Intel Core i7-980X vs AMD Athlon II X2 255
Comparative analysis of Intel Core i7-980X and AMD Athlon II X2 255 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).
Differences
Reasons to consider the Intel Core i7-980X
- CPU is newer: launch date 1 month(s) later
- Processor is unlocked, an unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking
- 4 more cores, run more applications at once: 6 vs 2
- 10 more threads: 12 vs 2
- Around 16% higher clock speed: 3.60 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 24% better performance in PassMark - Single thread mark: 1528 vs 1234
- 5.8x better performance in PassMark - CPU mark: 6811 vs 1175
- Around 78% better performance in Geekbench 4 - Single Core: 628 vs 353
- 5.2x better performance in Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core: 3462 vs 660
| Specifications (specs) | |
| Launch date | March 2010 vs January 2010 |
| Unlocked | Unlocked vs Locked |
| Number of cores | 6 vs 2 |
| Number of threads | 12 vs 2 |
| Maximum frequency | 3.60 GHz vs 3.1 GHz |
| Manufacturing process technology | 32 nm vs 45 nm |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) vs 256 KB |
| Benchmarks | |
| PassMark - Single thread mark | 1528 vs 1234 |
| PassMark - CPU mark | 6811 vs 1175 |
| Geekbench 4 - Single Core | 628 vs 353 |
| Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core | 3462 vs 660 |
Reasons to consider the AMD Athlon II X2 255
- Around 6% higher maximum core temperature: 72°C vs 67.9°C
- Around 33% more L2 cache; more data can be stored in the L2 cache for quick access later
- 2.9x lower typical power consumption: 45 Watt vs 130 Watt
| Maximum core temperature | 72°C vs 67.9°C |
| L2 cache | 2 MB vs 256 KB (per core) |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 45 Watt vs 130 Watt |
Compare benchmarks
CPU 1: Intel Core i7-980X
CPU 2: AMD Athlon II X2 255
| PassMark - Single thread mark |
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| PassMark - CPU mark |
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| Geekbench 4 - Single Core |
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| Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core |
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| Name | Intel Core i7-980X | AMD Athlon II X2 255 |
|---|---|---|
| PassMark - Single thread mark | 1528 | 1234 |
| PassMark - CPU mark | 6811 | 1175 |
| Geekbench 4 - Single Core | 628 | 353 |
| Geekbench 4 - Multi-Core | 3462 | 660 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike - Physics Score | 0 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Face Detection (mPixels/s) | 1.652 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Ocean Surface Simulation (Frames/s) | 48.42 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - T-Rex (Frames/s) | 0.512 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Video Composition (Frames/s) | 1.942 | |
| CompuBench 1.5 Desktop - Bitcoin Mining (mHash/s) | 7.262 |
Compare specifications (specs)
| Intel Core i7-980X | AMD Athlon II X2 255 | |
|---|---|---|
Essentials |
||
| Architecture codename | Gulftown | Regor |
| Launch date | March 2010 | January 2010 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $959 | $60 |
| Place in performance rating | 2570 | 2554 |
| Price now | $218.99 | $65.22 |
| Processor Number | i7-980X | |
| Series | Legacy Intel® Core™ Processors | AMD Athlon II X2 |
| Status | Discontinued | |
| Value for money (0-100) | 11.82 | 8.34 |
| Vertical segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Family | AMD Athlon Processors | |
| OPN PIB | AD255EHDGMBOX | |
| OPN Tray | AD255EHDK23GM | |
Performance |
||
| 64 bit support | ||
| Base frequency | 3.33 GHz | 3.1 GHz |
| Bus Speed | 6.4 GT/s QPI | |
| Die size | 239 mm2 | 117 mm |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 256 KB (per core) | 2 MB |
| L3 cache | 12288 KB (shared) | |
| Manufacturing process technology | 32 nm | 45 nm |
| Maximum core temperature | 67.9°C | 72°C |
| Maximum frequency | 3.60 GHz | 3.1 GHz |
| Number of cores | 6 | 2 |
| Number of QPI Links | 1 | |
| Number of threads | 12 | 2 |
| Transistor count | 1170 million | 410 million |
| Unlocked | ||
| 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 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 | 45 Watt |
Security & Reliability |
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| Execute Disable Bit (EDB) | ||
| Intel® Trusted Execution technology (TXT) | ||
Advanced Technologies |
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| 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) | ||
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