AMD Athlon Silver 10 vs Intel Core i5-3470 Comparison

The Intel Core i5-3470 and AMD Athlon Silver 10 occupy the same 63rd percentile of all CPUs in the benchmark database, yet their performance profiles could hardly be more different. The Intel part, a 2012 desktop veteran, leverages four physical cores to dominate multi-threaded workloads, while the AMD chip, a 2025 mobile newcomer built on Zen 2, counters with superior single-thread efficiency. The head-to-head data reveals a clear split: the i5-3470 wins 8 of 11 benchmark comparisons, but the Athlon Silver 10 takes the two most telling single-thread tests and one encryption workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided victory for the Intel Core i5-3470 comes in prime number finding, where it scores 28 versus the Athlon’s 13 — a massive 115.4% advantage. This workload scales almost perfectly with core count, and the i5’s four cores simply overwhelm the Athlon’s two. Floating-point math tells a similar story: the i5-3470 posts 10,871 against 5,936, a 83.1% lead that reflects both the core deficit and the older chip’s higher base clock of 3.20 GHz versus 2.40 GHz.

Random string sorting is another Intel stronghold, with the i5-3470 scoring 9,004 against 4,736 — a 90.1% margin. Data compression follows at 73,224 versus 42,492, a 72.3% win for Intel. These memory-latency-sensitive tasks reward the i5’s larger 6 MB shared L3 cache, while the Athlon makes do with just 2 MB shared L3. The physics benchmark, which often reflects integer and branch performance, goes to Intel by 80% (378 versus 210). Integer math is also firmly Intel territory at 14,840 versus 9,354, a 58.6% edge.

The AMD Athlon Silver 10’s first win comes in data encryption, where it scores 2,125 versus 1,189 — a 44% margin. This is a notable reversal, as encryption workloads often favor newer instruction sets; the Zen 2 architecture’s AES-NI implementation appears more efficient than Ivy Bridge’s. The second and third wins for AMD are in single-thread performance: both the passmark_single_thread and passmark_singlethread tests show the Athlon at 2,089 against the i5’s 1,935, a 7.4% advantage. This is ironic given the i5’s higher boost clock of 3.60 GHz versus 3.50 GHz, but Zen 2’s superior IPC (instructions per clock) more than compensates.

Multithreaded performance, the aggregate measure, goes to Intel by 31.8% (4,669 versus 3,543). Extended instructions also favor Intel at 3,548 versus 2,747, a 29.2% gap. In total, the i5-3470’s average benchmark score of 6,906 edges the Athlon’s 6,849, a difference of less than 1%. The nearest rival data places both chips in similar company: the i5-3470 sits within 0.5% of the Intel Core i9-9960X and 0.8% of the Intel Core i3-1115G4, while the Athlon Silver 10 is essentially tied with the AMD Athlon X4 970 and Intel Core i3-1115G4.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in single-core tasks?

A: The AMD Athlon Silver 10 wins both single-thread benchmarks, scoring 2,089 versus the Intel Core i5-3470’s 1,935 — a 7.4% advantage in each test.

Q: How much does the Intel chip lead in multi-core performance?

A: The i5-3470 posts a 31.8% higher multithread score (4,669 versus 3,543) and a 83.1% lead in floating-point math (10,871 versus 5,936).

Q: What explains the Athlon’s encryption win?

A: The Athlon Silver 10 scores 2,125 in data encryption versus 1,189 for the i5-3470, a 44% margin that likely stems from the newer Zen 2 architecture’s more efficient cryptographic instruction handling.

Q: Are these processors in the same performance tier overall?

A: Yes, both sit at the 63rd percentile of all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores are nearly identical: 6,906 for the i5-3470 and 6,849 for the Athlon Silver 10.

Q: Which chip has more cores and threads?

A: The Intel Core i5-3470 has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the AMD Athlon Silver 10 has only 2 cores and 2 threads.

Q: Does the newer process node help the AMD chip?

A: The Athlon Silver 10 uses a 6 nm process from TSMC, versus Intel’s 22 nm node for the i5-3470, which contributes to its 15 W TDP versus the i5’s 77 W, but it does not overcome the core-count deficit in multi-threaded tests.

