AMD FX-4320 vs Intel Core i7-2715QE Comparison

The AMD FX-4320 and the Intel Core i7-2715QE are two end-of-life processors from the same 32 nm era that land in an unusually tight performance bracket. Both sit at the 25th percentile of all CPUs in the database, and their average benchmark scores, 921 for the FX-4320 and 942 for the Core i7-2715QE, differ by barely two percent. Yet the recorded data shows the Intel part sweeping every single head-to-head test, a clean sweep that tells a consistent story about the limits of high clock speeds versus a more efficient microarchitecture with double the thread count.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Intel Core i7-2715QE wins all five recorded contests, and it wins them by remarkably uniform margins. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the i7-2715QE posts 275 points against 269 for the FX-4320, a 2.2 percent gap. Cinebench R20 multi-core repeats the pattern almost exactly: 1149 versus 1124, again 2.2 percent in Intel's favor. R20 single-core goes to the i7-2715QE at 162 against 158, the widest recorded spread at 2.5 percent.

The newest test in the set, Cinebench R23, confirms the trend rather than reversing it. Multi-core finishes 2737 to 2677 in favor of the Intel chip, a 2.2 percent delta, while single-core lands at 386 versus 378, a 2.1 percent gap. What stands out in this dataset is not the size of any single win but the consistency: across three Cinebench generations and both single- and multi-threaded workloads, the i7-2715QE holds a lead that never strays far from roughly two percent.

The multi-core results deserve particular attention because they are the closest thing to a comeback opportunity for the FX-4320. The AMD chip runs at a 4.00 GHz base clock with a 4.20 GHz boost, well above the i7-2715QE's 2.10 GHz base and 3.00 GHz boost, yet it still trails in every multi-threaded test. The reason is visible in the thread counts: the FX-4320 offers 4 cores and 4 threads, while the i7-2715QE pairs its 4 cores with 8 threads. Simultaneous multithreading lets the Intel processor extract more parallel throughput from lower clocks, and the recorded data shows that advantage more than compensating for the AMD part's frequency edge.

Single-core results reinforce the same architectural conclusion. Even with a boost clock advantage of more than one full gigahertz, the FX-4320 loses R23 single-core by 2.1 percent and R20 single-core by 2.5 percent. Per clock, Sandy Bridge simply does more work than Piledriver, and the database results quantify that difference precisely.

For context against the wider field, both processors cluster with modest rivals. The FX-4320's nearest competitors by average score include the AMD PRO A10-9700E at 919, the AMD Ryzen Embedded R1305G at 919, the AMD Athlon Silver 3050U at 917, and the Intel Celeron G6900TE at 925, all within half a percent. The i7-2715QE's neighborhood includes the Intel Core i3-8145U at 941, the AMD Athlon X4 860K at 943, the AMD A8-7670K at 944, and the Intel Core i3-1110G4 at 945, similarly compressed. Both chips, in short, compete in the entry-level band of the historical record, and the Intel part edges ahead within it.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU is faster overall?

A: The Intel Core i7-2715QE. It won all five head-to-head benchmark tests in the database, with margins between 2.1 and 2.5 percent, and its average benchmark score of 942 exceeds the FX-4320's 921.

Q: Does the higher clock speed of the FX-4320 translate into better performance?

A: No. The FX-4320 boosts to 4.20 GHz against 3.00 GHz for the i7-2715QE, but it loses every recorded test, including both single-core benchmarks. The recorded data indicates the Sandy Bridge architecture delivers more performance per clock than Piledriver.

Q: Which CPU is better for multi-threaded workloads?

A: The i7-2715QE. Its 8 threads versus 4 on the FX-4320 carry it to wins in Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 multi-core, each by 2.2 percent.

Q: How power-hungry are these two processors?

A: The FX-4320 carries a 95 W TDP, while the i7-2715QE is rated at 45 W. The Intel part delivers its benchmark wins at half the thermal envelope of the AMD chip.

Q: Are these CPUs still in production?

A: No. Both are end-of-life. The i7-2715QE was released in early 2011, and the FX-4320 followed in late 2012.

