AMD Athlon 220GE vs Intel Pentium 6805 Comparison

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the Intel Pentium 6805 wins every single benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, though the margins are narrow. Across all six Cinebench tests, the Pentium 6805 leads the AMD Athlon 220GE by margins ranging from 0.9% to 1.9%. The average benchmark score tells the same story, with the Pentium 6805 at 1099 versus the Athlon 220GE at 1088, a difference of roughly 1%. The percentile ranking also favors Intel, with the Pentium 6805 sitting at the 31st percentile of all CPUs while the Athlon 220GE sits at the 30th.

The realistic takeaway for buyers is that these are two very closely matched processors. The Pentium 6805 is the correct choice for anyone who prioritizes raw compute performance in Cinebench workloads, even if the advantage is small. It is also the better option for mobile users, as it is explicitly a mobile part with a 15 W TDP, whereas the Athlon 220GE is a desktop chip with a 35 W TDP. The Athlon 220GE, by contrast, remains a viable desktop option for those building on the AMD Socket AM4 platform, and it carries a launch MSRP of $65. The Pentium 6805 has a launch MSRP of $161. However, the Athlon 220GE is not the performance winner in any measured test.

For users who need a desktop processor with an active production status and a lower platform cost, the Athlon 220GE makes sense. For users who need a low-power mobile processor and can accept its end-of-life production status, the Pentium 6805 is the stronger performer. The data does not support choosing the Athlon 220GE on performance grounds alone.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Athlon 220GE is built on the Zen architecture, codenamed Zen (Raven Ridge), using a 14 nm process node from GlobalFoundries. The Intel Pentium 6805 uses the Ice Lake architecture, codenamed Ice Lake-Y, built on Intel's 10 nm process. The Athlon 220GE is a desktop part, while the Pentium 6805 is a mobile part.

Both chips have 2 cores and 4 threads. The Athlon 220GE has a base clock of 3.40 GHz with no boost clock listed, while the Pentium 6805 has a base clock of 1100.00 MHz (1.10 GHz) and a boost clock of 3.00 GHz. This is a notable difference: the AMD part runs at a constant higher frequency, while the Intel part relies on boosting to reach its peak.

Cache configurations differ as well. The Athlon 220GE has 96 KB of L1 cache per core and 512 KB of L2 cache per core, while the Pentium 6805 has 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core. Both share 4 MB of L3 cache. The transistor counts also differ dramatically: the Athlon 220GE packs 4,950 million transistors on a 209.8 mm² die, while the Pentium 6805 has no transistor count listed but uses a smaller 123 mm² die.

Memory support is dual-channel DDR4 for both, but the memory bandwidth differs. The Pentium 6805 offers 51.2 GB/s, while the Athlon 220GE offers 42.7 GB/s. Neither supports ECC memory. PCIe support is Gen 3 for both, though the Athlon 220GE lists 8 CPU lanes specifically while the Pentium 6805 lists only "Gen 3" without lane details.

Integrated graphics also differ. The Athlon 220GE uses Radeon Vega 3, while the Pentium 6805 uses UHD Graphics with 32 execution units. The Pentium 6805 is end-of-life in production status, while the Athlon 220GE remains active. The Athlon 220GE was released on 2018-12-20, while the Pentium 6805 followed on 2020-09-30.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Pentium 6805 has an average benchmark score of 1099, while the AMD Athlon 220GE scores 1088. The Pentium 6805 also ranks at the 31st percentile of all CPUs compared to the 30th percentile for the Athlon 220GE.

Q: Are both processors dual-core with four threads?

A: Yes, both the AMD Athlon 220GE and the Intel Pentium 6805 have 2 cores and 4 threads. Neither has an unlocked multiplier.

Q: Which chip is better for a desktop build?

A: The AMD Athlon 220GE is the desktop part, using the AMD Socket AM4 and carrying an active production status. The Intel Pentium 6805 uses the Intel BGA 1526 socket and is a mobile processor with end-of-life production status.

Q: How do the power requirements compare?

A: The AMD Athlon 220GE has a TDP of 35 W, while the Intel Pentium 6805 has a TDP of 15 W. The Intel part is significantly more power-efficient on paper.

Q: Does the Athlon 220GE win any benchmark against the Pentium 6805?

A: No. The head-to-head data shows the Intel Pentium 6805 winning all six Cinebench tests, with the AMD Athlon 220GE recording zero wins.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The Intel Pentium 6805 offers 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, while the AMD Athlon 220GE offers 42.7 GB/s, a difference of 8.5 GB/s in favor of Intel.

