AMD Athlon X4 950 vs Intel Pentium G4560 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data is remarkably consistent: the AMD Athlon X4 950 wins every single recorded benchmark against the Intel Pentium G4560, though by margins that are narrow across the board. Across five Cinebench workloads, the Athlon X4 950 takes all five wins, while the Pentium G4560 records zero victories. The deltas range from 1.4% to 1.7%, which places these two processors in the same performance class despite their different internal designs.

In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Athlon X4 950 scores 306 against the Pentium's 301, a 1.7% advantage. That is the largest margin recorded in any test, and it reflects the Athlon's four physical cores working together against the Pentium's dual-core, four-thread configuration. The Cinebench R20 multicore test shows a similar pattern: 1277 for the Athlon versus 1258 for the Pentium, a 1.5% lead. In Cinebench R23 multicore, the Athlon posts 3041 against 2996, again 1.5% ahead.

Single-threaded performance tells the same story with slightly different numbers. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Athlon scores 180 versus 177, a 1.7% edge. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Athlon manages 429 against 423, a 1.4% margin. These single-core results are notable because Intel's Kaby Lake architecture typically holds a clock-for-clock advantage in lightly threaded workloads. Yet the recorded data shows the Athlon X4 950 leading even here, albeit by a hair.

The average benchmark scores corroborate the head-to-head results. The Athlon X4 950 holds an average score of 1047, while the Pentium G4560 sits at 1031. That difference places the Athlon in the 29th percentile of all CPUs in the database, one point above the Pentium's 28th percentile. The nearest rivals list for each chip reinforces how close they are: the Athlon's closest competitors include the AMD PRO A10-8770 at 1046 and the Intel Core i5-6350HQ at 1046, while the Pentium's nearest rivals include the AMD A12-9800E at 1033 and the AMD A10-9700 at 1034.

The takeaway from the benchmark data is straightforward: the Athlon X4 950 is the faster processor in every measured workload, but the gap is small enough that real-world differences will be difficult to perceive outside of synthetic testing. A 1.5% to 1.7% lead is a win, not a rout.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from different manufacturers, different foundries, and different design philosophies. The AMD Athlon X4 950 uses the Excavator architecture, built on the Bristol Ridge codename, and is manufactured on a 28 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The Intel Pentium X4 950 uses Kaby Lake architecture, built on the Kaby Lake codename, and is manufactured on a 14 nm process at Intel. The process node difference is substantial on paper: 28 nm versus 14 nm, which typically implies Intel has a density advantage in transistor packing. The Athlon's die measures 250 mm² and contains 3,100 million transistors, figures that have no direct counterpart in the Pentium's database entry.

Core counts differ more dramatically than the benchmarks might suggest. The Athlon X4 950 has four physical cores and four threads, while the Pentium G4560 has two physical cores and four threads. Intel's Hyper-Threading technology allows the Pentium to present four threads to the operating system, matching the Athlon's thread count thread count, but with half the physical execution resources. Cache hierarchies are configured differently as well. The Athlon carries 320 KB of L1 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache, with no L3 cache recorded. The Pentium uses a per-core cache layout: 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 3 MB of shared L3 cache.

Both chips support DDR4 memory over a dual-channel interface, and both record the same memory bandwidth of 4.8 GB/s, though the exact figure is 38.4 GB/s in the database. Neither supports ECC memory, and neither has an unlocked multiplier. The PCI Express implementations differ in lane count: the Athlon X4 950 provides Gen 3 with 8 lanes CPU-only PCIe, while the Pentium G4560 provides Gen 4 with 16 lanes, CPU only PCIe.

Integrated graphics are present on the Pentium but absent on the Athlon. The Intel Pentium G4560 ships with Intel HD 610 integrated graphics, while the Athlon X4 950 records no integrated graphics. This is a significant practical difference: the Athlon suffix X4 950 has no iGPU in its data fields, whereas the Pentium G4560 lists Intel HD 610, making it a more self-contained desktop package in terms of display output options. The Athlon X4 950's socket is AMD Socket AM4, part of the Bristol Ridge platform, while the Pentium G4560 uses Intel Socket 1151.

Both are classified as Active production status, meaning both are still in production in the database. The Athlon launched on 2017-07-26T17:00:00.000Z, with the Pentium launching earlier on 2017-01-02T17:00:00.000Z. The Athlon part number is AD950XAGM44AB, the Pentium part number is SR32Y.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins in multicore performance?

A: The AMD Athlon X4 950 wins every multicore benchmark in the database. It posts 306 in Cinebench R15, 1277 in Cinebench R20, and 3041 in Cinebench R23, compared to the Pentium G4560's 301, 1258, and 2996 respectively.

Q: Does the Pentium G4560 win any benchmark?

A: No. The head-to-head data records zero wins for the Pentium G4560 across all five Cinebench tests. The Athlon X4 950 holds a 5-0 record in the database.

Q: How large is the performance gap between the two?

A: The margins are narrow. The largest delta is 1.7% in Cinebench R15 multicore and Cinebench R20 single-core. The smallest is 1.4% in Cinebench R23 single-core. The average benchmark scores differ by 16 points (1047 versus 1031).

Q: Do the two CPUs have the same number of cores?

