AMD A10-6800K vs AMD Opteron 3350 HE Comparison
AMD A10-6800K
Opteron 3350 HE
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: AMD A10-6800K vs AMD Opteron 3350 HE
Where Each One Wins
The AMD A10-6800K and AMD Opteron 3350 HE target completely different workloads, and the benchmark data reflects that split. The A10-6800K is a desktop-oriented Richland part with a much higher clock envelope, while the Opteron 3350 HE is a low-power server/workstation chip with a shared L3 cache. Neither processor dominates the other across the board; instead, each wins in its own domain.
The A10-6800K wins on raw single-threaded responsiveness and overall average benchmark score. Its Geekbench single-core score of 478 and multi-core score of 1140 give it an average benchmark score of 809, placing it in the 22nd percentile of all CPUs. The Opteron 3350 HE, by contrast, averages 789 and sits at the 21st percentile, a marginal gap of 20 points. In the database's nearest-rival comparisons, the A10-6800K matches the Intel Core i7-870S at an identical average score of 809, while the Opteron 3350 HE matches the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 at 789. The A10-6800K is also 0.4% ahead of both the AMD Athlon X4 850 and the Intel Xeon X5482, and 0.5% behind the Intel Core i7-5550U. The Opteron is 0.1% behind the Core 2 Extreme QX9650 and QX9770, 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-4210U, and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-3610ME. These are small deltas, but they consistently place the A10-6800K slightly higher in the aggregate.
The Opteron 3350 HE wins on sustained multi-core rendering workloads, which is where its 8 MB shared L3 cache and server-oriented design pay off. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 2294 and R20 multi-core score of 963 are strong for a 45 W part. Single-core Cinebench results are lower at 323 in R23 and 135 in R20, but the multi-core figures show that the Opteron scales well across all four cores. The A10-6800K has no Cinebench entries in the database, so the Opteron is the only one of the two with recorded rendering results. That absence is itself informative: the A10-6800K's benchmark profile is built around Geekbench, while the Opteron's is built around Cinebench, reflecting their intended markets.
The power envelope is another clear differentiator. The Opteron 3350 HE carries a 45 W TDP, less than half of the A10-6800K's 100 W TDP. This makes the Opteron the obvious choice for dense server racks or always-on workstations where heat and energy draw matter more than peak clock speed. The A10-6800K, with its 4.10 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost clocks, is the higher-performance desktop part, but it consumes more than twice the power to get there.
FAQ
Q: Which processor has the higher clock speed?
A: The AMD A10-6800K runs at 4.10 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost, while the AMD Opteron 3350 HE runs at 2.80 GHz base and 3.80 GHz boost.
Q: Which processor has a larger cache?
A: The Opteron 3350 HE has an 8 MB shared L3 cache in addition to 192 KB L1 and 4 MB L2. The A10-6800K has 192 KB L1 and 4 MB L2 but no L3 cache at all.
Q: What is the power consumption difference?
A: The Opteron 3350 HE is rated at 45 W TDP, while the A10-6800K is rated at 100 W TDP. The Opteron uses less than half the power.
Q: Which processor supports integrated graphics?
A: The A10-6800K includes a Radeon HD 8670D integrated GPU. The Opteron 3350 HE does not have integrated graphics as a processor feature; it relies on certain motherboards with a chipset feature for display output.
Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?
A: The A10-6800K has an average benchmark score of 809, compared to 789 for the Opteron 3350 HE. The A10-6800K also sits at the 22nd percentile of all CPUs, one point higher than the Opteron's 21st percentile.
Q: Are both processors still in production?
A: No. Both are marked as end-of-life. The A10-6800K was released on 2013-05-31, and the Opteron 3350 HE was released on 2012-12-03.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
Direct head-to-head benchmark results are not recorded in the database for these two processors, so the comparison relies on their respective benchmark suites and aggregate scores.
The A10-6800K's Geekbench results are its only recorded scores. It posts 1140 in multi-core and 478 in single-core, producing an average of 809. The Opteron 3350 HE, on the other hand, has five Cinebench scores and no Geekbench scores. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 2294, R20 multi-core is 963, R15 multi-core is 231, R23 single-core is 323, and R20 single-core is 135. The average of all these is 789.
The 20-point gap in average benchmark score is small, roughly 2.5% in favor of the A10-6800K. But the nature of the tests matters. Geekbench tends to emphasize memory bandwidth and integer/floating point operations in a more general-purpose way, while Cinebench is a rendering workload that stresses all cores and the memory subsystem. The Opteron's 8 MB shared L3 cache likely helps in Cinebench's repeated scene traversal, where cached geometry and data structures reduce main memory traffic. The A10-6800K has no L3 cache, relying entirely on its 4 MB L2 and high clock speeds to compensate.
Looking at the nearest rivals, the A10-6800K's 809 average ties the Intel Core i7-870S exactly, edges the AMD Athlon X4 850 and Intel Xeon X5482 by 0.4%, and trails the Intel Core i7-5550U by 0.5%. The Opteron 3350 HE's 789 average is 0.1% behind the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9650 and QX9770, 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-4210U, and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-3610ME. These rival deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, indicating that both AMD parts sit in a densely packed performance tier.
The biggest single-score wins belong to the Opteron in multi-core rendering. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 2294 is roughly seven times its R20 single-core score of 135, showing strong scaling. The A10-6800K has no comparable rendering score to set against it, so in any Cinebench-based comparison the Opteron is the clear winner by default. Conversely, in Geekbench-based comparisons, the A10-6800K is the only one with data, so it wins by default. The database does not contain a workload where both parts have scores in the same test, which means the head-to-head verdict must be drawn from the aggregate and the architectural differences.
