AMD A12-9800 vs AMD Athlon 220GE Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data presents a clear and consistent picture: the AMD Athlon 220GE wins every recorded comparison. Across all five head-to-head Cinebench tests, the Athlon 220GE takes the victory, with the A12-9800 failing to claim a single winning result. This is not a close contest with trade-offs; it is a systematic sweep.

The Athlon 220GE's advantage is uniform, sitting at exactly 19.9% ahead in every single test where both processors have recorded scores. This consistency suggests a fundamental architectural superiority rather than a workload-specific quirk. Whether the task leans on a single core or spreads across all available threads, the Athlon 220GE maintains the same proportional lead.

For users prioritizing single-threaded responsiveness, such as everyday desktop navigation, light productivity, or applications that rely on one primary execution thread, the Athlon 220GE is the clear choice. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 531 versus 443 for the A12-9800 shows a substantial gap in per-core efficiency.

Multi-threaded workloads tell the same story. The Athlon 220GE scores 3764 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, while the A12-9800 manages 3140. Even though the A12-9800 has double the physical cores (four versus two), it cannot overcome the Athlon 220GE's architectural efficiency. The A12-9800's four Excavator cores are simply outclassed by two Zen cores operating with simultaneous multithreading.

Where the A12-9800 might appear to have a theoretical edge is in its higher base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost up to 4.20 GHz, compared to the Athlon 220GE's fixed 3.40 GHz. However, the recorded benchmarks show that raw clock speed does not translate into performance here. The A12-9800's higher frequency is offset by its older Excavator architecture, which executes fewer instructions per clock cycle. The result is that the Athlon 220GE's lower-clocked Zen cores deliver more actual work.

In essence, the Athlon 220GE is the processor to select for both single-threaded and multi-threaded applications. The A12-9800, despite its core and clock advantages, offers no performance benefit in the measured Cinebench suite. The data offers no scenario where the A12-9800 wins.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Athlon 220GE has an average benchmark score of 1088, while the AMD A12-9800 scores 1081, a difference of 7 points.

Q: How many cores and threads does each processor have?

A: The AMD Athlon 220GE has 2 cores and 4 threads. The AMD A12-9800 has 4 cores and 4 threads.

Q: What are the respective TDP ratings?

A: The AMD Athlon 220GE is rated at 35W TDP, while the AMD A12-9800 is rated at 65W TDP.

Q: Which processor has a boost clock?

A: The AMD A12-9800 has a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The AMD Athlon 220GE has no boost clock and operates at a fixed 3.40 GHz.

Q: What is the release date difference between them?

A: The AMD A12-9800 was released on 2017-07-26, and the AMD Athlon 220GE was released on 2018-12-20.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No, neither the AMD Athlon 220GE nor the AMD A12-9800 supports ECC memory.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data from the database shows a remarkably uniform performance gap between these two processors. Every head-to-head benchmark yields a 19.9% victory for the AMD Athlon 220GE, with no exceptions.

In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Athlon 220GE scores 379 against the A12-9800's 316. This 63-point difference represents the first measurement of the consistent delta. The R20 multi-core test shows a larger absolute gap, with the Athlon 220GE at 1580 and the A12-9800 at 1318, a 262-point spread.

Single-core results continue the pattern. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Athlon 220GE records 223 points versus 186 for the A12-9800. This 37-point advantage is critical for applications that cannot use more than one thread. The same relative margin appears in the R23 single-core test, where the Athlon 220GE scores 531 and the A12-9800 scores 443.

The largest absolute difference is seen in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the Athlon 220GE scores 3764 and the A12-9800 scores 3140. That difference of 624 points is the single biggest gap between the two in any test. It highlights that even with half the physical cores, the Athlon 220GE's Zen architecture with simultaneous multithreading is vastly more efficient in parallel work than the A12-9800's Excavator design.

The data shows no scenario where the A12-9800 closes the gap. The 19.9% delta is consistent, suggesting that the performance per clock advantage of the Zen architecture is the primary factor, and the A12-9800's higher base and boost clocks are insufficient to compensate. The win count is 5 to 0 in favor of the Athlon 220GE.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across several fundamental specification categories, though they share the same socket and memory type.

Both use the AMD Socket AM4, which means they are physically compatible with the same motherboard platforms. They also both support DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The memory bandwidth does differ: the Athlon 220GE has a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, while the A12-9800 has 38.4 GB/s. This gives the Athlon 220GE a minor edge in memory throughput.

The most obvious difference is in core count. The A12-9800 has 4 cores, while the Athlon 220GE has only 2. However, the Athlon 220GE supports 4 threads through simultaneous multithreading, matching the A12-9800's 4 threads. This equality in thread count means the A12-9800 cannot rely on a thread advantage.

The base clocks differ, with the A12-9800 running at 3.80 GHz and the Athlon 220GE at 3.40 GHz. The A12-9800 also has a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, which the Athlon 220GE lacks entirely. Despite this clock disadvantage, the Athlon 220GE wins all benchmarks.

The TDP is a major specification split. The Athlon 220GE is rated at a 35W TDP, while the A12-9800 is rated at 65W. This means the Athlon 220GE is expected to produce significantly less heat and consume less power, while still delivering superior performance in the tests.

The PCIe configuration is identical, with both offering Gen 3 and 8 Lanes (CPU only). Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier, so they are not intended for overclocking. The A12-9800 does have a launch MSRP of $65.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gulf between the two processors explains the benchmark results more than any spec sheet comparison. The Athlon 220GE is built on AMD's modern Zen architecture, codenamed Raven Ridge, while the A12-9800 relies on the older Excavator architecture, codenamed Bristol Ridge.

The manufacturing process is a primary divide. The Athlon 220GE is fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the A12-9800 uses a 28 nm process, also at GlobalFoundries. This process node difference directly impacts transistor density and efficiency. The die size tells the story: the Athlon 220GE has a die size of 209.8 mm², while the A12-9800's die is larger at 250 mm². Interestingly, the A12-9800 has a larger die but fewer transistors, with 3,100 million versus the Athlon 220GE's 4,950 million. This reflects the density advantage of the 14 nm node.

The cache configurations are very different. The Athlon 220GE has a per-core L1 cache of 96 KB, a per-core L2 cache of 512 KB, and a shared L3 cache of 4 MB. The A12-9800 has a total L1 cache of 320 KB and a total L2 cache of 2 MB, with no L3 cache at all. The presence of a shared L3 cache in the Athlon 220GE is a significant architectural advantage, providing a faster buffer for frequently accessed data across its cores.

The integrated graphics differ, with the Athlon 220GE featuring Radeon Vega 3, while the A12-9800 has Radeon R7. Both are integrated solutions, but they come from different graphics architectures tied to their respective CPU generations.

The release dates also reflect a generational gap. The A12-9800 was released on 2017-07-26, while the Athlon 220GE followed on 2018-12-20. This roughly one-and-a-half-year gap allowed AMD to bring the Zen architecture to the budget segment, which dramatically changed the performance landscape. The Athlon 220GE's newer architecture is the primary reason it can outperform a processor with twice the physical cores and higher clock rates.