960X and AMD Athlon II X2 280 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Graphics, 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 i7-5960X

AMD Athlon II X2 280

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-5960X

CPU is newer: launch date 1 year(s) 7 month(s) later
Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
6 more cores, run more applications at once: 8 vs 2
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 22 nm vs 45 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
Around 43% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 2094 vs 1462
10x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 13532 vs 1355
2.4x better performance in Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core: 7886 vs 3272

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	1 September 2014 vs February 2013
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Number of cores	8 vs 2
Manufacturing process technology	22 nm vs 45 nm
L1 cache	256 KB vs 128 KB
L2 cache	2 MB vs 1024 KB
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	2094 vs 1462
PassMark - CPU mark	13532 vs 1355
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	7886 vs 3272

Reasons to consider the AMD Athlon II X2 280

Around 3% higher clock speed: 3.6 GHz vs 3.50 GHz
2.2x lower typical power consumption: 65 Watt vs 140 Watt
Around 94% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Single Core: 1941 vs 1000

Specifications (specs)
Maximum frequency	3.6 GHz vs 3.50 GHz
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	65 Watt vs 140 Watt
Benchmarks
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	1941 vs 1000

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Core i7-5960X
CPU 2: AMD Athlon II X2 280

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

2094

1462

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

13532

1355

Geekbench 4 - Single Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

1000

1941

Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

7886

3272

Name	Intel Core i7-5960X	AMD Athlon II X2 280
PassMark - Single thread mark	2094	1462
PassMark - CPU mark	13532	1355
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	1000	1941
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	7886	3272
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score	5203
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	10.511
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	196.307
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	1.218
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	5.467
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	14.265

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Core i7-5960X	AMD Athlon II X2 280
Essentials
Architecture codename	Haswell E	Regor
Launch date	1 September 2014	February 2013
Launch price (MSRP)	$999	$100
Place in performance rating	1465	1476
Price now	$768.99	$99.99
Processor Number	i7-5960X
Series	Intel® Core™ X-series Processors
Status	Discontinued
Value for money (0-100)	6.11	6.28
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	3.00 GHz
Bus Speed	0 GT/s
Die size	356 mm	117 mm
L1 cache	256 KB	128 KB
L2 cache	2 MB	1024 KB
L3 cache	20 MB
Manufacturing process technology	22 nm	45 nm
Maximum core temperature	66.8 °C
Maximum frequency	3.50 GHz	3.6 GHz
Number of cores	8	2
Number of threads	16
Transistor count	2600 million	410 million
Unlocked
Memory
Max memory channels	4
Maximum memory bandwidth	68 GB/s
Maximum memory size	64 GB
Supported memory types	DDR4 1600/1866/2133	DDR2, DDR3
Graphics
Processor graphics	None
Compatibility
Low Halogen Options Available
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Package Size	52.5mm x 45.0mm
Sockets supported	FCLGA2011-3	AM3
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	140 Watt	65 Watt
Peripherals
Max number of PCIe lanes	40
PCI Express revision	3.0
Scalability	1S Only
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® AVX2
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)