AMD Athlon 240GE vs Intel Core i5-3550S Comparison

The AMD Athlon 240GE and Intel Core i5-3550S present a close contest in aggregate benchmarks, with the Athlon edging ahead by a 0.3% margin in average score (1121 vs 1118). The Athlon also holds a slight percentile advantage, ranking in the 32nd percentile of all CPUs compared to the i5’s 31st. However, the head-to-head results reveal a consistent, if narrow, pattern of AMD superiority across all six Cinebench tests, with the Athlon winning every single comparison. The data indicates that despite the i5’s additional physical cores, the newer Zen architecture of the Athlon compensates effectively in these specific workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking aspect of the head-to-head data is the uniformity of the results. The AMD Athlon 240GE wins all six benchmark comparisons, though the margins are consistently slim. In the Cinebench R15 multi-core test, the Athlon scores 390 against the i5-3550S’s 383, a 1.8% advantage. The single-core R15 result is a dead heat, with both processors scoring 54, though the benchmark still credits the Athlon with the win due to a 0% delta.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the pattern repeats. The Athlon’s multi-core score of 1627 surpasses the i5’s 1599 by 1.8%. In the single-core R20 test, the Athlon scores 229 versus 225, again a 1.8% lead. The Cinebench R23 results show the same trend, with the Athlon achieving a multi-core score of 3876 compared to the i5’s 3808, a 1.8% difference, and a single-core score of 547 versus 537, a 1.9% margin. The largest differential in the entire comparison is this 1.9% single-core R23 result, but even that is a modest gap.

The overall benchmark score for the Athlon is 1121, while the i5-3550S sits at 1118. When placed against their nearest rivals, the Athlon’s closest competitor is the Intel Xeon D-1518 at an identical 1121 average score, followed by the Intel Core i7-2860QM at 1120 (0.1% behind) and the Intel Core i3-4150 at 1119 (0.2% behind). The i5-3550S, for its part, is bracketed by the Intel Core i3-4150 at 1119 (0.1% ahead) and the Intel Core i7-2860QM at 1120 (0.1% ahead), with the Athlon itself being the next closest rival at 1121. This clustering shows that in raw average score, these two processors are effectively in the same performance tier, with the Athlon holding a marginal edge that is consistent across all tested workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher multi-core performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The AMD Athlon 240GE achieves a multi-core score of 3876, while the Intel Core i5-3550S scores 3808, giving the Athlon a 1.8% advantage in this test.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Intel Core i5-3550S outperforms the AMD Athlon 240GE?

A: No. Across all six head-to-head Cinebench tests (R15, R20, and R23 in both single-core and multi-core variants), the AMD Athlon 240GE is the winner in every instance, with delta percentages ranging from 0% to 1.9%.

Q: How do the two processors compare in terms of core and thread counts?

A: The Intel Core i5-3550S has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the AMD Athlon 240GE has 2 cores and 4 threads. Despite having half the physical cores, the Athlon’s simultaneous multithreading allows it to process an equal number of threads.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two CPUs?

A: The AMD Athlon 240GE has an average benchmark score of 1121, and the Intel Core i5-3550S has an average score of 1118. This represents a 0.3% advantage for the Athlon.

Q: Which processor supports DDR4 memory, and which supports DDR3?

A: The AMD Athlon 240GE supports DDR4 memory, while the Intel Core i5-3550S supports DDR3 memory. The Athlon also has a specified memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, whereas the i5’s memory bandwidth is not listed in the data.

Q: What are the integrated graphics solutions for each processor?

A: The AMD Athlon 240GE features Radeon Vega 3 integrated graphics, while the Intel Core i5-3550S features Intel HD 2500 integrated graphics.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different design eras and philosophies. The AMD Athlon 240GE is built on the Zen architecture, specifically the Raven Ridge generation, using a 14 nm process node from GlobalFoundries. This is a much more recent design, released in late 2018. It is a 2-core, 4-thread part with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and no boost clock listed. The Intel Core i5-3550S, by contrast, is based on the Ivy Bridge architecture, a 22 nm design from Intel, released in early 2012. It is a 4-core, 4-thread processor with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.70 GHz.

