AMD Athlon X4 870K vs Intel Core i7-950 Comparison

The AMD Athlon X4 870K is the clear winner in this matchup, taking every single benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. Despite the Intel Core i7-950's advantage in thread count and a larger shared L3 cache, the Athlon's superior clock speeds and newer process node deliver consistent, if narrow, victories across all tested workloads. The data shows a remarkably tight contest overall, with both processors landing at the 26th percentile among all CPUs and average benchmark scores separated by just one point.

FAQ

Q: Which processor is faster in multi-core benchmarks?

A: The AMD Athlon X4 870K wins all multi-core tests. It scores 294 vs 280 in Cinebench R15 (a 4.8% lead), 1225 vs 1167 in Cinebench R20 (a 4.7% lead), and 2917 vs 2780 in Cinebench R23 (a 4.7% lead).

Q: How do the two chips compare in single-core performance?

A: The AMD Athlon X4 870K also dominates single-core tests. It scores 172 vs 164 in Cinebench R20 single-core and 411 vs 392 in Cinebench R23 single-core, both representing a 4.7% and 4.6% advantage respectively.

Q: What is the overall average benchmark score difference?

A: The Intel Core i7-950 has an average benchmark score of 957, while the AMD Athlon X4 870K scores 956. This represents a negligible 0.1% difference, making the two effectively tied on aggregate performance.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No. Neither the Intel Core i7-950 nor the AMD Athlon X4 870K supports ECC memory, according to the specification data.

Q: Which processor has a higher base clock speed?

A: The AMD Athlon X4 870K has a significantly higher base clock of 3.90 GHz, compared to the Intel Core i7-950's base clock of 3.07 GHz.

Q: Are both processors still in production?

A: No. Both the Intel Core i7-950 and the AMD Athlon X4 870K are listed as end-of-life products.

Architecture Differences

The processors come from fundamentally different architectural eras and design philosophies. The Intel Core i7-950 is built on the 45 nm Nehalem architecture, codenamed Bloomfield, and uses a monolithic die containing 731 million transistors on a 263 mm² die. In contrast, the AMD Athlon X4 870K uses the 28 nm Steamroller architecture, codenamed Godaveri, manufactured by GlobalFoundries, with a substantially higher transistor count of 2,411 million on a 245 mm² die.

Threading is a major differentiator. The Intel chip supports 8 threads from its 4 physical cores via Hyper-Threading, while the AMD chip operates as a pure 4-core, 4-thread processor. The cache hierarchy also diverges sharply. Intel employs a three-tier system with 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and a large 8 MB shared L3 cache. AMD's design uses 256 KB L1 and 4 MB L2, but lacks any L3 cache entirely.

Clock speeds favor AMD decisively. The Athlon X4 870K runs at a 3.90 GHz base and boosts to 4.10 GHz, while the Core i7-950 runs at 3.07 GHz base and boosts to 3.33 GHz. The AMD chip also features an unlocked multiplier, allowing overclocking, whereas the Intel part is multiplier-locked. Memory controllers differ too: Intel uses triple-channel DDR3, while AMD uses dual-channel DDR3 with a stated memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s. PCIe support also differs, with AMD offering Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes and Intel offering the older Gen 2 standard.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark results are consistent and one-sided, with the AMD Athlon X4 870K winning all five head-to-head tests. The largest margin comes in Cinebench R15 multicore, where the Athlon scores 294 against Intel's 280, a 4.8% advantage. This pattern repeats across every other test with remarkable uniformity.

In Cinebench R20 multicore, the Athlon X4 870K scores 1225 versus the Core i7-950's 1167, a 4.7% lead. The single-core results follow the same trend. Cinebench R20 single-core shows the AMD part at 172 versus Intel's 164, again a 4.7% difference. Cinebench R23 multicore delivers a score of 2917 for AMD and 2780 for Intel, representing another 4.7% gap. The smallest margin appears in Cinebench R23 single-core, where AMD scores 411 against Intel's 392, a 4.6% difference.

