AMD A6-9400 vs Intel Pentium Silver J5040 Comparison

The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 and AMD A6-9400 are both entry-level processors, but the benchmark data shows a clear and consistent victor. Across every single Cinebench test recorded, the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 outperforms the AMD A6-9400, with margins ranging from 18.4% to 19.1%. The AMD A6-9400 does not win a single head-to-head benchmark comparison. This is a decisive sweep, making the Pentium Silver J5040 the superior choice for any workload captured by these tests, despite the A6-9400 having a higher base and boost clock speed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 wins all five benchmark comparisons, with every victory falling within a narrow band of 18% to 19%. This consistency across different Cinebench versions and core-count tests indicates a fundamental performance advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk.

In the Cinebench R15 multicore test, the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 scores 276 against the AMD A6-9400's 232. This is a 19% advantage, the largest margin of any test. The multicore test is particularly telling because the Intel chip has four cores and four threads, while the AMD chip has only two cores and two threads. Despite having half the physical cores, the AMD part cannot overcome the architectural efficiency of the Intel design.

The Cinebench R20 results reinforce the trend. In the multicore test, the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 scores 1150 versus the AMD A6-9400's 969, a delta of 18.7%. The single-core test shows a similar story: Intel scores 162, AMD scores 136, a 19.1% lead for Intel. This single-core result is crucial because it eliminates the core-count difference as an explanation. Even when limited to one core, the Pentium Silver J5040 is significantly faster.

The Cinebench R23 tests, which are the most recent and demanding of the suite, show the same pattern. In the multicore test, the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 scores 2739, while the AMD A6-9400 scores 2309, an 18.6% difference. In the single-core test, Intel scores 386 versus AMD's 326, a margin of 18.4%. The consistency of these deltas—all between 18.4% and 19.1%—suggests the Intel architecture provides a roughly uniform performance uplift across all types of compute tasks, from lightly-threaded to fully-threaded workloads.

The average benchmark scores reflect this dominance. The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 has an average benchmark score of 801, while the AMD A6-9400 sits at 794. This puts the Intel part at the 21st percentile of all CPUs, and the AMD part at the same 21st percentile, showing that while they are in the same performance tier, the Intel chip is consistently at the top of that tier. The Intel's nearest rivals include the AMD A10-7700K and Intel Xeon E5530, both with identical average scores of 801, and the Intel Core i5-3320M at 803, which is 0.2% faster. The AMD A6-9400's nearest rivals are the AMD A10-5800B at 794 (0.1% slower) and the AMD A10-7850K at 796 (0.3% faster).

Architecture Differences

The two processors are built on fundamentally different architectures and process nodes. The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 uses the Goldmont Plus architecture, which is part of the Gemini Lake codename family. This is built on a 14 nm process node by Intel's own foundry. The chip has 4 cores and 4 threads, with a base clock of 2000 MHz and a boost clock of 3.20 GHz. Its thermal design power (TDP) is a very low 10 watts, which is a hallmark of its mobile-oriented design.

In contrast, the AMD A6-9400 uses the Excavator architecture, part of the Bristol Ridge codename. This is a much older design built on a 28 nm process node by GlobalFoundries. It has only 2 cores and 2 threads, but runs at a significantly higher base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.70 GHz. Its TDP is 65 watts, which is 6.5 times higher than the Intel part. The AMD chip has a die size of 250 mm² and contains 3,100 million transistors, while the Intel chip has a die size of just 93 mm² with no transistor count listed.

The cache configurations also differ substantially. The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 has 56 KB of L1 cache per core and 4 MB of shared L2 cache. The AMD A6-9400 has 160 KB of L1 cache and only 1 MB of shared L2 cache. The larger L2 cache on the Intel part likely contributes to its superior performance, especially in workloads that benefit from data locality.

Both processors support DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and both have a memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. Neither supports ECC memory. The PCIe capabilities differ: the Intel part offers Gen 2 with 6 lanes (CPU only), while the AMD part offers Gen 3 with 8 lanes (CPU only). For integrated graphics, the Intel chip uses UHD Graphics 605, while the AMD chip uses Radeon R5. The Intel processor is classified as a mobile part, while the AMD is a desktop part. The Intel chip is end-of-life, while the AMD chip is still active in production. The Intel part was released on November 3, 2019, and has a launch MSRP of $161. The AMD part was released on March 15, 2019.

