CPU Comparison

# FAQ

Q: Which processor wins the majority of benchmark comparisons?

A: The AMD A10-9700 wins all five head-to-head Cinebench comparisons against the Intel Core i3-4340. The deltas are narrow, ranging from 0.7% to 1.1%, but the AMD part takes every single test.

Q: How do the two processors compare in multi-core performance?

A: In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the AMD A10-9700 scores 3004 against the Intel Core i3-4340's 2983, a 0.7% edge. The same 0.7% margin appears in both Cinebench R15 multi-core (302 vs. 300) and Cinebench R20 multi-core (1261 vs. 1252).

Q: What about single-core performance?

A: The AMD A10-9700 also leads in single-core tests. In Cinebench R20 single-core, it scores 178 versus 176, a 1.1% advantage. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the margin is 424 versus 421, a 0.7% lead.

Q: Are these processors in the same performance tier overall?

A: Yes. Both sit at the 28th percentile among all CPUs. The AMD A10-9700 has an average benchmark score of 1034, while the Intel Core i3-4340 averages 1026. The difference is roughly 0.8%.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each processor?

A: For the AMD A10-9700, the nearest rival is the AMD A10-7890K with an average score of 1035 (0.1% lower). For the Intel Core i3-4340, the closest competitor is the Intel Processor N150 with 1025 (0.1% higher), followed closely by the Intel Core i7-5650U at 1027.

Q: Do these processors support the same memory type?

A: No. The AMD A10-9700 supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. The Intel Core i3-4340 supports DDR3 memory, also dual-channel, but no bandwidth figure is listed in the data.

# Architecture Differences

The AMD A10-9700 and Intel Core i3-4340 come from fundamentally different design philosophies and manufacturing generations. The AMD part is built on the Excavator architecture, codenamed Bristol Ridge, using a 28 nm process from GlobalFoundries. It packs 3,100 million transistors onto a 250 mm² die. The Intel part uses the Haswell architecture on Intel's 22 nm process, with 1,400 million transistors on a 177 mm² die. The transistor counts are starkly different, AMD uses more than double the transistors of Intel, yet the Intel chip occupies a smaller die area.

Core counts differ significantly. The AMD A10-9700 has four physical cores with four threads, while the Intel Core i3-4340 has two physical cores with four threads via Hyper-Threading. This means the AMD part relies on raw core count, whereas the Intel part leans on simultaneous multithreading to reach the same thread count.

Cache hierarchies are also distinct. The AMD A10-9700 features 320 KB of L1 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache, with no L3 cache present. The Intel Core i3-4340 has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 4 MB L3 cache. The AMD's lack of L3 cache is notable, though its larger L2 allocation per core (512 KB per core versus 256 KB per core on Intel) partially compensates.

Clock speeds tell a story of design intent. The AMD A10-9700 has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 3.80 GHz. The Intel Core i3-4340 has a higher base clock of 3.60 GHz but no boost capability listed. The AMD's boost headroom is modest, but it exists.

Integrated graphics differ as well. The AMD A10-9700 ships with Radeon R7 graphics, while the Intel Core i3-4340 includes Intel HD 4600. Both are integrated solutions, but they belong to different performance classes in the integrated graphics space.

Socket compatibility is a major divergence. The AMD A10-9700 uses AMD Socket AM4, while the Intel Core i3-4340 uses Intel Socket 1150. These sockets are not interchangeable, meaning motherboard choice is dictated entirely by which processor a user selects.

The release dates are separated by nearly four years. The Intel Core i3-4340 launched in 2013, while the AMD A10-9700 arrived in 2017. Despite this generational gap, the AMD part's production status is listed as end-of-life, while no production status is given for the Intel part.

# Where Each One Wins

The AMD A10-9700 wins every benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, but the margins are so small that the practical differences are minimal. The largest win comes in Cinebench R20 single-core, where the AMD part leads by 1.1%. This suggests a slight edge in lightly-threaded workloads where a single core's efficiency matters most.

The multi-core tests all show the same 0.7% margin in favor of the AMD A10-9700. This consistency across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 indicates that the AMD's four physical cores provide a small but repeatable advantage over the Intel's two cores with four threads. The gap is not large enough to declare a clear winner for demanding multi-threaded tasks, but it is consistent.

Neither processor has a decisive win in any category. The Intel Core i3-4340 does not win a single benchmark in the data provided. For users who prioritize maximum single-core performance, the AMD A10-9700's 1.1% lead in Cinebench R20 single-core is the biggest differentiator. For multi-threaded workloads, the AMD's 0.7% edge across the board is the only story.

The Intel Core i3-4340 does have a lower TDP at 54 watts compared to the AMD A10-9700's 65 watts. This power efficiency advantage is not reflected in benchmark scores but could matter for system builders prioritizing thermal management or lower operating costs. However, the data does not include any power consumption benchmarks, so this remains a specification-level observation.

# Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD A10-9700 | Intel Core i3-4340 |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 4 | 2 |

| Threads | 4 | 4 |

| Base Clock | 3.50 GHz | 3.60 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.80 GHz | None |

| TDP | 65 W | 54 W |

| Socket | AMD Socket AM4 | Intel Socket 1150 |

| Architecture | Excavator | Haswell |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 22 nm |

| Foundry | GlobalFoundries | Intel |

| Transistors | 3,100 million | 1,400 million |

| Die Size | 250 mm² | 177 mm² |

| L1 Cache | 320 KB | 64 KB (per core) |

| L2 Cache | 2 MB | 256 KB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | None | 4 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR4 | DDR3 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 38.4 GB/s | Not listed |

| PCIe | Gen 3, 8 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 3 |

| Integrated Graphics | Radeon R7 | Intel HD 4600 |

| Release Date | 2017-07-26 | 2013-08-31 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Not listed |

The core count difference is the most fundamental specification gap. The AMD A10-9700 has double the physical cores of the Intel Core i3-4340, though both offer four threads. The Intel part compensates for its lower core count with a higher base clock of 3.60 GHz versus 3.50 GHz, but the AMD part has a 3.80 GHz boost clock that the Intel lacks.

Memory support diverges completely. The AMD A10-9700 uses DDR4 with a specified bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s, while the Intel Core i3-4340 uses DDR3 with no bandwidth figure provided. This means platform choice dictates memory type, and the AMD platform offers a newer memory standard.

The transistor count difference is striking: 3,100 million on the AMD versus 1,400 million on the Intel. This is partly explained by the AMD's larger die size of 250 mm² versus 177 mm². The Intel's 22 nm process allows for a denser transistor layout, while the AMD's 28 nm process requires more area for the same function.

Cache configurations are structurally different. The AMD A10-9700 has no L3 cache, while the Intel Core i3-4340 has 4 MB of shared L3. The AMD compensates with larger L1 (320 KB total versus 64 KB per core) and L2 (2 MB total versus 256 KB per core) allocations.

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results tell a remarkably consistent story. Across all five Cinebench tests, the AMD A10-9700 emerges victorious, but never by more than 1.1%. The narrow margins suggest these processors are near-performance equals, with the AMD part holding a slight edge in every measured scenario.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the AMD A10-9700 scores 302 against the Intel Core i3-4340's 300. The 0.7% delta is the smallest possible meaningful margin in most benchmark scenarios. This test, which stresses all cores, shows the AMD's four physical cores edging out the Intel's two cores with four threads.

Cinebench R20 multi-core repeats the pattern exactly: 1261 for the AMD versus 1252 for the Intel, again a 0.7% difference. The consistency between R15 and R20 suggests that the performance relationship holds steady across different Cinebench versions, which use different rendering workloads and scoring scales.

The single-core tests show slightly larger margins. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the AMD A10-9700 leads 178 to 176, a 1.1% advantage. This is the largest delta in the entire comparison. The AMD's boost clock of 3.80 GHz likely contributes to this result, as single-core workloads can take advantage of the higher frequency without thermal or power constraints from other cores.

Cinebench R23 multi-core shows 3004 for the AMD versus 2983 for the Intel, maintaining the 0.7% margin seen in earlier multi-core tests. The R23 single-core test shows 424 versus 421, again a 0.7% difference. The single-core margin in R23 is smaller than in R20, suggesting some test-to-test variance, but the AMD still comes out ahead.

The overall benchmark averages reinforce the head-to-head results. The AMD A10-9700 has an average benchmark score of 1034, while the Intel Core i3-4340 averages 1026. This 0.8% difference aligns with the individual test deltas, confirming that the AMD part is consistently, if narrowly, faster.

# The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD A10-9700 wins every benchmark in this comparison. Five head-to-head tests, all won by the AMD part, with margins from 0.7% to 1.1%. If the question is purely about benchmark performance, the AMD A10-9700 is the better processor.

However, the margins are so small that real-world differences would be imperceptible. A 0.7% advantage in multi-core rendering means a task that takes 100 seconds on the Intel Core i3-4340 would take roughly 99.3 seconds on the AMD A10-9700. This is well within the noise of typical system variability.

The AMD A10-9700 is the pick for users who want the best raw benchmark scores and prefer a modern platform. It supports DDR4 memory, has a boost clock, and offers four physical cores. The integrated Radeon R7 graphics may also provide better integrated graphics performance than the Intel HD 4600, though no direct comparison data is available in the benchmarks.

The Intel Core i3-4340 is the pick for users who prioritize power efficiency or are building on an older platform. Its 54-watt TDP is 11 watts lower than the AMD's 65 watts, which can be meaningful in compact systems or those with limited cooling. The Haswell architecture's 22 nm process is older but proven, and the Intel part has a higher base clock of 3.60 GHz.

System builders with an existing Socket 1150 motherboard or DDR3 memory would find the Intel Core i3-4340 a sensible choice, as the data shows it is nearly as fast as the AMD A10-9700. Conversely, those starting fresh with a Socket AM4 motherboard and DDR4 memory would get the benchmark edge with the AMD part.

The production status is worth noting: the AMD A10-9700 is listed as end-of-life, while no production status is given for the Intel part. This suggests both are legacy products, and neither should be a first choice for a brand-new high-end build. For users working with existing platforms or seeking a budget-friendly upgrade within their socket generation, the choice comes down to the marginal benchmark advantage of the AMD versus the power efficiency of the Intel.

In summary, the AMD A10-9700 is the benchmark winner, the Intel Core i3-4340 is the efficiency pick, and the performance gap between them is negligible for most applications.