AMD Athlon 200GE vs Intel Core i7-3632QM Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents a surprisingly lopsided contest. Across seven recorded tests, the Intel Core i7-3632QM claims six victories, while the AMD Athlon 200GE manages a single, decisive win. The margin of that AMD victory is striking: in Geekbench single-core, the Athlon 200GE scores 925 against the Intel part's 613, a 50.9% advantage. That is not a marginal gap; it is a generational leap in per-thread performance, and it defines the entire character of this comparison.

Every Cinebench result favors the Intel chip, and the margins are remarkably consistent. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-3632QM posts 406 points versus 350 for the Athlon, a 13.8% deficit for the AMD part. Cinebench R20 multi-core shows 1693 against 1461, a 13.7% gap. The same 13.7% deficit appears in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the Intel chip scores 4033 and the AMD chip scores 3479. Single-core Cinebench results tell a similar story: R20 single-core has Intel ahead by 13.4% (238 vs 206), and R23 single-core has Intel ahead by 13.7% (569 vs 491). The consistency of these margins suggests a systemic advantage in threaded workloads, not a workload-specific anomaly.

Geekbench multi-core adds another Intel win, though with a slightly narrower margin. The i7-3632QM scores 2142 compared to 1912 for the Athlon 200GE, a 10.7% difference. This is the smallest Intel lead in the entire dataset, hinting that the Athlon's strong single-core showing helps close the gap in mixed workloads that are less purely multi-threaded than Cinebench.

The overall average benchmark scores reinforce the hierarchy. The Athlon 200GE averages 1261 across all recorded tests, while the i7-3632QM averages 1219. This is a curious inversion: the Intel chip wins six out of seven head-to-head tests, yet its average score is lower. The explanation lies in the Geekbench single-core result. The Athlon's 50.9% blowout in that test pulls its average upward, while the Intel chip's comparatively weak single-core score drags its average down. The database places both CPUs in the 34th percentile overall, and their nearest rivals cluster tightly around them. The Athlon's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-3615QM, scores 1260 with a 0% delta, while the i7-3632QM's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-2500, scores 1220 with a -0.1% delta. These percentile placements suggest both chips occupy a similar performance tier in the broader CPU landscape, despite their divergent test results.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two processors is substantial, and it explains nearly every benchmark outcome. The AMD Athlon 200GE is built on Zen architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 4,950 million transistors onto a 209.8 mm² die. The Intel Core i7-3632QM uses the older Ivy Bridge architecture on Intel's 22 nm process, with 1,480 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. The transistor count difference is enormous, nearly 3.4 times more transistors in the AMD part, which reflects the fundamentally different design philosophies of the two eras.

Core configurations differ sharply. The Athlon 200GE offers 2 cores and 4 threads, while the i7-3632QM provides 4 cores and 8 threads. This doubling of cores and threads is the primary driver of the Intel chip's multi-threaded victories. Cache hierarchies also diverge. The AMD part has 96 KB of L1 per core and 512 KB of L2 per core, with 4 MB of shared L3. The Intel part has 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and a larger 6 MB shared L3. The larger L3 cache on the Intel side may help with data reuse across its four cores.

Clock speeds present a nuanced picture. The Athlon 200GE runs at a fixed 3.20 GHz base clock with no boost capability. The i7-3632QM has a 2.20 GHz base clock but can boost up to 3.20 GHz. When boosting, the Intel chip matches the AMD chip's clock speed, but it does so with more cores active. The Athlon's higher sustained base clock is likely the reason for its single-core Geekbench dominance, especially in workloads that do not trigger the Intel chip's boost behavior or where single-thread efficiency matters more than raw clock.

Memory support differs as well. The Athlon 200GE supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus and a recorded memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The i7-3632QM's memory support field is not recorded in the database, though it does use a dual-channel bus. This makes direct memory performance comparison impossible from the available data. The AMD part also lists PCIe Gen 3 with 8 lanes from the CPU, while the Intel chip's PCIe configuration is unrecorded.

Integrated graphics separate the two further. The Athlon 200GE includes Radeon Vega 3 graphics, while the i7-3632QM carries Intel HD 4000. The database records no graphics benchmarks, so a direct performance comparison cannot be made, but the architectural differences are clear: Vega 3 is a much newer GPU design than HD 4000.