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data shows that the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 wins in every measured category. There are no test results where the AMD A6-9400 comes out ahead. This means that for any workload represented by Cinebench R15, R20, or R23—which are standard measures of CPU rendering and single-threaded performance—the Intel chip is the better performer.

For users prioritizing multi-core rendering, the Intel part's 19% lead in R15 multicore and 18.7% lead in R20 multicore make it the clear choice. Its four cores allow it to handle parallel tasks more effectively than the AMD's two cores, and its superior single-core performance (19.1% in R20 and 18.4% in R23) means it also wins in lightly-threaded tasks.

The AMD A6-9400's advantages are not visible in the benchmark scores. While it has a higher base clock (3.40 GHz vs 2000 MHz) and boost clock (3.70 GHz vs 3.20 GHz), this does not translate into any performance win. The AMD chip's higher TDP of 65 watts and larger die size of 250 mm² suggest it may be designed for a different thermal or power envelope, but within the Cinebench suite, it is consistently slower. The AMD part does offer PCIe Gen 3 connectivity with 8 lanes, which is a newer and faster standard than the Intel's Gen 2 with 6 lanes, but this does not affect the CPU benchmark results.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in single-core performance?

A: The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 is faster. It scores 386 in Cinebench R23 single-core versus 326 for the AMD A6-9400, a lead of 18.4%. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Intel wins 162 to 136, a 19.1% advantage.

Q: Does the AMD A6-9400 win any benchmark comparisons?

A: No. The data shows 5 wins for the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 and 0 wins for the AMD A6-9400 across all Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 tests.

Q: How do the core counts compare?

A: The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the AMD A6-9400 has 2 cores and 2 threads. Despite this advantage for Intel, the Intel chip also wins in single-core tests, so its performance lead is not solely due to core count.

Q: What are the thermal design power (TDP) differences?

A: The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 has a TDP of 10 watts, while the AMD A6-9400 has a TDP of 65 watts. The Intel chip is far more power-efficient according to this specification.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each processor?

A: The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 has an average benchmark score of 801, and the AMD A6-9400 has an average score of 794. Both sit at the 21st percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Do both processors support the same memory?

A: Yes, both support DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and both have a memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. Neither supports ECC memory.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Pentium Silver J5040 | AMD A6-9400 |

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

| Cores | 4 | 2 |

| Threads | 4 | 2 |

| Base Clock | 2000 MHz | 3.40 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.20 GHz | 3.70 GHz |

| TDP | 10 W | 65 W |

| Socket | Intel BGA 1090 | AMD Socket AM4 |

| Architecture | Goldmont Plus | Excavator |

| Codename | Gemini Lake | Bristol Ridge |

| Generation | Pentium (Goldmont Plus) | A6 (Bristol Ridge) |

| Process Node | 14 nm | 28 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | GlobalFoundries |

| Die Size | 93 mm² | 250 mm² |

| Transistors | Not listed | 3,100 million |

| L1 Cache | 56 KB (per core) | 160 KB |

| L2 Cache | 4 MB (shared) | 1 MB (shared) |

| PCIe | Gen 2, 6 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 3, 8 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | UHD Graphics 605 | Radeon R5 |

| Market Segment | Mobile | Desktop |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2019-11-04 | 2019-03-16 |

| Launch MSRP | $161 | Not listed |

| Part Number | SRFDB | AD9400AGABBOX |

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 is the superior processor for all measured workloads. It wins every single benchmark comparison against the AMD A6-9400, with consistent margins of approximately 18-19%. The Intel chip achieves this with a lower TDP (10 watts vs 65 watts), a smaller die size (93 mm² vs 250 mm²), and a more modern 14 nm process node compared to AMD's 28 nm.

Users who prioritize raw CPU performance in rendering or general computation should choose the Intel Pentium Silver J5040. Its four cores and larger 4 MB L2 cache provide a clear advantage over the AMD's two cores and 1 MB L2 cache. The Intel chip's higher average benchmark score of 801 versus 794 confirms its edge, even though both land at the same 21st percentile.

The AMD A6-9400 does have some advantages in non-benchmark specifications, such as PCIe Gen 3 support with 8 lanes and a higher clock speed. However, these do not translate into any performance wins in the Cinebench suite. For a user building a system where CPU compute performance is the primary concern, the Intel Pentium Silver J5040 is the clear recommendation. The AMD part might be considered for its desktop socket and active production status, but the performance gap is too large to ignore. The Intel Pentium Silver J5040 is the definitive winner in this comparison.