Intel Core i7-950 vs AMD Phenom II X4 910

Comparative analysis of Intel Core i7-950 and AMD Phenom II X4 910 processors for all known characteristics in the following categories: Essentials, Performance, Memory, Compatibility, 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 i7-950

AMD Phenom II X4 910

Differences

Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-950

CPU is newer: launch date 4 month(s) later
Around 28% higher clock speed: 3.33 GHz vs 2.6 GHz
Around 33% more L3 cache; more data can be stored in the L3 cache for quick access later
Around 40% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1383 vs 988
Around 82% better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 3238 vs 1776
Around 48% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Single Core: 535 vs 361
Around 66% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core: 2092 vs 1258

Specifications (specs)
Launch date	June 2009 vs February 2009
Maximum frequency	3.33 GHz vs 2.6 GHz
L3 cache	8192 KB (shared) vs 6144 KB (shared)
Benchmarks
PassMark - Single thread mark	1383 vs 988
PassMark - CPU mark	3238 vs 1776
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	535 vs 361
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	2092 vs 1258

Reasons to consider the AMD Phenom II X4 910

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 i7-950
CPU 2: AMD Phenom II X4 910

PassMark - Single thread mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

1383

988

PassMark - CPU mark

CPU 1

CPU 2

3238

1776

Geekbench 4 - Single Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

535

361

Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core

CPU 1

CPU 2

2092

1258

Name	Intel Core i7-950	AMD Phenom II X4 910
PassMark - Single thread mark	1383	988
PassMark - CPU mark	3238	1776
Geekbench 4 - Single Core	535	361
Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core	2092	1258
3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score	2502
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s)	1.028
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s)	61.244
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s)	0.376
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s)	1.712
CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s)	5.077

Compare specifications (specs)

	Intel Core i7-950	AMD Phenom II X4 910
Essentials
Architecture codename	Bloomfield	Deneb
Launch date	June 2009	February 2009
Launch price (MSRP)	$290	$100
Place in performance rating	2648	2649
Price now	$329.99	$100
Processor Number	i7-950
Series	Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors
Status	Discontinued
Value for money (0-100)	4.96	9.58
Vertical segment	Desktop	Desktop
Performance
64 bit support
Base frequency	3.06 GHz
Bus Speed	4.8 GT/s QPI
Die size	263 mm2	258 mm
Front-side bus (FSB)	1333 MHz
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)	6144 KB (shared)
Manufacturing process technology	45 nm	45 nm
Maximum core temperature	67.9°C
Maximum frequency	3.33 GHz	2.6 GHz
Number of cores	4	4
Number of QPI Links	1
Number of threads	8
Transistor count	731 million	758 million
VID voltage range	0.800V-1.375V
Memory
Max memory channels	3
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s
Maximum memory size	24 GB
Supported memory types	DDR3 800/1066	DDR3
Compatibility
Low Halogen Options Available
Max number of CPUs in a configuration	1	1
Package Size	42.5mm x 45.0mm
Sockets supported	FCLGA1366	AM3
Thermal Design Power (TDP)	130 Watt	95 Watt
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
Physical Address Extensions (PAE)	36-bit
Thermal Monitoring
Virtualization
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT)