Intel Core i7-860S vs AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE

Comparative analysis of Intel Core i7-860S and AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE 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, 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.

Intel Core i7-860S

AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-860S

CPU is newer: launch date 9 month(s) later
2 more cores, run more applications at once: 4 vs 2
Around 24% higher clock speed: 3.46 GHz vs 2.8 GHz
A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor: 45 nm vs 65 nm
4x more L3 cache, more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
Around 16% lower typical power consumption: 82 Watt vs 95 Watt
12x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s): 46.184 vs 3.841
3.3x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s): 0.278 vs 0.083
7.7x better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s): 1.222 vs 0.159
Around 48% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s): 2.716 vs 1.833

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	January 2010 vs April 2009
Number of cores	4 vs 2
Maximum frequency	3.46 GHz vs 2.8 GHz
Manufacturing process technology	45 nm vs 65 nm
L3 cache	8192 KB (shared) vs 2048 KB (shared)
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	82 Watt vs 95 Watt
Benchmarks
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	46.184 vs 3.841
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.278 vs 0.083
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	1.222 vs 0.159
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	2.716 vs 1.833

Reasons to consider the AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE

Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
Around 78% better performance in CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s): 1.611 vs 0.907

Specifications (specs)
Unlocked	Unlocked vs Locked
Benchmarks
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	1.611 vs 0.907

Compare benchmarks

CPU 1: Intel Core i7-860S
CPU 2: AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

0.907

1.611

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

CPU 1

CPU 2

46.184

3.841

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

CPU 1

CPU 2

0.278

0.083

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

1.222

0.159

CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)

CPU 1

CPU 2

2.716

1.833

Name	Intel Core i7-860S	AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE
PassMark - Single thread mark	1173
PassMark - CPU mark	2324
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	0.907	1.611
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	46.184	3.841
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.278	0.083
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	1.222	0.159
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	2.716	1.833
Geekbench 4 - Single Core		1554
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core		2668

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Core i7-860S	AMD Athlon X2 7850 BE
Essentials
Architecture codename	Lynnfield	Kuma
Launch date	January 2010	April 2009
Launch price (MSRP)	$422
Place in performance rating	2866	2886
Price now	$198.99
Processor Number	i7-860S
Series	Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors
Status	Discontinued
Value for money (0-100)	6.97
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	2.53 GHz
Bus Speed	2.5 GT/s DMI
Die size	296 mm2	285 mm
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	128 KB (per core)
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	512 KB (per core)
L3 cache	8192 KB (shared)	2048 KB (shared)
Manufacturing process technology	45 nm	65 nm
Maximum frequency	3.46 GHz	2.8 GHz
Number of cores	4	2
Number of threads	8
Transistor count	774 million	450 million
VID voltage range	0.6500V-1.4000V
Unlocked
Memory
Max memory channels	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s
Maximum memory size	16 GB
Supported memory types	DDR3 1066/1333
Compatibility
Low Halogen Options Available
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Package Size	37.5mm x 37.5mm
Sockets supported	LGA1156	AM2+
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	82 Watt	95 Watt
Peripherals
Max number of PCIe lanes	16
PCI Express revision	2.0
PCIe configurations	1x16, 2x8
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
Intel® vPro™ Platform Eligibility
Physical Address Extensions (PAE)	36-bit
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™)