Q: Which chip can be overclocked?

A: The FX-4320, which has an unlocked multiplier. The i7-2715QE's multiplier is locked, so it offers no comparable tuning headroom.

Where Each One Wins

Strictly on the benchmark record, the Intel Core i7-2715QE wins everywhere. It leads in single-core rendering, in multi-core rendering, and in the aggregate average score. For any workload resembling the Cinebench suite, lightly threaded or heavily threaded, the data points to the Intel processor as the marginally but consistently faster choice.

The FX-4320's case rests on factors adjacent to raw scores. Its unlocked multiplier is the clearest practical differentiator: it is the only one of the two that invites overclocking, whereas the i7-2715QE is locked and soldered to a BGA 1023 package that precludes socket-level replacement. The FX-4320 also sits on AMD Socket AM3+, a desktop socket ecosystem, while the i7-2715QE is a mobile-segment BGA part. Builders or upgraders working with an AM3+ board, or users who simply want tuning freedom on a desktop platform, have reasons to prefer the AMD chip despite the recorded deficit in every benchmark.

It should also be noted that the FX-4320 delivers its competitive results at very high clocks. Its 4.20 GHz boost is doing the heavy lifting that keeps it within roughly two percent of a processor with double the threads. Users who value that clock headroom, and the unlocked multiplier that surrounds it, may find the FX-4320 the more flexible starting point even though the stock record favors Intel.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ on nearly every specification dimension despite their similar performance. Core and thread counts diverge at the top: both have 4 cores, but the FX-4320 exposes 4 threads while the i7-2715QE exposes 8. Clocking diverges sharply in AMD's favor, with a 4.00 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost against 2.10 GHz base and 3.00 GHz boost. Thermal design differs just as sharply in Intel's favor: 95 W for the FX-4320 versus 45 W for the i7-2715QE.

The platforms are incompatible. The FX-4320 uses AMD Socket AM3+; the i7-2715QE is a BGA 1023 part with no user-replaceable socket at all. Market segments differ accordingly: desktop for AMD, mobile for Intel. Only the FX-4320 has an unlocked multiplier. Memory support is listed as DDR3 on the FX-4320 with a dual-channel bus and 29.9 GB/s of bandwidth; the i7-2715QE's memory fields are not populated in the database beyond its dual-channel bus. Integrated graphics also split the pair: the i7-2715QE carries Intel HD 3000, while the FX-4320 relies on chipset-dependent graphics on certain motherboards and has no integrated GPU of its own. PCIe support is recorded only for the FX-4320, at Gen 2.

Cache hierarchies differ in structure. The FX-4320 carries 192 KB of L1, 4 MB of L2, and 4 MB of shared L3. The i7-2715QE has 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 6 MB of shared L3, giving it the larger last-level cache. Both lack ECC support. Part numbers are FD4320WMW4KHK for AMD and SR076 for Intel.

Architecture Differences

Both processors were built on 32 nm lithography, but by different fabs with different designs. The FX-4320 uses AMD's Piledriver architecture under the Vishera codename, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a die measuring 315 mm² with 1,200 million transistors. The i7-2715QE uses Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture, manufactured by Intel on a smaller 216 mm² die carrying 1,160 million transistors.

The architectural contrast explains the benchmark record. Piledriver reaches for frequency, and the FX-4320's 4.20 GHz boost reflects that philosophy. Sandy Bridge instead pairs strong per-clock efficiency with 8-way multithreading on 4 cores, and the result is a processor that wins every recorded test while running at substantially lower clocks and half the TDP. The transistor counts are close, 1,200 million versus 1,160 million, but the Intel die is meaningfully smaller, and the efficiency shown in the benchmark data is consistent with that density and design discipline.

In generational terms, the FX-4320 belongs to AMD's FX (Vishera) line, released in late 2012, while the i7-2715QE belongs to Intel's Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) generation, released in early 2011. The data shows the older Intel design holding the younger AMD design at bay across the entire recorded suite, and both now occupy the same historical tier: end-of-life parts at the 25th percentile of the database, separated by roughly two percent in practice.