AMD A12-9800E vs Intel Pentium Gold G5620 Comparison

# FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Pentium Gold G5620?

A: The Intel Pentium Gold G5620 is a desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads, with a base clock of 4.00 GHz. It uses an Intel Socket 1151 and is built on a 14 nm process.

Q: What is the AMD A12-9800E?

A: The AMD A12-9800E is a desktop processor from AMD's Bristol Ridge generation. It has 4 cores and 4 threads, with a base clock of 3.10 GHz and a boost clock of 3.80 GHz. It uses the AMD Socket AM4 and is built on a 28 nm process.

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The average benchmark score across all recorded tests is nearly identical. The Intel Pentium Gold G5620 has an average score of 1045, while the AMD A12-9800E has an average score of 1033. This places both processors within 0.2% to 0.3% of each other in overall performance.

Q: Do both processors support DDR4 memory?

A: Yes, both support DDR4 memory. The Intel Pentium Gold G5620 supports dual-channel DDR4 with ECC memory support. The AMD A12-9800E also supports dual-channel DDR4 memory, but it does not have ECC memory support.

Q: What integrated graphics do they have?

A: The Intel Pentium Gold G5620 includes the UHD Graphics 630. The AMD A12-9800E includes the Radeon R7 integrated graphics.

Architecture Differences

The Intel Pentium Gold G5620 and AMD A12-9800E are built on fundamentally different design philosophies and process technologies, which shape their respective characteristics.

The Intel Pentium Gold G5620 is an older but capable dual-core part from the Coffee Lake generation. It is manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process, a mature node for the time. The physical die is 126 mm², a relatively large size for a dual-core chip. It has 2 physical cores and 4 threads with Hyper-Threading, which allows the operating system to see double the execution units in some workloads. The base clock is fixed at 4.00 GHz, there is no configurable turbo or boost, but the high fixed clock is aimed at latency-sensitive desktop work. The memory configuration includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 4 MB L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR4 memory, but notably, it also supports ECC memory, a feature not always present on consumer desktop chips.

The AMD A12-9800E, in contrast, is built on the Excavator architecture, a design predating Zen, using the older Bulldozer-derived roots. It is a true 4-core, 4-thread processor, with a base clock of 3.10 GHz and a boost clock of 3.80 GHz. The chip is built on GlobalFoundries' 28 nm process, a much older node than Intel's 14 nm, and it has a die size of 250 mm², almost twice the Intel die. The cache hierarchy is completely different: a total of 320 KB of L1 cache, and 2 MB of L2 cache, with no L3 cache. Memory support is dual-channel DDR4, but it does not support ECC. The integrated graphics is a Radeon R7, a step above the Intel's UHD 630 in terms of the raw brand, but the compute differences are small.

The architectural gap is significant in process technology and cache structure. The 14 nm process from Intel is a mature node with a much smaller die. The AMD chip uses a 28 nm node and has more than double the transistor count at 3.1 billion, but it is a big die for a quad-core. The Intel part is the higher-clocked chip at 4.0 GHz fixed, it aims at responsive single-threaded tasks. The AMD has an unlocked multiplier in its design, but that is irrelevant for the benchmarks here.

The Verdict

The benchmark data in the database provides a clean split between these two CPUs, but the overall verdict is a close one.

In the recorded measurements, the Intel Pentium Gold G5620 wins 5 out of 5 head-to-head comparisons, the AMD A12-9800E wins 0. However, looking at the deltas, the differences are mostly in the 22% to 23% range in favor of the Intel part. The biggest wins for the Intel are in the multi-threaded Cinebench workloads. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Intel scores 364 against the AMD's 297, a 22.6% difference. In Cinebench R20 multi-core, the Intel scores 1517 against 1239, a 22.4% advantage. In Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Intel scores 3613 versus 2950, a 22.5% lead. The single-core tests also show consistent wins for the Intel: 23% in Cinebench R20 single-core (214 vs 174) and 22.6% in Cinebench R23 single-core (510 vs 416).

The AMD A12-9800E is not without merit. It doubles the core count, and in multi-threaded tasks, it is a capable chip. The data suggests that the Intel still has the edge in this pairing. For a desktop user, where the majority of software is still lightly threaded, the higher per-core performance of the Pentium Gold G5620 is likely to be noticeable. The AMD chip may have a place in multi-threaded workloads that can use its four physical cores, but the benchmark results here show the Intel part is the more consistent winner.

Therefore, from the data, the Intel Pentium Gold G5620 is the stronger recommendation. It wins every workload recorded, and it does so with a substantial 22% to 23% margin across all tests. The AMD A12-9800E is a close competitor in average score, but it loses every one on one match in the database.

Specification Differences

| Component | Intel Pentium Gold G5620 | AMD A12-9800E |

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

| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 4 / 4 |

| Base Clock | 4.00 GHz | 3.10 GHz |

| Boost Clock | None (fixed) | 3.80 GHz |

| Process | 14 nm | 28 nm |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1700 | AMD Socket AM4 |

| TDP | 54 W | 35 W |

| Memory Support | DDR4 (dual-channel) | DDR4 (dual-channel) |

| ECC Memory | Yes | No |

| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 630 | Radeon R7 |

| Cache (L1 / L2 / L3) | 64 KB (per core) / 256 KB (per core) / 4 MB (shared) | 320 KB / 2 MB / No L3 |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded benchmark data shows a sweep for the Intel Pentium Gold G5620. Below are the largest wins for the Intel chip, and the exact margins.

The largest margin is in Cinebench R20 multi-core. The Intel Pentium Gold G5620 scores 1517, while the AMD A12-9800E scores 1239. That is a 22.4% difference in favor of the Intel. The Cinebench R15 multi-core follows the same pattern: the Intel scores 364, the AMD scores 297, a 22.6% margin. In the Cinebench R23 multi-core, the Intel wins 3613 to 2950, a 22.5% margin. The single-core tests are also Intel wins: in Cinebench R20 single-core, the Intel scores 214 versus 174, a 23% difference; in Cinebench R23 single-core, the Intel scores 510 versus 416, a 22.6% margin. The AMD A12-9800E does not win any of the recorded head-to-head comparisons. The Intel wins 5, AMD wins 0. The largest win for the AMD is not a win; it is the closest one, in Cinebench R23 single-core, where the gap is still 22.6%, a substantial deficit.

The overall average benchmark scores are 1045 for the Intel and 1033 for the AMD, a 1.2% difference. But the head-to-head data makes it clear that the Intel chip has a decisive leadership in every recorded workload. The AMD A12-9800E is a four-core chip, but its older architecture and lower clock speed mean it is not competitive in the tests where the Intel's higher clock and newer process give it a clear edge. The database suggests the G5620 is the processor to choose when the workload is sensitive to single-core speed and lightly threaded tasks. The AMD processor is still a functional desktop part, but the recorded data is not in its favor.