Specification Differences

The following fields differ between the two processors:

• Base Clock: Athlon 220GE at 3.40 GHz; Pentium 6805 at 1100.00 MHz with a 3.00 GHz boost clock. The Athlon has no boost clock listed.
• TDP: 35 W for the Athlon 220GE; 15 W for the Pentium 6805.
• Socket: AMD Socket AM4 for the Athlon; Intel BGA 1526 for the Pentium.
• Process Node: 14 nm (GlobalFoundries) for the Athlon; 10 nm (Intel) for the Pentium.
• Transistors: 4,950 million for the Athlon; not listed for the Pentium.
• Die Size: 209.8 mm² for the Athlon; 123 mm² for the Pentium.
• L1 Cache: 96 KB per core for the Athlon; 80 KB per core for the Pentium.
• L2 Cache: 512 KB per core for the Athlon; 256 KB per core for the Pentium.
• Memory Bandwidth: 42.7 GB/s for the Athlon; 51.2 GB/s for the Pentium.
• PCIe: Gen 3 with 8 CPU lanes for the Athlon; Gen 3 with no lane count listed for the Pentium.
• Integrated Graphics: Radeon Vega 3 for the Athlon; UHD Graphics (32EU) for the Pentium.
• Market Segment: Desktop for the Athlon; Mobile for the Pentium.
• Production Status: Active for the Athlon; End-of-life for the Pentium.
• Release Date: 2018-12-20 for the Athlon; 2020-09-30 for the Pentium.
• Launch MSRP: $65 for the Athlon; $161 for the Pentium.
• Part Number: YD220GC6M2OFB for the Athlon; SRK0U for the Pentium.

Fields that are the same include cores (2), threads (4), L3 cache (4 MB shared), memory support (DDR4), memory bus (dual-channel), ECC support (false for both), and multiplier unlock status (false for both).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark data is consistent across every test: the Intel Pentium 6805 wins all six Cinebench workloads, but by margins that are small enough to be considered near-parity in real-world use.

In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Pentium 6805 scores 383 against 379 for the Athlon 220GE, a 1% advantage. The single-core R15 test shows 54 versus 53, a 1.9% lead for Intel. This is the largest margin in any test. In Cinebench R20 multicore, the Pentium 6805 scores 1596 against 1580, again a 1% lead. The single-core R20 test shows 225 versus 223, a 0.9% advantage. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the Pentium 6805 scores 3801 against 3764, a 1% lead. The single-core R23 test shows 536 versus 531, a 0.9% advantage.

The pattern is clear: the Pentium 6805's best relative performance comes in the single-core R15 test, where it leads by 1.9%. Its smallest margins are 0.9% in both R20 single-core and R23 single-core. Multicore margins are consistently 1% across all three Cinebench versions. The Athlon 220GE never comes out ahead, but it also never falls behind by more than 1.9%.

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database provides additional context. The Athlon 220GE's average score of 1088 places it exactly level with the Intel Core i5-3350P, which also scores 1088 with a 0% delta. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-2450P (1086) and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i3-6320 (1085), while trailing the Intel Pentium Gold G5400 (1091) by 0.3%. The Pentium 6805's average score of 1099 matches the Intel Core i5-3450S exactly, is 0.1% ahead of both the Intel Xeon E5-1603 v3 and the AMD PRO A10-8850B (both at 1098), and trails the Intel Pentium Gold G6500 (1101) by 0.2%.

These rival comparisons show that both chips sit in the same performance class as older quad-core desktop processors, despite only having two physical cores with four threads.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Pentium 6805 wins every benchmark category in this comparison. Its advantages are most pronounced in single-core R15 performance, where it leads by 1.9%, and it maintains a consistent 1% lead in all multicore tests. It also offers higher memory bandwidth at 51.2 GB/s versus 42.7 GB/s, a lower TDP of 15 W versus 35 W, and a newer 10 nm process node. For users who need a low-power mobile processor, the Pentium 6805 is the clear winner on measured performance and efficiency.

The AMD Athlon 220GE has no benchmark wins, but it holds advantages in other areas. It is a desktop processor with an active production status, while the Pentium 6805 is end-of-life. It uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform, which may be more accessible for desktop builders. It has a higher base clock of 3.40 GHz, which means it does not rely on boost behavior to reach its operating frequency. It also has a larger L1 cache (96 KB per core versus 80 KB) and L2 cache (512 KB per core versus 256 KB), plus a significantly lower launch MSRP of $65 compared to $161.

In use-case terms, the Pentium 6805 is the choice for anyone who wants the best Cinebench scores in the lowest-power mobile form factor. The Athlon 220GE is the choice for desktop users on the AM4 platform who value an active production part and a much lower launch MSRP. Performance parity is close enough that the decision should rest on platform and form factor rather than raw speed.