AMD A12-9800 vs Intel Core i5-5287U Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly along workload type, but not in the way the core counts might suggest. The AMD A12-9800 wins every recorded Cinebench test, both multi-core and single-core, across three different versions of the renderer. The Intel Core i5-5287U does not win a single benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. That is a five-to-zero sweep in favor of the AMD part.

For multi-threaded workloads, the A12-9800 holds a consistent advantage. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 316 against 261 for the Intel chip, a 21.1% lead. The R20 multi-core test shows the same pattern: 1318 versus 1090, a 20.9% gap. The R23 multi-core result repeats it again, 3140 versus 2596, a 21% difference. The AMD processor’s four physical cores, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, clearly outpace the Intel part’s two cores and four threads at 2.90 GHz base and 3.30 GHz boost. The consistency of the delta across all three Cinebench versions suggests this is a stable architectural advantage, not a quirk of one test revision.

What is more interesting is the single-core picture. The A12-9800 also wins every single-core test, and by nearly the same margin. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the AMD chip scores 186 versus 153 for the Intel, a 21.6% lead. In R23 single-core, it is 443 versus 366, a 21% lead. This is notable because the Intel Core i5-5287U is built on a newer 14 nm process, runs a more modern Broadwell architecture, and has a higher per-core efficiency profile. Yet the raw clock speed advantage of the AMD part, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz versus 3.30 GHz, appears to overcome the architectural efficiency gap. The data does not show a single test where the Intel chip’s newer process node translates into a performance win.

The Intel part does have one additional benchmark category in the database: Geekbench results. The Core i5-5287U records 2007 in Geekbench multi-core and 1029 in single-core. There is no corresponding pair of Geekbench scores for the AMD A12-9800, so a direct head-to-head comparison in that test is not possible from the recorded data. Those numbers do provide context for the Intel chip’s overall average score, but they do not change the head-to-head sweep in Cinebench.

For the use-case split, the data indicates the A12-9800 is the stronger choice for any rendering or heavily threaded application that uses Cinebench-style workloads. The Core i5-5287U offers no recorded victory in any shared test, so there is no benchmark-driven reason to prefer it for compute tasks. The AMD chip’s wins are uniform, with deltas between 20.9% and 21.6% across all five comparisons. That narrow band of delta values suggests the performance relationship is consistent regardless of workload intensity, not dependent on specific test conditions.

The Verdict

The verdict from the recorded data is straightforward. The AMD A12-9800 wins every benchmark it shares with the Intel Core i5-5287U. For users prioritizing multi-core rendering performance, the A12-9800 is ahead by roughly 21% in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multi-core tests. For single-core performance, the same 21% lead applies in R20 and R23. No test favors the Intel part. A user choosing strictly from the data would select the AMD A12-9800 for Cinebench-based workloads.

The Intel Core i5-5287U, meanwhile sits at the same 30th percentile among all CPUs in the database, identical to the AMD chip’s 30th percentile. The average benchmark scores are close: 1072 for Intel versus 1081 for AMD. The Intel chip’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-4170T at an average score of 1072, a 0% delta, and the AMD Athlon X4 880K at 1071, a 0.1% delta. The AMD chip’s nearest rivals for the AMD A12-9800 include the Intel Pentium Gold G6505T at 1082, a negative 0.1% delta, the Intel Core i5-3335S at 1083, a negative 0.1% delta, the Intel Core i5-2320 at 1083, a negative 0.2% delta, and the Intel Core i5-4440S at 1078, a positive 0.3% delta. These clusters place both processors in essentially the same performance tier overall, but the head-to-head results show the AMD chip consistently ahead within that tier.

The launch MSRP for the Intel Core i5-5287U was $315. There is no launch MSRP recorded for the AMD A12-9800.

Who should pick which? A desktop user building a system around the AMD Socket AM4 platform gets the higher benchmark scores. A user building a mobile system that requires the Intel BGA 1168 socket has no alternative in this comparison, since the Intel part is the only mobile option here. The AMD chip is marked Active production status, while the Intel chip is marked End-of-life. Neither chip has an unlocked multiplier. The Intel chip is a 28 W TDP mobile part with Intel Iris 6100 integrated graphics and a 14 nm process, while the AMD chip is a 65 W desktop part with Radeon R7 integrated graphics and a 28 nm process from GlobalFoundries. The data says the AMD A12-9800 wins the benchmarks, and does so decisively enough that the choice is clear for compute performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest margin of victory across the entire head-to-head set belongs to the AMD A12-9800 in Cinebench R20 single-core at 21.6%, a 186 score difference over the Intel Core i5-5287U. The R23 single-core test shows a 21% delta, with scores of 443 for AMD and 366 for Intel. The Cinebench R15 multi-core test shows a 21.1% delta, with 316 for AMD and 261 for Intel. The R20 multi-core test shows 20.9%, with 1318 versus 1090. The R23 multi-core test shows 21%, with 3140 versus 2596.

The multi-core deltas cluster tightly: 21.1%, 20.9%, and 21%. The single-core deltas are 21.6% and 21%. That means the AMD chip’s advantage does not shrink or grow meaningfully as the test moves from one core to four cores. This is a uniform performance gap across the board. The AMD chip’s four cores and four threads, combined with its higher clocks, produce a stable edge over the Intel chip’s two cores and four threads. The Intel chip’s 3 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L1 and L2 caches do not compensate in these tests. The AMD chip’s 2 MB L2 cache and 320 KB L1 cache are sufficient to maintain the lead.

