AMD A12-9800 vs Intel Core i5-3475S Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The recorded benchmark data is unambiguous: the Intel Core i5-3475S wins every single head-to-head test against the AMD A12-9800. Out of five shared benchmarks, the Intel part takes all five, with no draws and no AMD victories. This is not a close contest by any measure, as the deltas are consistent across both multi-core and single-core workloads.

For multi-threaded applications, the Intel Core i5-3475S holds a decisive edge. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 371 versus 316 for the AMD A12-9800, a 17.4% advantage. That same 17.4% gap repeats in Cinebench R20 multi-core (1547 vs 1318) and again in Cinebench R23 multi-core (3685 vs 3140). If your workload is video encoding, 3D rendering, or any task that scales across all four cores, the Intel part is the clear pick from this data.

Single-threaded performance tells the same story. The Intel Core i5-3475S leads in Cinebench R20 single-core with 218 points against 186 for the AMD A12-9800, a 17.2% margin. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the scores are 520 versus 443, another 17.4% gap. For everyday responsiveness, lightly threaded applications, and older games that rely on one or two strong cores, the Intel chip again comes out ahead.

The AMD A12-9800 does have one area where it could be attractive, but it is not visible in the CPU benchmark scores. The AMD part uses DDR4 memory and includes Radeon R7 integrated graphics, while the Intel part uses DDR3 and Intel HD 4000. For a system built around the integrated GPU, the AMD platform may offer a different feature set, but the pure processor benchmarks do not favor it anywhere.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster in multi-core workloads?

A: The Intel Core i5-3475S wins all three multi-core Cinebench tests. It scores 371 vs 316 in R15, 1547 vs 1318 in R20, and 3685 vs 3140 in R23, each a 17.4% advantage over the AMD A12-9800.

Q: How do the single-core scores compare?

A: The Intel Core i5-3475S leads in both recorded single-core tests. In Cinebench R20 single-core, it scores 218 versus 186 (17.2% ahead), and in R23 single-core it scores 520 versus 443 (17.4% ahead).

Q: Do both CPUs have the same number of cores and threads?

A: Yes, both are 4-core, 4-thread desktop processors with no hyper-threading or SMT. The difference in performance comes from architecture and clock behavior, not core count.

Q: What memory types do these CPUs support?

A: The Intel Core i5-3475S supports DDR3 memory in dual-channel mode. The AMD A12-9800 supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel mode with a recorded memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s.

Q: Which CPU has a higher base clock?

A: The AMD A12-9800 has a higher base clock at 3.80 GHz versus 2.90 GHz for the Intel Core i5-3475S. The AMD part also boosts to 4.20 GHz versus 3.60 GHz, yet it still loses every benchmark.

Q: Are both CPUs in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both sit at the 30th percentile among all CPUs in the database. The Intel part has an average benchmark score of 1091, while the AMD part averages 1081, a small absolute difference despite the consistent 17% wins in head-to-head tests.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are remarkably consistent, with every multi-core test showing a 17.4% delta in favor of the Intel Core i5-3475S. Starting with Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Intel chip scores 371 against 316 for the AMD A12-9800. That 55-point difference represents a meaningful performance gap for a benchmark that stresses all cores equally.

Moving to Cinebench R20 multi-core, the gap widens in absolute terms. The Intel part scores 1547, while the AMD part manages 1318. The 229-point difference is again a 17.4% margin, showing that the relative advantage holds steady as the workload scales. Cinebench R23 multi-core repeats the pattern: 3685 for Intel versus 3140 for AMD, another 545-point gap at the same 17.4% delta.

Single-core results are nearly identical in relative terms. Cinebench R20 single-core gives the Intel Core i5-3475S 218 points and the AMD A12-9800 186 points, a 17.2% lead. Cinebench R23 single-core shows 520 versus 443, a 17.4% advantage. The consistency of these deltas across different benchmark versions and workload types suggests a fundamental architectural efficiency difference, not a clock-speed or cache quirk.

The largest absolute win for the Intel part is in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where it outscores the AMD chip by 545 points. The smallest absolute gap is in Cinebench R20 single-core, with a 32-point difference. In percentage terms, every test except one is exactly 17.4%, with the R20 single-core test slightly lower at 17.2%. This uniformity makes the result easy to summarize: the Intel Core i5-3475S is roughly 17% faster than the AMD A12-9800 across the board.

Neither benchmark result favors the AMD A12-9800. The database records zero wins for the AMD part in the head-to-head set. Its average benchmark score of 1081 is also slightly below the Intel part's 1091, though both sit at the 30th percentile among all CPUs.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in several key specification areas. The Intel Core i5-3475S uses the LGA 1155 socket, while the AMD A12-9800 uses AM4. This means they are not interchangeable on any motherboard platform.