The production status also differs. The Athlon 200GE is listed as Active, while the i7-3632QM has no production status recorded. The release dates are far apart: the Intel chip launched on 2012-10-18, while the AMD chip arrived on 2018-09-05, nearly six years later.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split decision based on workload type. For multi-threaded productivity tasks, rendering, and compilation, the Intel Core i7-3632QM is the superior choice. Its 4-core, 8-thread configuration delivers consistent 13.7% to 13.8% advantages across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multi-core tests. The 10.7% lead in Geekbench multi-core confirms this pattern. Anyone running parallel workloads should favor the Intel part.

For single-threaded responsiveness, the AMD Athlon 200GE is the clear winner. Its 50.9% advantage in Geekbench single-core is the largest margin in the entire comparison. However, the Cinebench single-core results contradict this narrative: the Intel chip leads by 13.4% in R20 single-core and 13.7% in R23 single-core. The Cinebench single-core tests likely rely on sustained multi-second loads where the Intel chip's boost clock of 3.20 GHz matters, while the Geekbench single-core test may favor the AMD chip's higher sustained base clock of 3.20 GHz and its more modern Zen architecture's instruction efficiency.

The average benchmark scores complicate the verdict. Despite winning six of seven tests, the Intel chip's average score is 1219, lower than the AMD chip's 1261. This means the Athlon 200GE is the more balanced performer across the full benchmark suite, even though it loses most individual tests. The Intel chip's single-core weakness in Geekbench is severe enough to pull its overall average below the AMD part.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has better multi-threaded performance?

A: The Intel Core i7-3632QM wins all four multi-threaded tests. It leads by 13.8% in Cinebench R15, 13.7% in Cinebench R20, 13.7% in Cinebench R23, and 10.7% in Geekbench multi-core.

Q: Does the AMD Athlon 200GE win any benchmark?

A: Yes, the Athlon 200GE wins Geekbench single-core with a score of 925 against 613 for the Intel chip, a 50.9% advantage.

Q: How do their core counts compare?

A: The Athlon 200GE has 2 cores and 4 threads, while the i7-3632QM has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Q: What are their average benchmark scores?

A: The Athlon 200GE averages 1261 across all tests, while the i7-3632QM averages 1219.

Q: Are both CPUs in the same performance percentile?

A: Yes, both are in the 34th percentile of all CPUs in the database.

Q: What are their respective integrated graphics?

A: The Athlon 200GE includes Radeon Vega 3, while the i7-3632QM includes Intel HD 4000.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Athlon 200GE wins in single-threaded responsiveness scenarios, particularly those measured by Geekbench. Its 50.9% lead in that test is the standout result. For everyday desktop interaction, web browsing, and lightly threaded applications where a single core does most of the work, the Athlon's modern Zen architecture and higher sustained base clock of 3.20 GHz provide an edge. The chip is also the only one of the two with a recorded production status of Active, meaning it remains a current product.

The Intel Core i7-3632QM dominates everywhere else. Its 4-core, 8-thread configuration makes it the choice for video encoding, 3D rendering, software compilation, and any workload that scales across cores. The consistent 13.7% to 13.8% margins in Cinebench multi-core tests show a reliable advantage. The Intel chip also wins both Cinebench single-core tests, suggesting it handles sustained single-thread loads well when boost clocks activate. Its larger 6 MB L3 cache may benefit workloads with high data reuse across threads.

Specification Differences

The two chips differ on nearly every recorded specification. The Athlon 200GE uses AMD Socket AM4, while the i7-3632QM uses Intel Socket G2 (988B). The Athlon is built on Zen architecture at 14 nm, the Intel chip on Ivy Bridge at 22 nm. Transistor counts are 4,950 million versus 1,480 million, and die sizes are 209.8 mm² versus 160 mm². The AMD part has 2 cores and 4 threads; the Intel part has 4 cores and 8 threads.

Base clocks are 3.20 GHz for the AMD chip and 2.20 GHz for the Intel chip. The Intel part adds a boost clock of 3.20 GHz, while the AMD part has none. Cache configurations differ at every level: L1 is 96 KB per core versus 64 KB per core, L2 is 512 KB per core versus 256 KB per core, and L3 is 4 MB shared versus 6 MB shared. The Athlon supports DDR4 memory with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth; the Intel chip's memory type and bandwidth are not recorded, though both use dual-channel buses. The Athlon lists PCIe Gen 3 with 8 CPU lanes; the Intel chip's PCIe is unrecorded.

Integrated graphics are Radeon Vega 3 for AMD and Intel HD 4000 for Intel. The Athlon is a Desktop part, the i7-3632QM is a Mobile part. Release dates are 2018-09-05 for AMD and 2012-10-18 for Intel. The Athlon has a recorded launch MSRP of $55, while the Intel chip has no launch MSRP recorded. Both CPUs have locked multipliers, and neither supports ECC memory.