The near-identical delta percentages across different workloads suggest a systematic performance advantage rather than a workload-specific strength. The Athlon's higher clock speeds appear to overcome the Intel processor's thread-count advantage and larger L3 cache in these Cinebench tests. The Intel Core i7-950's average benchmark score of 957 edges out the Athlon's 956 by a single point, but this aggregate figure includes a Geekbench multicore score of 1205 and a Geekbench singlecore score of 468 that only appear for the AMD chip, making direct aggregate comparison somewhat uneven.

Specification Differences

| Specification | Intel Core i7-950 | AMD Athlon X4 870K |

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

| Cores | 4 | 4 |

| Threads | 8 | 4 |

| Base Clock | 3.07 GHz | 3.90 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.33 GHz | 4.10 GHz |

| TDP | 130 W | 95 W |

| Socket | Intel Socket 1366 | AMD Socket FM2+ |

| Architecture | Nehalem | Steamroller |

| Process Node | 45 nm | 28 nm |

| Transistors | 731 million | 2,411 million |

| Die Size | 263 mm² | 245 mm² |

| L1 Cache | 64 KB (per core) | 256 KB |

| L2 Cache | 256 KB (per core) | 4 MB |

| L3 Cache | 8 MB (shared) | None |

| Memory Bus | Triple-channel | Dual-channel |

| Memory Bandwidth | Not specified | 34.1 GB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 2 | Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Multiplier Unlocked | No | Yes |

| Part Number | SLBEN | AD870KXBJCSBXAD870KXBI44JC |

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Athlon X4 870K wins every benchmark category, making a case for purely performance-oriented selection. Its advantages are consistent across both single-core and multi-core workloads, which suggests it handles general computing tasks, lightly threaded applications, and moderately threaded workloads with equal effectiveness. The unlocked multiplier further positions it as the choice for users who plan to overclock, as the 4.10 GHz boost clock can potentially be pushed higher.

The Intel Core i7-950, despite losing all benchmarks, retains structural advantages that could matter in specific scenarios. Its 8 threads versus 4 could theoretically benefit heavily threaded applications that scale beyond 4 threads, though the Cinebench multicore results show the Athlon still wins those tests. The 8 MB shared L3 cache is substantially larger than the Athlon's 4 MB L2, which could improve performance in cache-sensitive workloads. The triple-channel memory bus also provides a bandwidth advantage over the dual-channel setup, even though the specific bandwidth figure is only listed for the AMD chip.

The Intel processor's 731 million transistors on a larger 263 mm² die suggest a more complex core design, while the AMD chip packs over three times as many transistors into a slightly smaller die, reflecting the density improvement from the 28 nm process node. The 130 W TDP of the Intel part versus 95 W for AMD means the Athlon is more power-efficient, though both require dedicated cooling solutions.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Athlon X4 870K outperforms the Intel Core i7-950 in every single head-to-head benchmark test, with margins ranging from 4.6% to 4.8%. The AMD chip achieves this with fewer threads, no L3 cache, and a lower TDP, relying on its substantially higher clock speeds and newer 28 nm process node. If raw benchmark performance is the sole criterion, the Athlon X4 870K is the definitive choice.

However, the aggregate average benchmark scores tell a slightly different story. The Intel Core i7-950's average of 957 is essentially tied with the Athlon's 956, and both processors sit at the 26th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival lists reinforce this parity: the i7-950's closest rival is the Athlon X4 870K itself with a 0.1% delta, and the Athlon's closest rival is the i7-950 with a -0.1% delta. This means the two chips are statistically indistinguishable in overall performance despite the Athlon's consistent wins in the specific Cinebench tests.

For users prioritizing the latest benchmark scores across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23, the AMD Athlon X4 870K is the superior processor. For those who value the Intel platform's triple-channel memory architecture, larger L3 cache, and 8-thread capability, the Core i7-950 offers a different feature set that may be more suitable for specific workloads, even if those advantages do not translate into benchmark wins in the tested suite. The choice ultimately depends on whether one weights the consistent head-to-head victories of the Athlon or the near-identical aggregate scores and distinct architectural features of the Intel part.