Clock speeds favor the AMD part on paper. The AMD A12-9800 runs at a 3.80 GHz base clock and boosts to 4.20 GHz. The Intel Core i5-3475S runs at 2.90 GHz base and boosts to 3.60 GHz. Despite the higher clocks, the AMD chip loses all benchmarks, indicating that the Intel architecture delivers more work per clock cycle.

Cache configurations differ substantially. The Intel chip has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD chip has a smaller total cache: 320 KB of L1 and 2 MB of L2, with no L3 cache listed. The lack of L3 cache on the AMD part likely contributes to its lower benchmark scores.

Memory support is another clear split. The Intel Core i5-3475S supports DDR3, while the AMD A12-9800 supports DDR4 with a rated memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. Both use dual-channel memory buses. The AMD platform is newer in this regard, but the benchmark data does not show a translation to CPU performance.

PCIe connectivity also differs. The Intel part provides Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, while the AMD part provides Gen 3 with 8 lanes from the CPU. For discrete GPU usage, the Intel platform offers more PCIe lanes.

The integrated graphics differ as well: Intel HD 4000 on the Intel chip versus Radeon R7 on the AMD chip. Neither is benchmarked in the CPU tests, but they represent different feature sets for systems without a discrete GPU.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Core i5-3475S is built on the Ivy Bridge architecture, a 22 nm process from Intel. It contains 1,400 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. The AMD A12-9800 uses the Excavator architecture, codenamed Bristol Ridge, manufactured on a 28 nm process by GlobalFoundries. It packs 3,100 million transistors on a 250 mm² die.

The transistor counts and die sizes tell an interesting story. The AMD chip has more than double the transistor count of the Intel chip (3,100 million versus 1,400 million) and a larger die (250 mm² versus 160 mm²), yet it performs worse in every recorded test. This suggests the Intel architecture is more efficient at converting transistors into usable performance, or that the AMD chip's extra transistors are largely devoted to the integrated GPU and memory controller.

The process node difference is significant: 22 nm for Intel versus 28 nm for AMD. The smaller node typically allows for lower power consumption and higher clock speeds, but in this case the AMD chip actually has higher clocks. The Intel advantage comes from architectural efficiency, not process geometry alone.

Cache architecture is a major differentiator. The Intel chip has a three-level cache hierarchy with a shared 6 MB L3 cache. The AMD chip has no L3 cache at all, relying only on 2 MB of L2. For workloads that repeatedly access the same data, the Intel chip's larger cache should reduce memory latency and improve performance, which matches the benchmark results.

The Intel part is from the Ivy Bridge generation, released in 2012. The AMD part is from the Bristol Ridge generation, released in 2017. Despite the five-year gap in release timing, the older Intel architecture maintains a consistent performance lead in the recorded tests.

Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier, and neither supports ECC memory. The Intel part is marked as discontinued in production status, while the AMD part is listed as active.

The Verdict

The data points to one clear conclusion: the Intel Core i5-3475S is the faster processor in every measured workload. If your priority is raw CPU performance, whether single-threaded or multi-threaded, the Intel chip wins by a consistent 17% margin across all Cinebench tests. The AMD A12-9800 does not win a single benchmark in the head-to-head comparison.

The Intel Core i5-3475S should be the choice for users running CPU-intensive tasks such as rendering, encoding, or compiling, where that 17.4% multi-core advantage translates directly into shorter completion times. Its 6 MB of shared L3 cache and 16 PCIe Gen 3 lanes also make it a more capable platform for discrete GPU workloads.

The AMD A12-9800 may still have a reason to exist for builders who prioritize the integrated platform. It uses DDR4 memory, which is a newer standard, and its Radeon R7 integrated graphics are not benchmarked in the CPU tests but represent a different iGPU option. The higher base and boost clocks (3.80/4.20 GHz versus 2.90/3.60 GHz) do not overcome the architectural deficit in the recorded benchmarks.

However, for pure CPU performance, the choice is not close. The Intel Core i5-3475S outperforms the AMD A12-9800 in all five head-to-head tests, with deltas ranging from 17.2% to 17.4%. The average benchmark scores (1091 versus 1081) confirm the Intel part is slightly ahead overall, even though both CPUs sit at the 30th percentile among all processors.

If you are choosing between these two for a new build and CPU performance matters most, the Intel Core i5-3475S is the data-backed pick. The AMD A12-9800 only makes sense if the DDR4 memory support and Radeon R7 integrated graphics are decisive for your specific use case, and you are willing to accept a 17% CPU performance deficit. The verdict from the recorded data is straightforward: Intel wins every benchmark, so it wins the recommendation.