AMD Athlon PRO 300U vs AMD Opteron 6220 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a complete sweep for the AMD Opteron 6220 across all five shared Cinebench tests, though the margins are surprisingly consistent rather than overwhelming. The largest single advantage appears in Cinebench R15 multicore, where the Opteron 6220 scores 407 against the Athlon PRO 300U's 349, a 16.6% lead. That same 16.6% delta repeats in Cinebench R20 singlecore, with the Opteron posting 239 versus 205.

The multicore results tell a similar story at every iteration. In Cinebench R20 multicore, the Opteron 6220 reaches 1696 while the Athlon PRO 300U manages 1456, a 16.5% gap. Cinebench R23 multicore shows the Opteron at 4040 against 3468, again a 16.5% difference. The singlecore tests follow the same pattern: Cinebench R23 singlecore sees the Opteron score 570 against 489, a 16.6% advantage. Notably, the Opteron 6220 wins all five head-to-head tests, while the Athlon PRO 300U records zero wins.

What stands out is the uniformity of the margin. Whether the workload is single-threaded or multi-threaded, the delta hovers near 16.5% to 16.6%. This suggests the performance gap is not workload-dependent but rather a consistent architectural throughput difference. The Opteron 6220's advantage is real but not dramatic; for a server part from 2011 facing a mobile chip from 2019, one might expect a wider spread, especially in multicore where the Opteron has four additional physical cores.

Looking at average benchmark scores, the two processors land nearly identically in the database's composite metric. The Opteron 6220 averages 1168, while the Athlon PRO 300U averages 1193. This places the Athlon slightly ahead on average despite losing every direct comparison, which reflects the different test sets each processor has been through. The Opteron's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-3570S at 1169 (0.1% behind), the Intel Core i7-2960XM at 1169 (0.1% behind), and the Intel Core i5-3450 at 1166 (0.1% ahead). The Athlon PRO 300U's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-4170 at 1193 (exactly tied) and the Intel Core i7-8665UE at 1193 (also tied).

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from completely different generations of AMD design philosophy. The Opteron 6220 uses the Bulldozer architecture under the Interlagos codename, built on a 32 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It belongs to the Opteron 6000 series and targets the server and workstation segment. The Athlon PRO 300U, by contrast, uses the Zen architecture under the Raven Ridge 2 codename, built on a 14 nm process, also at GlobalFoundries, and targets mobile devices.

The core configurations differ sharply. The Opteron 6220 packs 8 cores and 8 threads, while the Athlon PRO 300U has only 2 cores and 4 threads thanks to simultaneous multithreading. Despite having four times the physical cores, the Opteron only manages a 16.6% multicore lead, which speaks to the efficiency of the Zen architecture per core versus Bulldozer's shared-module design.

Cache hierarchies reflect the different design eras. The Opteron 6220 has a 768 KB L1 cache, 2 MB of L2 per module, and 8 MB of L3 per die. The Athlon PRO 300U has 128 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 4 MB of shared L3. The Opteron's cache is organized around its dual-core module layout, while the Athlon uses a more conventional per-core allocation with a shared L3 pool.

Memory support also diverges. The Opteron 6220 uses DDR3 memory with a quad-channel bus and a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The Athlon PRO 300U uses DDR4 with a dual-channel bus, and the database records no bandwidth figure for it. The Opteron also supports ECC memory, while the Athlon does not. The Opteron provides PCIe Gen 2, while the Athlon's PCIe generation is not recorded. The Opteron has no integrated graphics, whereas the Athlon PRO 300U includes Radeon Vega 3 graphics.

Transistor counts and die sizes further separate them. The Opteron 6220 contains 2,400 million transistors across a dual-die design measuring 2x 315 mm². The Athlon PRO 300U has no transistor count or die size recorded, a reflection of its more integrated mobile design.

Where Each One Wins

The Opteron 6220 wins every benchmark where both processors have recorded scores, so its case is straightforward: it is the faster chip in all measured Cinebench workloads, both singlecore and multicore. For server workloads that rely on sustained multicore throughput, the Opteron's 8 cores provide a clear advantage, even if the margin is narrower than the core count suggests. Its quad-channel DDR3 memory with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth and ECC support make it suited for memory-intensive server tasks where data integrity and bandwidth matter.

The Athlon PRO 300U wins in areas not captured by the Cinebench suite. Its 15 W TDP versus the Opteron's 115 W makes it dramatically more power-efficient, a critical factor for mobile deployments. The integrated Radeon Vega 3 graphics eliminate the need for a separate GPU, which is essential for thin-and-light laptops. The Athlon also supports DDR4 memory, which offers lower operating voltages and higher potential densities than DDR3. Its active production status means it remains available for new designs, while the Opteron is end-of-life.

The average benchmark score slightly favors the Athlon PRO 300U, 1193 versus 1168, which suggests that in other workloads outside the shared test set, the Athlon may close or even reverse the gap. The Zen architecture's superior instructions-per-clock likely gives the Athlon an edge in latency-sensitive or lightly threaded applications where the Opteron's Bulldozer design struggles.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every fundamental specification. The Opteron 6220 has 8 cores and 8 threads, while the Athlon PRO 300U has 2 cores and 4 threads. Base clock speeds are 3.00 GHz for the Opteron and 2.40 GHz for the Athlon; boost clocks are 3.60 GHz and 3.30 GHz respectively. The Opteron's TDP is 115 W, the Athlon's is 15 W.

The Opteron uses AMD Socket G34, while the Athlon uses AMD Socket FP5. The architecture is Bulldozer versus Zen, with codenames Interlagos and Raven Ridge 2 respectively. The process node is 32 nm for the Opteron and 14 nm for the Athlon. The Opteron's L1 cache is 768 KB total, the Athlon's is 128 KB per core. L2 cache is 2 MB per module for the Opteron versus 512 KB per core for the Athlon. L3 cache is 8 MB per die for the Opteron versus 4 MB shared for the Athlon.

Memory support moves from DDR3 to DDR4, and the memory bus drops from quad-channel to dual-channel. The Opteron records 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth; the Athlon records none. ECC memory is supported on the Opteron but not the Athlon. The Opteron provides PCIe Gen 2, the Athlon's PCIe generation is unrecorded. The Opteron has no integrated graphics, while the Athlon includes Radeon Vega 3.

The market segments differ: server and workstation for the Opteron, mobile for the Athlon. Production status is end-of-life for the Opteron and active for the Athlon. Release dates are November 2011 for the Opteron and April 2019 for the Athlon. The Opteron carries a launch MSRP of $523; the Athlon has no recorded launch MSRP. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in Cinebench R23 multicore?

A: The AMD Opteron 6220 scores 4040 versus the AMD Athlon PRO 300U's 3468, a 16.5% advantage.

Q: Does the Athlon PRO 300U win any benchmark against the Opteron 6220?

A: No. Across the five shared Cinebench tests (R15 multicore, R20 multicore, R20 singlecore, R23 multicore, R23 singlecore), the Opteron 6220 wins all five with deltas between 16.5% and 16.6%.

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The Athlon PRO 300U averages 1193, while the Opteron 6220 averages 1168. The Athlon is slightly ahead in the composite metric despite losing all head-to-head tests.

Q: What are the core and thread counts for each processor?

A: The Opteron 6220 has 8 cores and 8 threads. The Athlon PRO 300U has 2 cores and 4 threads.

Q: Which processor supports ECC memory?

A: The Opteron 6220 supports ECC memory. The Athlon PRO 300U does not.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two?

A: The Opteron 6220 has a TDP of 115 W, while the Athlon PRO 300U has a TDP of 15 W.