AMD Athlon Silver 10 vs Intel Core i9-10940X Comparison

FAQ

Q: How do the two processors compare in overall benchmark score?

A: The AMD Athlon Silver 10 has an average benchmark score of 6849, while the Intel Core i9-10940X scores 6605. The AMD part sits 0.6% below the Intel Xeon W-2195 in its nearest rival group, while the Intel part matches the Intel Pentium Gold G6405 exactly at 0.0% delta.

Q: Which processor has the higher single-thread performance?

A: The AMD Athlon Silver 10 records a PassMark single-thread score of 2089. The Intel Core i9-10940X has a Geekbench single-core score of 1556 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3320, but these are different test suites, so direct numeric comparison is not possible.

Q: What is the core and thread configuration of each processor?

A: The AMD Athlon Silver 10 has 2 cores and 2 threads. The Intel Core i9-10940X has 14 cores and 28 threads, a 7x difference in core count and a 14x difference in thread count.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i9-10940X boosts to 4.80 GHz, while the AMD Athlon Silver 10 boosts to 3.50 GHz. The Intel part also has a higher base clock at 3.30 GHz versus 2.40 GHz.

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare?

A: The AMD Athlon Silver 10 supports LPDDR5 memory with 88.0 GB/s bandwidth on a dual-channel bus. The Intel Core i9-10940X supports DDR4 on a quad-channel bus, but its memory bandwidth figure is not recorded in the database.

Q: Which processor has a higher percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The AMD Athlon Silver 10 ranks in the 63rd percentile, while the Intel Core i9-10940X ranks in the 62nd percentile. These are nearly identical, despite the vast difference in core count.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Athlon Silver 10 uses the Zen 2 architecture under the Mendocino codename, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC with a die size of 100 mm². The Intel Core i9-10940X uses the Cascade Lake architecture under the Cascade Lake-X codename, fabricated on a 14 nm process at Intel. This process gap is substantial: the AMD chip uses a node that is more than twice as dense by process generation.

The core configurations diverge sharply. AMD offers 2 cores and 2 threads, while Intel offers 14 cores and 28 threads. Cache hierarchies reflect this difference. Both share 64 KB of L1 per core, but AMD has 512 KB of L2 per core versus Intel's 1 MB per core. The L3 cache is also different: AMD has 2 MB shared, while Intel has 19.25 MB shared, nearly 10x the L3 capacity.

Memory support differs fundamentally. The AMD part uses LPDDR5 in dual-channel configuration with a recorded bandwidth of 88.0 GB/s. The Intel part uses DDR4 in quad-channel configuration, though its bandwidth is not listed. Both lack ECC memory support.

Platform features also separate them. AMD uses Socket FT6, a mobile socket, and includes integrated Radeon 610M graphics. Intel uses Socket 2066, a desktop enthusiast socket, and has no integrated graphics. The AMD part supports PCIe Gen 3 with 4 CPU lanes, while Intel supports PCIe Gen 3 without a lane count listed. AMD's multiplier is locked; Intel's is unlocked, allowing overclocking.

The process node, core count, and cache sizes are the dominant architectural contrasts. The 6 nm Zen 2 design targets low-power mobile operation with a 15 W TDP, while the 14 nm Cascade Lake-X targets high-throughput desktop work with a 165 W TDP. These are fundamentally different market segments: mobile efficiency versus desktop performance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two processors use different benchmark suites in the database, so direct head-to-head comparisons require care. The AMD Athlon Silver 10 has PassMark results across nine tests. The Intel Core i9-10940X has Cinebench and Geekbench results across eight tests. No shared benchmark names exist between the two.

The AMD Athlon Silver 10 demonstrates particular strengths in the PassMark suite. Its data compression score of 42492 is far above its own average. Data encryption scores 2125, extended instructions score 2747, and floating point math scores 5936. Integer math reaches 9354, and multithread scores 3543. Random string sorting hits 4736, while physics scores 210 and find prime numbers scores only 13.

The Intel Core i9-10940X shows exceptional multi-core capability in the Cinebench suite. Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 23520, while R20 multi-core hits 9878 and R15 multi-core scores 2370. Single-core results are 3320 in R23, 1394 in R20, and 334 in R15. Geekbench multi-core scores 10464, with a single-core score of 1556.

The Intel part's multi-core scores are massive relative to its single-core scores. The ratio of R23 multi-core to single-core is approximately 7.1x, reflecting the 14-core/28-thread design. The AMD part's PassMark multithread score of 3543 against a single-thread score of 2089 yields a ratio of only about 1.7x, consistent with a 2-core/2-thread design.