Specification Differences
The two processors differ in nearly every major specification category except core count, thread count, memory type, memory bus width, and PCIe generation. Both have 4 cores and 4 threads. Both support DDR3 memory over a dual-channel bus. Both use PCIe Gen 2. Beyond those shared traits, the parts diverge sharply.
Clock speeds are the most obvious difference. The A10-6800K has a 4.10 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock. The Opteron 3350 HE has a 2.80 GHz base clock and 3.80 GHz boost clock. That is a 1.30 GHz advantage at base and a 0.60 GHz advantage at boost for the A10-6800K.
TDP is the other major split. The A10-6800K is rated at 100 W, while the Opteron 3350 HE is rated at 45 W. The Opteron uses 55 W less, making it the clear choice for power-constrained environments.
Sockets and platforms are entirely different. The A10-6800K uses AMD Socket FM2, while the Opteron 3350 HE uses AMD Socket AM3+. The A10-6800K is a desktop part with an integrated Radeon HD 8670D GPU. The Opteron 3350 HE is a server/workstation part with no integrated graphics of its own; display support depends on certain motherboards with a chipset feature. The A10-6800K's multiplier is unlocked, allowing overclocking on supported motherboards. The Opteron 3350 HE's multiplier is locked.
Memory bandwidth also differs, with the A10-6800K rated at 34.1 GB/s and the Opteron at 29.9 GB/s, a 4.2 GB/s gap in favor of the A10-6800K. Neither processor supports ECC memory. The Opteron has a larger die at 315 mm² versus 246 mm² for the A10-6800K, despite having 103 million fewer transistors (1,200 million versus 1,303 million). Both are built on a 32 nm process at GlobalFoundries.
The Opteron's cache hierarchy is the feature that most distinguishes it. It has 192 KB L1, 4 MB L2, and 8 MB shared L3. The A10-6800K has 192 KB L1 and 4 MB L2 but no L3. This is the single most important architectural difference for workloads that benefit from shared cached data across cores.
Architecture Differences
The A10-6800K is built on AMD's Piledriver architecture, specifically the Richland die. The Opteron 3350 HE is built on the K10 architecture, specifically the Delhi die. Both use a 32 nm process at GlobalFoundries, but the underlying designs are generations apart.
Piledriver is a successor to Bulldozer, featuring dual-core modules that share some resources. Richland is the second iteration of the Piledriver family for desktop APUs, integrating a Radeon HD 8670D GPU on the same die. This integration is why the A10-6800K has a smaller die size of 246 mm² despite having more transistors than the Opteron. The Opteron's K10 design is an older architecture, derived from the Phenom lineage, and it does not integrate graphics. Its larger die size of 315 mm² with fewer transistors reflects a different design philosophy focused on server reliability and cache capacity rather than GPU integration.
The Opteron 3350 HE is part of the Opteron 3000 series, a lineup aimed at low-power servers and workstations. The "HE" suffix indicates high efficiency, which aligns with its 45 W TDP. The K10 architecture in this part includes an 8 MB shared L3 cache, which is absent entirely from the A10-6800K. This L3 cache allows all four cores to share frequently accessed data, reducing the need to go to main memory. In multi-threaded server workloads with data reuse, that can be a significant advantage, even at lower clock speeds.
The A10-6800K's Piledriver architecture, by contrast, relies on high clock speeds and a dual-channel memory interface to deliver performance. Its 4.10 GHz base clock is exceptionally high for a 32 nm part, and the 4.40 GHz boost clock pushes it further. The lack of L3 means each core must fetch data from the 4 MB L2 or go to DDR3 memory, which is where the 34.1 GB/s memory bandwidth helps. For single-threaded desktop tasks, this design is effective. For multi-threaded rendering or server workloads, the Opteron's L3 cache and lower power draw make it the more rational choice.
The Opteron 3350 HE also has a lower memory bandwidth rating of 29.9 GB/s, which is 4.2 GB/s less than the A10-6800K. In memory-heavy workloads, that could be a bottleneck, but the L3 cache mitigates some of that pressure. The A10-6800K's unlocked multiplier is a desktop enthusiast feature that the Opteron does not offer, reinforcing the desktop-versus-server split.
The Verdict
Pick the AMD A10-6800K if the workload is desktop-oriented, single-threaded, or relies on integrated graphics. Its 4.10 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost clocks are the highest in this comparison, and its Geekbench scores of 1140 multi-core and 478 single-core give it the better average benchmark score of 809. The Radeon HD 8670D integrated GPU means no discrete graphics card is required for basic display output. The unlocked multiplier is a bonus for overclocking on supported FM2 motherboards. The 100 W TDP is the price for that performance.
Pick the AMD Opteron 3350 HE if the workload is multi-threaded rendering, server-side processing, or power-constrained. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 2294 and R20 multi-core score of 963 demonstrate strong multi-core capability. The 8 MB shared L3 cache is a genuine architectural advantage for data reuse across cores. The 45 W TDP is less than half of the A10-6800K's, making it suitable for dense deployments. The 789 average benchmark score is close to the A10-6800K's 809, and the 21st percentile placement is only one point behind.
The data does not support a single universal winner. The A10-6800K leads in aggregate benchmark score, clock speed, memory bandwidth, and integrated graphics. The Opteron 3350 HE leads in power efficiency, cache capacity, and recorded multi-core rendering performance. Both are end-of-life parts, so availability and platform compatibility will likely decide real-world purchases. For a desktop user who needs a fast single-threaded experience and does not mind 100 W of heat, the A10-6800K is the answer. For a rack administrator who needs four cores running 24/7 at 45 W, the Opteron 3350 HE is the clear pick.