AMD Athlon PRO 3045B vs AMD PRO A12-8870E Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits cleanly along architectural lines. The AMD PRO A12-8870E wins every single head-to-head benchmark in the database, taking all five Cinebench tests across R15, R20, and R23. Its wins range from 8.4% to 8.7% over the Athlon PRO 3045B, a consistent margin that suggests a stable performance advantage rather than a workload-specific quirk.

The AMD Athlon PRO 3045B, however, holds its own in areas the head-to-head table does not cover. It is the only processor of the two with a Geekbench entry, scoring 1287 in multi-core and 766 in single-core. These numbers sit outside the direct comparison but give the database a second perspective on its capabilities. The Athlon also carries ECC memory support, a feature the PRO A12-8870E lacks entirely, which makes it the only option here for systems requiring error-correcting memory.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the PRO A12-8870E posts 880 against the Athlon's 872, a gap of less than 1%. Both sit at the 23rd percentile among all CPUs in the database, meaning they occupy essentially the same performance tier. The nearest rivals confirm this: the PRO A12-8870E matches the AMD Ryzen 3 2300U at a 0% delta, while the Athlon PRO 3045B sits within 0.6% of the Intel Core i7-3540M and 0.1% of the Intel Atom C5315. These are close competitors, not distant ones.

The use-case split is therefore not about raw speed, which slightly favors the PRO A12-8870E, but about feature sets and platform positioning. The PRO A12-8870E is a desktop part on AMD Socket AM4 with a 35W TDP, while the Athlon PRO 3045B is a mobile processor on Socket FP5 with a 15W TDP. The data implies the Athlon belongs in low-power, mobile or embedded contexts where ECC and efficiency matter, while the PRO A12-8870E targets desktop builds where every Cinebench point counts.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different eras of AMD design. The PRO A12-8870E uses the Excavator architecture, codenamed Carrizo, built on a 28nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 3,100 million transistors onto a 250 mm² die. The Athlon PRO 3045B uses the Zen architecture, codenamed Dali, on a 14nm process, also from GlobalFoundries, with 3,500 million transistors on a much smaller 148 mm² die. The node shrink explains the transistor density difference: the Athlon fits more transistors into nearly 40% less silicon.

Core counts diverge sharply. The PRO A12-8870E has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the Athlon PRO 3045B has only 2 cores but 4 threads thanks to simultaneous multithreading. This means the Athlon's two physical cores can handle four threads, whereas the PRO A12-8870E's four cores each handle exactly one thread. The benchmark results suggest the extra physical cores on the PRO A12-8870E outweigh the Athlon's threading advantage in multi-threaded Cinebench loads.

Cache hierarchies tell a similar story. The PRO A12-8870E has 320 KB of L1 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache, with no L3 at all. The Athlon PRO 3045B has 96 KB of L1 per core (192 KB total for two cores), 512 KB of L2 per core (1 MB total), and a shared 4 MB L3 cache. The Athlon's L3 cache is a significant architectural addition that the Excavator-based part simply does not have, which should help with repeated data access patterns despite the lower core count.

Clock speeds favor the PRO A12-8870E on paper. It runs at a 2.90 GHz base and boosts to 3.70 GHz, while the Athlon PRO 3045B sits at 2.30 GHz base and 3.20 GHz boost. The PRO A12-8870E also has a higher TDP of 35W versus the Athlon's 15W, which explains its ability to sustain higher clocks. Integrated graphics differ as well: the PRO A12-8870E carries a Radeon R7 GPU, while the Athlon PRO 3045B has a Radeon Vega with 2 compute units. Both support DDR4 memory over dual channels with identical 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, but only the Athlon supports ECC.

PCIe connectivity is listed as Gen 3 for both, with the Athlon specifically noting 12 lanes from the CPU. The PRO A12-8870E has no lane count specified. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier, so overclocking is off the table for both.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple conclusion: the AMD PRO A12-8870E is the faster processor in every measured Cinebench scenario, with margins between 8.4% and 8.7%. If the task is purely about rendering performance or single-threaded responsiveness as measured by Cinebench, the PRO A12-8870E is the pick. Its four physical cores give it a structural advantage that the Athlon's two cores with four threads cannot fully overcome.