In the absence of shared benchmarks, the average scores serve as the best cross-comparison metric. AMD's 6849 average sits 3.7% above Intel's 6605. Both parts rank near each other in the overall percentile distribution, with AMD at 63 and Intel at 62. The AMD part's nearest rival is the AMD Athlon X4 970 at 6850, a 0.0% delta, and the Intel Xeon W-2195 at 6892, a -0.6% delta. The Intel part's nearest rival is the Intel Pentium Gold G6405 at 6605, a 0.0% delta, and the Intel Core i5-13500E at 6586, a 0.3% delta.

The data shows that the AMD part wins on average benchmark score and percentile ranking, while the Intel part wins decisively on multi-core throughput in its own test suite. The AMD part's strong data compression score of 42492 is particularly notable, far exceeding its other PassMark results.

The Verdict

The data supports a clear split based on workload type. The AMD Athlon Silver 10 achieves a higher average benchmark score of 6849 versus 6605 for the Intel Core i9-10940X, and it ranks in the 63rd percentile versus the 62nd. For general-purpose single-threaded work and light mobile tasks, the AMD part delivers competitive results with dramatically lower power consumption.

The Intel Core i9-10940X is the choice for heavily multi-threaded workloads. Its 14 cores and 28 threads produce Cinebench R23 multi-core scores of 23520, and its Geekbench multi-core score of 10464 reflects strong parallel scaling. The unlocked multiplier allows further tuning for users seeking additional performance.

The AMD part is a mobile processor with integrated Radeon 610M graphics, making it suitable for compact systems where a discrete GPU is not needed. Its 15 W TDP and LPDDR5 memory support indicate a low-power design. The Intel part has no integrated graphics, requiring a discrete GPU for any display output.

The average benchmark scores are close, but the underlying strengths differ sharply. The AMD part wins on data compression with a score of 42492, while the Intel part wins on multi-core rendering workloads. The AMD part's single-thread PassMark score of 2089 is strong for a 2-core part, while the Intel part's single-core Cinebench R23 score of 3320 is respectable for a high-core-count chip.

Users with single-threaded or light workloads, mobile form factors, or power-constrained environments should favor the AMD Athlon Silver 10. Users running multi-threaded rendering, encoding, or scientific workloads on a desktop platform should favor the Intel Core i9-10940X. The data does not support a single universal winner; it supports a workload-dependent choice.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Athlon Silver 10 | Intel Core i9-10940X |

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

| Cores | 2 | 14 |

| Threads | 2 | 28 |

| Base Clock | 2.40 GHz | 3.30 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.50 GHz | 4.80 GHz |

| TDP | 15 W | 165 W |

| Socket | AMD Socket FT6 | Intel Socket 2066 |

| Architecture | Zen 2 | Cascade Lake |

| Codename | Mendocino | Cascade Lake-X |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 14 nm |

| Foundry | TSMC | Intel |

| Die Size | 100 mm² | Not recorded |

| L2 Cache | 512 KB (per core) | 1 MB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 2 MB (shared) | 19.25 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | LPDDR5 | DDR4 |

| Memory Bus | Dual-channel | Quad-channel |

| Memory Bandwidth | 88.0 GB/s | Not recorded |

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

| Integrated Graphics | Radeon 610M | None |

| Market Segment | Mobile | Desktop |

| Multiplier Unlocked | No | Yes |

| Release Date | 2025-09-30 | 2019-10-18 |

Where Each One Wins

AMD Athlon Silver 10 wins on:

• Average benchmark score: 6849 versus 6605, a 3.7% advantage
• Percentile ranking: 63rd versus 62nd among all CPUs
• Data compression: PassMark score of 42492, its strongest result
• Power efficiency: 15 W TDP versus 165 W, a 11x difference
• Process technology: 6 nm versus 14 nm
• Integrated graphics: Radeon 610M included versus none on the Intel part
• Memory bandwidth: 88.0 GB/s recorded versus no figure for Intel
• Mobile form factor: Socket FT6 versus desktop Socket 2066

Intel Core i9-10940X wins on:

• Core count: 14 versus 2, a 7x advantage
• Thread count: 28 versus 2, a 14x advantage
• Multi-core rendering: Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23520
• Multi-core scaling: R23 multi-core to single-core ratio of about 7.1x
• Base clock: 3.30 GHz versus 2.40 GHz
• Boost clock: 4.80 GHz versus 3.50 GHz
• L3 cache: 19.25 MB shared versus 2 MB shared
• L2 cache: 1 MB per core versus 512 KB per core
• Overclocking: unlocked multiplier versus locked
• Desktop platform: Socket 2066 with quad-channel DDR4

The AMD part wins for lightweight, power-sensitive, single-threaded, and mobile use cases. The Intel part wins for heavy multi-threaded desktop workloads where core count and parallel throughput dominate. The benchmark data shows the AMD part leading on average score, but the Intel part's multi-core results in Cinebench and Geekbench demonstrate a completely different performance envelope.