AMD Athlon X4 840 vs Intel Xeon X5570 Comparison

The AMD Athlon X4 840 and Intel Xeon X5570 are both end-of-life desktop and server/workstation processors, respectively, that land in the same performance tier according to aggregate data. The Athlon X4 840 holds an average benchmark score of 975, placing it at the 26th percentile of all CPUs, while the Xeon X5570 scores 967, also at the 26th percentile. In head-to-head testing, the AMD part wins all five Cinebench comparisons, but the margins are consistently narrow, ranging from 0.7% to 1.2%. These are not processors that dominate each other; they trade blows within a hair’s breadth, making the choice less about raw speed and more about platform features, memory architecture, and workload-specific needs.

Where Each One Wins

The data shows a clear, if slim, sweep for the AMD Athlon X4 840 across every benchmark listed. In multi-core workloads, the Athlon X4 840 edges ahead in Cinebench R15 (285 vs 283), R20 (1189 vs 1180), and R23 (2833 vs 2810). The single-core tests follow the same pattern, with the AMD chip winning R20 (168 vs 166) and R23 (400 vs 396). The largest margin of victory for the Athlon X4 840 is a 1.2% lead in Cinebench R20 single-core, which is statistically negligible but consistent. This suggests that for any Cinebench-based rendering or CPU stress test, the AMD part holds a slight but repeatable advantage.

The Intel Xeon X5570 does not win a single head-to-head benchmark, yet its losses are all within 1%. The practical difference in frame rendering or export times would be imperceptible. However, the Xeon’s win condition lies elsewhere. Its triple-channel memory bus provides a different bandwidth profile (32.0 GB/s) versus the Athlon’s dual-channel (34.1 GB/s), but the Xeon supports ECC memory, which the Athlon does not. For error-correcting workloads in server or workstation environments, the Xeon is the only choice, despite losing every compute benchmark. The Athlon X4 840 wins on efficiency, with a 65W TDP versus the Xeon’s 95W, and on raw benchmark scores, but the Xeon wins on reliability features and multi-threading capacity (8 threads vs 4), even if that thread advantage does not translate to Cinebench wins.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Athlon X4 840 scores 975 on average, while the Intel Xeon X5570 scores 967. This puts the AMD part 0.8% ahead on aggregate, though both sit at the 26th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Does the Intel Xeon X5570 ever beat the AMD Athlon X4 840 in the head-to-head tests?

A: No. The Xeon X5570 loses all five Cinebench comparisons, with the closest result being a 0.7% deficit in R15 multi-core (283 vs 285).

Q: What is the difference in thread counts?

A: The AMD Athlon X4 840 has 4 cores and 4 threads, while the Intel Xeon X5570 has 4 cores and 8 threads. Despite the Xeon’s 2x thread advantage, it still trails the Athlon in every multi-core benchmark listed.

Q: Do both processors support the same memory features?

A: No. Both support DDR3, but the Athlon X4 840 uses a dual-channel bus with 34.1 GB/s bandwidth and no ECC support. The Xeon X5570 uses a triple-channel bus with 32.0 GB/s bandwidth and supports ECC memory.

Q: Which processor has a higher base clock speed?

A: The AMD Athlon X4 840 has a base clock of 3.10 GHz and a boost clock of 3.80 GHz. The Intel Xeon X5570 has a base clock of 2.93 GHz and a boost clock of 3.33 GHz.

Q: What are the nearest rivals for each CPU?

A: The Athlon X4 840 is matched by the Intel Core i3-4130, Intel Core i3-4150T, and AMD A10-7870K, all with an average score of 975. The Xeon X5570 is closest to the AMD Ryzen 7 3700U (968) and Intel Core i5-2400S (968).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data is remarkably uniform. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the AMD Athlon X4 840 scores 285 against the Intel Xeon X5570’s 283, a 0.7% delta. Moving to Cinebench R20 multi-core, the gap widens slightly to 0.8% (1189 vs 1180). The same 0.8% margin appears in Cinebench R23 multi-core, where the Athlon scores 2833 and the Xeon scores 2810. These multi-core results are counterintuitive given the Xeon’s 8 threads versus the Athlon’s 4 threads, but the data is unambiguous: the older Steamroller architecture on the AMD chip outpaces the Nehalem-based Xeon in this test suite.