The AMD Athlon PRO 3045B, however, is not without a compelling case. Its 15W TDP makes it dramatically more power-efficient on paper, and ECC memory support is a hard requirement for certain workstation or server-adjacent workloads. The Geekbench scores, while not directly comparable to the PRO A12-8870E, show it can handle general-purpose tasks. For a mobile or low-power system where reliability features matter more than Cinebench points, the Athlon is the only choice here.

Neither processor escapes the 23rd percentile, so expectations should be modest. The database shows both parts trading blows with older Intel Core i3 and i7 chips, as well as AMD's own Ryzen 3 2300U. The PRO A12-8870E matches the Ryzen 3 2300U exactly at an average score of 880, while the Athlon PRO 3045B trails the Intel Core i3-5157U by 0.5%. These are entry-level performers in the broader CPU landscape.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core Cinebench tests?

A: The AMD PRO A12-8870E wins all multi-core Cinebench tests. It scores 257 versus 237 in R15, 1074 versus 988 in R20, and 2558 versus 2354 in R23, with margins of 8.4% to 8.7%.

Q: Does the AMD Athlon PRO 3045B support ECC memory?

A: Yes. The Athlon PRO 3045B has ECC memory support, while the AMD PRO A12-8870E does not support ECC.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two?

A: The AMD PRO A12-8870E has a TDP of 35W, while the AMD Athlon PRO 3045B has a TDP of 15W, a 20W difference.

Q: Which processor has more physical cores?

A: The AMD PRO A12-8870E has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the AMD Athlon PRO 3045B has 2 cores and 4 threads.

Q: Are there any benchmark tests where the Athlon PRO 3045B wins?

A: In the head-to-head Cinebench benchmarks, the Athlon PRO 3045B wins none. However, it has Geekbench scores of 1287 multi-core and 766 single-core, which are not part of the direct comparison.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for each processor?

A: The AMD PRO A12-8870E has an average benchmark score of 880, and the AMD Athlon PRO 3045B has an average score of 872.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench R15 multi-core test opens the comparison with the PRO A12-8870E scoring 257 against the Athlon's 237, an 8.4% advantage. This is the smallest margin of the five tests, but it sets the tone. Moving to Cinebench R20 multi-core, the PRO A12-8870E scores 1074 versus 988, widening the gap slightly to 8.7%. The single-core R20 test shows 151 against 139, again an 8.6% win for the PRO A12-8870E. Cinebench R23 repeats the pattern: 2558 versus 2354 in multi-core and 361 versus 332 in single-core, both at 8.7% margins.

The consistency is notable. Across five different test versions and two workload types (single-core and multi-core), the PRO A12-8870E never dips below 8.4% and never exceeds 8.7%. This narrow band suggests the performance difference is architectural and systematic, not dependent on specific test conditions. The 4-core Excavator design with higher clocks simply outperforms the 2-core Zen design with lower clocks in these workloads.

The Athlon's Geekbench results, though not in the head-to-head table, offer a counterpoint. Its single-core score of 766 and multi-core score of 1287 indicate it can still handle everyday computing. But against the PRO A12-8870E's Cinebench dominance, the Athlon's only recorded wins are in features, not raw benchmark scores.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in nearly every core specification. The PRO A12-8870E has 4 cores versus the Athlon's 2, though both support 4 threads. Base clocks are 2.90 GHz versus 2.30 GHz, and boost clocks are 3.70 GHz versus 3.20 GHz. TDP is 35W versus 15W. The sockets are incompatible: AMD Socket AM4 for the PRO A12-8870E and AMD Socket FP5 for the Athlon.

Architecture separates them entirely: Excavator (Carrizo) on 28nm versus Zen (Dali) on 14nm. Transistor counts are 3,100 million versus 3,500 million, and die sizes are 250 mm² versus 148 mm². Cache configurations differ completely: the PRO A12-8870E has 320 KB L1 and 2 MB L2 with no L3, while the Athlon has 96 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 4 MB shared L3.

Memory support is identical in type (DDR4), bus (dual-channel), and bandwidth (38.4 GB/s), but ECC support is exclusive to the Athlon. PCIe is Gen 3 for both, with the Athlon specifying 12 CPU lanes. Integrated graphics differ: Radeon R7 on the PRO A12-8870E versus Radeon Vega (2CU) on the Athlon. The PRO A12-8870E targets the desktop market, while the Athlon is a mobile part. Both are Active in production, neither has an unlocked multiplier, and neither has a launch MSRP in the database.