Architecture Differences

The two processors represent fundamentally different design philosophies separated by over a decade of silicon evolution. The Intel Core i5-3470 uses the Ivy Bridge architecture, built on a 22 nm process at Intel’s own foundry. It packs 1,400 million transistors into a 160 mm² die. The AMD Athlon Silver 10, by contrast, uses the Zen 2 architecture under the Mendocino codename, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC with a smaller 100 mm² die size. This process advantage allows AMD to achieve a 15 W TDP, while the Intel part draws 77 W — a fivefold difference in power efficiency.

Core configuration is the most striking architectural divergence. The i5-3470 offers 4 cores and 4 threads, each with 64 KB of L1 cache and 256 KB of L2 cache, plus a shared 6 MB L3 cache. The Athlon Silver 10 halves the core count to 2 cores and 2 threads, gives each core 64 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2, but only 2 MB of shared L3. This means the Intel chip has three times the total L3 capacity, which directly contributes to its dominance in data compression and string sorting.

Memory architecture also differs sharply. The i5-3470 supports DDR3 memory over a dual-channel bus, delivering 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The Athlon Silver 10 uses LPDDR5 over dual-channel, achieving 88.0 GB/s — a 3.4x bandwidth advantage that explains its relatively strong single-thread performance despite fewer cores. Neither chip supports ECC memory. PCIe connectivity differs as well: the Intel part provides Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, while the AMD part offers Gen 3 with only 4 lanes.

Integrated graphics further separate the pair. The i5-3470 includes Intel HD 2500, a modest desktop GPU from 2012. The Athlon Silver 10 ships with Radeon 610M graphics, which leverages the newer Zen 2 memory controller. The market segments reflect their intended uses: Intel targets Desktop with the Socket 1155, while AMD targets Mobile with the Socket FT6. The i5-3470 is end-of-life with a launch MSRP of $184, while the Athlon Silver 10 remains active in production with no launch MSRP listed. Both processors are multiplier-locked, preventing user overclocking.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear choice based on workload priorities. For multi-threaded productivity, the Intel Core i5-3470 is the definitive winner. It leads by 31.8% in multithread, 83.1% in floating-point math, and 115.4% in prime number finding. Any task that can utilize four cores — video encoding, 3D rendering, data compression — will see substantial benefits from the i5. The 72.3% edge in data compression and 90.1% lead in random string sorting further cement its position for database and file-handling workloads.

For single-thread responsiveness and power efficiency, the AMD Athlon Silver 10 takes the crown. Its 7.4% single-thread advantage, while modest, matters for lightly-threaded applications like web browsing, office suites, and legacy software. The 44% encryption win also signals an edge for security-related tasks. The 15 W TDP versus 77 W makes the Athlon the clear choice for fanless or battery-constrained designs, and its LPDDR5 memory support at 88.0 GB/s bandwidth provides future-proofing that the DDR3-limited i5 cannot match.

The average benchmark scores tell a story of near-parity: 6,906 for Intel versus 6,849 for AMD, a difference of 0.8%. Both chips rank at the 63rd percentile of all CPUs, and their nearest rivals include the same Intel Core i3-1115G4 within 0.8% either way. However, the benchmark distribution is bimodal: the i5-3470 dominates aggregate throughput while the Athlon wins efficiency-oriented tests. A desktop user with access to a 1155 motherboard and willing to accept 77 W power draw should choose the i5-3470. A mobile or low-power system builder prioritizing battery life and modern memory should pick the Athlon Silver 10.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i5-3470 | AMD Athlon Silver 10 |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 4 | 2 |

| Threads | 4 | 2 |

| Base Clock | 3.20 GHz | 2.40 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.60 GHz | 3.50 GHz |

| TDP | 77 W | 15 W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1155 | AMD Socket FT6 |

| Architecture | Ivy Bridge | Zen 2 |

| Codename | Ivy Bridge | Mendocino |

| Process Node | 22 nm | 6 nm |

| Foundry | Intel | TSMC |

| Die Size | 160 mm² | 100 mm² |

| L2 Cache | 256 KB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 6 MB (shared) | 2 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR3 | LPDDR5 |

| Memory Bandwidth | 25.6 GB/s | 88.0 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) | Gen 3, 4 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Integrated Graphics | Intel HD 2500 | Radeon 610M |

| Market Segment | Desktop | Mobile |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2012-05-31 | 2025-09-30 |

| Launch MSRP | $184 | None listed |

| Part Number | SR0T8 | 100-000000776 |