Single-core results follow the same trajectory. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Athlon X4 840 records 168 points, 1.2% higher than the Xeon’s 166. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the margin is 1.0% (400 vs 396). The largest delta in the entire comparison is that 1.2% single-core R20 result, which is still within noise for most real-world applications. The consistency of the AMD wins across all five tests suggests a slight architectural efficiency advantage in Cinebench’s rendering engine, rather than a clock speed or core count effect. The Athlon’s higher boost clock (3.80 GHz vs 3.33 GHz) likely contributes to the single-core wins, while the multi-core wins are more surprising given the Xeon’s thread count.

Specification Differences

The two processors diverge significantly on paper. The AMD Athlon X4 840 uses a 28 nm process node from GlobalFoundries, packing 2,411 million transistors into a 245 mm² die. The Intel Xeon X5570 uses Intel’s 45 nm process, with 731 million transistors on a 263 mm² die. The Athlon has a 65W TDP, while the Xeon draws 95W. Clock speeds favor AMD: 3.10 GHz base and 3.80 GHz boost versus Intel’s 2.93 GHz base and 3.33 GHz boost. The Athlon features an unlocked multiplier, whereas the Xeon is locked. Memory support differs in channel count: dual-channel for AMD (34.1 GB/s) and triple-channel for Intel (32.0 GB/s). ECC memory is supported only on the Xeon. The AMD part runs on Socket FM2+ with PCIe Gen 3 (16 CPU lanes), while the Xeon uses Socket 1366 with PCIe Gen 2. The Xeon has a launch MSRP of $1386; the Athlon has no listed launch MSRP.

Cache configurations are starkly different. The AMD Athlon X4 840 has 256 KB of L1 and 4 MB of L2, with no L3 cache. The Intel Xeon X5570 has 64 KB of L1 per core and 256 KB of L2 per core, plus 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The Xeon’s larger total cache (8 MB L3 plus per-core L2) does not translate into benchmark wins, indicating that the Athlon’s smaller but faster cache hierarchy is sufficient for Cinebench. The release dates are also far apart: the Athlon launched in August 2014, while the Xeon debuted in March 2009, a five-year gap that explains the process node and transistor count differences.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Athlon X4 840 is built on the Steamroller architecture, codenamed Kaveri. This is a 28 nm design from GlobalFoundries, featuring four cores and four threads with no SMT. The chip has a dual-channel DDR3 memory controller and lacks ECC support. It integrates no graphics, despite being part of the Kaveri family, and relies on a PCIe Gen 3 connection. The design prioritizes clock speed and per-core efficiency over multi-threading, which is reflected in its higher boost clock and single-core benchmark wins.

The Intel Xeon X5570 uses the Nehalem architecture, codenamed Gainestown, on a 45 nm process from Intel. It has four cores and eight threads via Hyper-Threading, a feature the AMD chip lacks. The Xeon includes an 8 MB shared L3 cache, triple-channel DDR3 memory support, and ECC memory capability, marking it as a server/workstation part. The architecture is older and less power-efficient, with a 95W TDP. The Xeon’s PCIe Gen 2 interface is a generation behind the AMD part. These architectural choices—SMT, larger cache, ECC, triple-channel memory—are aimed at reliability and throughput in server environments, yet they do not yield higher Cinebench scores than the simpler, faster-clocked AMD design.

The Verdict

The data points to a simple conclusion for raw compute performance: the AMD Athlon X4 840 is marginally faster in every Cinebench test, with wins ranging from 0.7% to 1.2%. Anyone running Cinebench-based workloads, or similar single-threaded and lightly-threaded tasks, should choose the Athlon X4 840 for its higher base and boost clocks, lower 65W TDP, and consistent benchmark lead. The unlocked multiplier is a bonus for overclocking, though no overclocking data is present in the fact pack.

The Intel Xeon X5570 is the pick for specific platform needs, not for benchmark supremacy. Its ECC memory support, triple-channel memory bus, and 8 threads make it suitable for server or workstation applications where data integrity and memory bandwidth are critical. The Xeon’s 8 MB L3 cache and Hyper-Threading provide a different resource profile, even if Cinebench does not exploit it. The Xeon also carries a launch MSRP of $1386, which is the only pricing information available. If the workload requires ECC RAM or a Socket 1366 server platform, the Xeon is the only viable option. Otherwise, the AMD Athlon X4 840 wins on every measurable benchmark and on power efficiency, making it the better choice for general desktop use.