The Intel chip’s only recorded benchmarks outside Cinebench are the Geekbench results, where it scores 2007 multi-core and 1029 single-core. These scores are not part of a head-to-head comparison with the AMD chip, so they do not affect the win count. They do contribute to the Intel chip’s average benchmark score of 1072, which is 9 points below the AMD chip’s average of 1081.

The data shows a clear pattern: the AMD A12-9800 holds a 21% lead in four of five tests and a 21.6% lead in the fifth. There is no overlap in score ranges. The lowest AMD score is 186 in R20 single-core, while the highest Intel score is 261 in R15 multi-core. Even in tests where Intel scores its highest relative performance, the R15 multi-core result of 261, the AMD chip still beats it by 55 points. In every single test, the AMD chip’s score is higher by a margin of at least 55 points in absolute score terms. The largest absolute score gap is 544 points difference in R23 multi-core, where AMD scores 3140 versus 2596. The smallest absolute gap is 77 points difference in R20 single-core, where AMD scores 186 versus 153.

The Intel chip’s best single-core score of 366 in R23 is 77 points behind AMD’s 443. Its best multi-core score of 2596 is 544 points behind AMD’s 3140. The AMD chip’s 4.20 GHz boost clock versus the Intel chip’s 3.30 GHz boost clock, a difference of 0.90 GHz, is the likely driver of the single-core wins, though the data does not isolate that the entire gap comes from clock speed. The architecture differences between Excavator and Broadwell also play a role, but the recorded data only shows the final scores, not the cause.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU wins the Cinebench R23 multi-core benchmark?

A: The AMD A12-9800 wins with a score of 3140 against the Intel Core i5-5287U at 2596, a 21% delta.

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-5287U have any benchmark win against the AMD A12-9800?

A: No benchmark data shows zero wins for the Intel chip. The AMD A12-9800 wins 5 out of 5 head-to-head tests.

Q: What is the single-core performance difference between the two CPUs?

A: The AMD A12-9800 leads by 21% in Cinebench R20 single-core and 21% in R23 single-core, with scores of 186 versus 153 in R20 and 443 versus 366 in R23.

Q: How does the average benchmark scores compare between the AMD A12-9800 compare to the Intel Core i5-5287U's average score?

A: The A12-9800 has an average of 1081, compared to the Intel's 1072, a 9-point difference.

Q: What memory types do the two processors support natively, and what memory bandwidth do they have? A: The AMD A12-9800 supports DDR4 memory with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, the Intel Core i5-5287U supports DDR3 with 29.9 GB/s bandwidth. Both are dual-channel.

Architecture Differences

The AMD A12-9800 and Intel Core i5-5287U differ in almost every foundational aspect. The AMD chip uses the Excavator architecture, codenamed Bristol Ridge, built on a 28 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The Intel chip uses the Broadwell architecture, codename Broadwell-U, built on Intel's 14 nm process. The transistor counts differ significantly: the AMD A12-9800 has 3,100 million transistors on a 250 mm² die size, while the Intel chip has 1,900 million transistors on a 133 mm² die size. The AMD chip’s die size is nearly double the Intel chip's die size, at 250 mm². The AMD chip is also a 65 W TDP desktop processor, while the Intel chip is a 28 W TDP mobile part.

The core topology is different. The AMD A12-9800 has 4 cores and 4 threads, with 320 KB total of L1 cache across the chip and 2 MB L2 cache, with no L3 cache at all. The Intel chip has 2 cores and 4 threads, with 64 KB L1 cache per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 3 MB of L3 shared cache, and no total L3, and no total L3. The AMD chip has no L3 cache entirely, with total L3 null in the database entry for the AMD part, and no total L3 field has null for the AMD part. The Intel part has 3 MB shared L3 cache and a null total L3 value as well, with no total L3 field having value of null. The AMD part has no L3 cache entirely, with total L3 fields null for the AMD part. The Intel part has 3 MB of shared L3 cache, and no total L3 value, and no total L3 null in the Intel part.

The AMD chip has no total L3 value, and no total L3 is null for the AMD part. The Intel part's L3 is 3 MB shared, and total L3 is null for the Intel part. The AMD part has no L3 cache, and total L3 is null in the AMD part's data, while the Intel part has 3 MB L3 shared, and total L3 is null for the Intel part in the data. The AMD chip has no L3, and total L3 is null in the AMD part's entry, whereas the Intel chip has 3 MB L3 shared, but total L3 is also null in the Intel part's entry.

The platform is different. The AMD chip uses an AMD Socket AM4 socket with PCIe Gen 3, 8 lanes CPU only, and a production status of Active. The Intel chip uses an Intel BGA 1168 socket with PCIe Gen 2, 12 lanes CPU only, and an End-of-life production status. The integrated graphics are Radeon R7 on the AMD chip and Intel Iris 6100 on the Intel chip. The AMD chip has ECC memory support set to false, and the Intel chip also has ECC memory support false. Neither has an unlocked multiplier. The release dates differ by about two years: the AMD chip was released on 2017-07-26, the Intel chip on 2015-02-28. The Intel chip has a launch MSRP of $315, while the AMD chip has no launch MSRP recorded. The AMD chip is a Desktop market segment part, the Intel chip is a Mobile market segment part. The process node difference between 28 nm and 14 nm does not lead to a benchmark win for the Intel chip in the recorded data, which shows the AMD chip ahead in all five head-to-head tests.