The cache hierarchies also differ markedly. The Athlon has a larger L1 cache at 96 KB per core and a larger L2 cache at 512 KB per core, but a smaller shared L3 cache of 4 MB. The i5-3550S has a smaller L1 cache at 64 KB per core and L2 cache at 256 KB per core, but compensates with a larger shared L3 cache of 6 MB. The transistor counts reflect the generational gap: the Athlon contains 4,950 million transistors on a 209.8 mm² die, while the i5 has 1,400 million transistors on a 160 mm² die. The memory support differs as well, with the Athlon using DDR4 and the i5 using DDR3. The Athlon also lists a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, a figure not provided for the Intel part.

The PCIe configurations are another point of divergence. The Athlon offers PCIe Gen 3 with 8 lanes (CPU only), while the i5-3550S offers PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only). Both processors have locked multipliers, meaning they are not unlocked for overclocking. The Athlon’s integrated graphics are Radeon Vega 3, while the i5 uses Intel HD 2500. The production status also differs, with the Athlon listed as “Active” and the i5 having no production status listed.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts are a primary specification difference. The AMD Athlon 240GE is a 2-core, 4-thread processor, whereas the Intel Core i5-3550S is a 4-core, 4-thread processor. This gives the i5 double the physical cores but the same thread count due to the Athlon’s SMT support. The clock speeds also differ: the Athlon has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and no boost clock, while the i5 has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.70 GHz.

The thermal design power (TDP) is a significant differentiator. The Athlon has a TDP of 35 watts, while the i5-3550S has a TDP of 65 watts. The sockets are incompatible: the Athlon uses AMD Socket AM4, and the i5 uses Intel Socket 1155. The memory support is another clear split, with the Athlon supporting DDR4 and the i5 supporting DDR3. The process node also differs, with the Athlon at 14 nm and the i5 at 22 nm. The Athlon’s L3 cache is 4 MB shared, while the i5’s L3 cache is 6 MB shared. The L1 and L2 caches are also different, as detailed in the architecture section. The PCIe lane count differs, with the Athlon providing 8 lanes and the i5 providing 16 lanes. The integrated graphics are different models, with the Athlon featuring Radeon Vega 3 and the i5 featuring Intel HD 2500. Finally, the release dates are far apart, with the Athlon released in December 2018 and the i5 in April 2012.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the AMD Athlon 240GE is the superior processor. It wins all six head-to-head Cinebench tests, holds a higher average benchmark score (1121 vs 1118), and has a higher percentile ranking (32nd vs 31st). The margins are narrow, consistently around 1.8% to 1.9%, but they are uniform across both single-core and multi-core workloads. The data does not show a single test where the Intel Core i5-3550S pulls ahead. For a user prioritizing raw benchmark performance in these specific tests, the Athlon 240GE is the clear choice, despite having only half the physical cores of the i5.

The i5-3550S’s advantage lies not in performance, but in its specification profile. It offers 4 physical cores and 6 MB of L3 cache, which could be beneficial in workloads not represented by the Cinebench suite. However, the benchmark data provided does not include any such tests. The i5 also has a higher boost clock of 3.70 GHz and more PCIe lanes (16 vs 8). But when the question is purely about the measured scores in the head-to-head comparison, the Athlon wins every time. The data is unambiguous: the AMD Athlon 240GE is the faster processor in this matchup.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Athlon 240GE wins in every benchmark category present in the data. In multi-core workloads, it leads by 1.8% in Cinebench R15 (390 vs 383), R20 (1627 vs 1599), and R23 (3876 vs 3808). In single-core workloads, it leads by 0% in R15 (54 vs 54), 1.8% in R20 (229 vs 225), and 1.9% in R23 (547 vs 537). This makes the Athlon the winner for any user whose primary concern is the performance measured by the Cinebench suite, whether that be rendering, general multi-threaded tasks, or single-threaded responsiveness.

The Intel Core i5-3550S does not win any of the head-to-head benchmarks. Its wins would have to come from outside the measured tests. It has a 4-core, 4-thread configuration, which could theoretically offer advantages in applications that scale specifically with physical core count rather than thread count, but no such benchmark is present in the data to confirm this. It also has a larger L3 cache of 6 MB and a higher boost clock of 3.70 GHz, but these do not translate into a victory in any of the six Cinebench tests. The i5 also offers double the PCIe lanes, which could be relevant for expansion card bandwidth, but this is a feature consideration rather than a performance win in the provided benchmarks. Therefore, based on the data, the Athlon is the winner in all measured areas, while the i5’s potential advantages remain unverified by the benchmark results.