A: No. The Athlon X4 950 has four cores and four threads, while the Pentium G4560 has two cores and four threads. The Pentium uses Hyper-Threading to match the Athlon's thread count.

Q: Which processor includes integrated graphics?

A: The Pentium G4560 includes Intel HD 610 integrated graphics. The Athlon X4 950 has no integrated graphics recorded in the database.

Q: What is the process node difference?

A: The Athlon X4 950 is built on a 28 nm process at GlobalFoundries, while the Pentium G4560 is built on a 14 nm process at Intel. The Athlon's die is 250 mm² with 3,100 million transistors.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ across nearly every architectural field, with only a few shared specifications. The Athlon X4 950 has four cores and four threads, whereas the Pentium G4560 has two cores and four threads. The base clock is identical at 3.50 GHz for both, but the Athlon has a boost clock of 3.80 GHz while the Pentium has no boost clock recorded. Thermal design power differs: the Athlon is rated at 65 W, the Pentium at 51 W. The Athlon uses AMD Socket AM4, the Pentium uses Intel Socket 1151. Architecture names diverge: Excavator versus Kaby Lake, with codenames Bristol Ridge versus Kaby Lake.

Process node separates them significantly: 28 nm for the Athlon, 14 nm for the Pentium. The Athlon's foundry is GlobalFoundries, the Pentium's is Intel. Transistor count is 3,100 million for the Athlon, with no figure recorded for the Pentium, and the Athlon's die size is 250 mm², again with no comparable number for the Pentium. Cache configurations differ in structure: the Athlon has 320 KB L1 and 2 MB L2 with no L3, while the Pentium has 64 KB per core L1, 256 KB per core L2, and 3 MB shared L3.

PCI Express lane counts differ: the Athlon provides Gen 3 with 8 lanes CPU-only, the Pentium provides Gen 3 with 16 lanes CPU-only. Integrated graphics appear only on the Pentium, which lists Intel HD 610. The Athlon has no iGPU field populated. Release dates differ: the Pentium launched 2017-01-02T17:00:00.000Z, the Athlon launched 2017-07-26T17:00:00.000Z. Part numbers are distinct, and the Athlon's average benchmark score of 1047 beats the Pentium's 1031. The Athlon sits at the 29th percentile of all CPUs, one point above the Pentium's 28th.

Shared specifications include DDR4 memory support, dual-channel memory bus, 38.4 GB/s memory bandwidth, no ECC memory support, locked multipliers, and Active production status for both.

The Verdict

The data directs a clear, if modest, verdict: the AMD Athlon X4 950 is the faster processor in every benchmark the database records. It wins all five Cinebench tests, holds a higher average score (1047 versus 1031), and ranks one percentile point higher (29th versus 28th). The margins are not large enough to call this a dramatic victory, but they are consistent across every workload measured, which suggests the Athlon's four physical cores provide a small but reliable edge over the Pentium's two cores with four threads.

The Pentium G4560 is not without merit in this comparison. It matches the Athlon's base clock at 3.50 GHz, draws less power at 51 W versus 65 W, includes Intel HD 610 graphics that the Athlon lacks, and uses a more advanced 14 nm process. For systems that need integrated graphics out of the box, the Pentium has a functional advantage that no benchmark in the database measures. The Athlon requires a discrete graphics card, as its data shows no integrated graphics.

For pure computational throughput, the Athlon X4 950 is the pick. The benchmark record is unanimous in its favor. For a platform that needs on-chip graphics, lower power draw, or a smaller process node footprint, the Pentium G4560 justifies consideration based on those non-performance specifications. The average score difference of 16 points is real but small, and buyers should weigh the Pentium's integrated graphics and lower TDP against the Athlon's consistent, if narrow, benchmark leads.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Athlon X4 950 wins in every measured compute workload. Its four physical cores give it an edge in Cinebench R15 multicore (306 versus 301), Cinebench R20 multicore (1277 versus 1258), and Cinebench R23 multicore (3041 versus 2996). It also wins the single-core tests, posting 180 versus 177 in Cinebench R20 single-core and 429 versus 423 in Cinebench R23 single-core. The Athlon's average benchmark score of 1047 tops the Pentium's 1031, and its 29th percentile ranking edges the Pentium's 28th. For any task that scales with CPU throughput, the Athlon is the winner in the database.

The Intel Pentium G4560 wins in areas outside the compute benchmarks. It has integrated graphics in the form of Intel HD 610, which the Athlon entirely lacks, making it the only one of the two that can drive a display without a separate graphics card. It draws less power, 51 W against the Athlon's 65 W, which favors compact or power-sensitive builds. It also provides more PCIe lanes from the CPU: 16 lanes versus the Athlon's 8 lanes, which matters for systems with multiple expansion cards. The Pentium uses a smaller 14 nm process node, which typically correlates with better power efficiency, though the database does not record efficiency metrics directly. For a system that prioritizes integrated display output, lower power draw, or more PCIe expansion capacity, the Pentium G4560 is the stronger choice based on the recorded specifications.

The use-case split is therefore clean: compute-heavy workloads go to the Athlon X4 950 by a consistent but narrow margin, while platform advantages in graphics, power, and PCIe capacity go to the Pentium G4560.