AMD Opteron 4274 HE vs AMD Opteron 6378 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear sweep for the AMD Opteron 6378 across all six head-to-head Cinebench comparisons. The Opteron 6378 wins every multicore and single-core test, though the margins are consistently narrow, ranging from 1.7% to 2.9%. This is not a dominant victory in raw percentage terms, but it is a uniform one: the Opteron 6378 holds the lead in every measured workload category without exception.

Starting with Cinebench R15 multicore, the Opteron 6378 scores 504 against 494 for the Opteron 4274 HE, a 2% advantage. The single-core R15 test follows the same pattern, with 71 versus 69, a 2.9% edge for the Opteron 6378, which is the largest single-core delta recorded between the two chips. Moving to Cinebench R20, the Opteron 6378 posts 2102 multicore versus 2061, again a 2% win, and 296 single-core against 291, a 2.9% delta in the other direction. The Cinebench R23 results round out the set: 5005 multicore versus 2061 for the Opteron 4274 HE is 2% ahead, while 706 single-core versus 693 gives a 1.9% lead for the Opteron 6378 in that test.

What stands out in the head-to-head data is that the Opteron 6378 wins despite having twice the core count. The 6378 carries 16 cores against 8 cores for the 4274 HE, yet its multicore advantage peaks at just 2% in R15 R20, and R23, while its single-core lead reaches 2.9%. In other words, the extra 8 cores translate into a surprisingly small overall multicore gain, which suggests that scaling efficiency differences between the two architectures are limiting the impact of the additional modules.

The average benchmark score average is 1447 for the Opteron 6378 and 1420 for the Opteron 4274 HE, a gap of roughly 1.9% on average across all recorded benchmarks. Meanwhile, the 6378 ranks at the 38th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals like the Intel Core i5-7300HQ at 1448 and the AMD Ryzen 3 2200GE at 1444, putting the 6378 within 0.1% below and above those systems, respectively. The 4274 HE sits at the 37th percentile, with its closest rival being the Intel Core i7-3720QM at 1421, just 0.1% above the 6378. The benchmark data indicates that both chips fall into a tight performance cluster, where the 6378 edges ahead of the 4274 HE by roughly 1.9% on average, while sitting within a fraction of a percent of much more modern processors.

Where Each One Wins

The Opteron 6378 wins in every head-to-head benchmark, so the straightforward conclusion is that the 6378 is superior across the board on raw Cinebench performance, with a 6-0 sweep in winsA versus winsB. The Opteron 6378 takes the multicore workloads with a 2% edge in Cinebench R15 R20, R23, and single-core leads of 2.9% R15, 1.7% R20, 1.9% R23, respectively, which makes sense if you consider the larger 16 cores versus 8 cores, 16 threads versus 8 threads, and the 2.4 GHz base and 3.3 GHz boost versus the 2.5 GHz base and 3.5 GHz boost on the 4274 HE. With a 65 TDP of the 115-watt Opteron 6378 and the 65-watt 4274 HE, the 6378 is the higher-power part, and the 4274 HE is the lower-cost, lower-power option, but the 6378 still wins all six tests.

The Opteron 4274 HE wins nothing in the head-to-head set, but the data shows it is not a performance disaster, it just loses by slim margins. The 4274 HE scores 494 versus 504 in R15 multicore, 2061 versus 2102 in R20, and 4909 versus 5005 in R23, which is very close, and its single-core scores of 69, 291, and 693 are all within a few points of the 6378. The 4274 HE also has a lower TDP of 65 watts versus 115 watts, a dual-channel memory bus versus quad-channel, and a smaller die size of 315 mm² versus the 6378's 2x 315 mm², but those differences do not show up in the Cinebench scores, which are nearly identical across the board.

The bigger picture is that both CPUs are near their respective rivals in the database, with the 6378 sitting at the 38th percentile and the 4274 HE at the 37th, and the 6378's nearest rival being the Intel Core i5-7300HQ at 1448 average score, and the 4274 HE being near the Intel Core i7-3720QM at 1421, so the 6378 is slightly closer to the top of the pack while the 4274 HE is just one percentile behind. The 6378 has a 2% advantage in R15 and R20 multicore, and a 2% advantage in R23 multicore, but both are within 1% of their nearest rivals, meaning that in real-world use, the 4274 HE is not a bad choice if you are looking for a low-power server processor, but the 6378 is the better performer.

The Verdict

The AMD Opteron 6378 is the clear winner in raw performance, taking all six head-to-head benchmarks, but the AMD Opteron 4274 HE is not far behind, losing by just 2% to 2.9% per test, and it does so with a 65-watt TDP versus 115 watts. The 6378 is the processor to pick if you need the highest multicore scores, with 5005 in Cinebench R23 versus 4909 for the 4274 HE, and it also wins single-core with 706 versus 693, but the margins are small enough that the 4274 HE could be the more sensible choice for a low-power server, since it uses less than half the power budget. The data shows the 6378 is 38th percentile and the 4274 HE is 37th percentile, and the 6378's nearest rival is the Intel Core i5-7300HQ at 1448 average score, while the 4274 HE's nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-3720QM at 1421 average score, so the 6378 has a higher score but the 4274 HE is within 0.1% of the 6378.

The Opteron 6378 should be selected by anyone who wants the best Cinebench scores, period, and the Opteron 4274 HE should be chosen by anyone who wants the lowest power draw, as the 4274 HE is a 65-watt TDP and the 6378 is a 115-watt TDP, and the 4274 HE has a dual-channel memory bus versus the 4274 HE's dual-channel memory bus, but the 6378 has a 2x 315 mm² die size and the 4274 HE has a 315 mm² die size, and the 6378 is a 2012 release and the 4274 HE is a 2011 release. The 6378 launch MSRP is $867, and the 4274 HE launch MSRP is $377, but the verdict is not about price, it is about the 6-0 sweep in winsA versus winsB, and the 6378 wins all six tests.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins all six head-to-head Cinebench benchmarks?

A: The AMD Opteron 6378 wins all six head-to-head benchmarks, with winsA of 6 wins out of 6 tests, with the AMD Opteron 6378 winning every test and the Opteron 4274 HE winning zero tests.

Q: What is the largest performance margin between the two chips?

A: The largest margin is the Cinebench R15 single-core test, where the Opteron 6378 scores 71 versus 69 for the Opteron 4274 HE, a 2.9% difference.

Q: How do the two chips compare in multicore performance?

A: The Opteron 6378 leads in Cinebench R15 multicore with 504 versus 494 for the Opteron 4274 HE, a 2% difference, and in R23 multicore with 5005 versus 4909, also a 2% difference.

Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?

A: The Opteron 4274 HE has a boost clock of 3.50 GHz, while the Opteron 6378 has a boost clock of 3.30 GHz, but the 6378 still wins every single-core test.

Q: What are the core counts of the two processors?

A: The Opteron 6378 has 16 cores and 16 threads, while the Opteron 4274 HE has 8 cores and 8 threads, but the 6378 only leads by 2% in multicore tests.

Q: Which processor ranks higher in the database among all CPUs?

A: The Opteron 6378 is at the 38th percentile of all CPUs, while the Opteron 4274 HE is at the 37th percentile, and the 6378 has an average benchmark score of 1447 versus 1420.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Opteron 6378 uses the Piledriver architecture with the Abu Dhabi codename, while the AMD Opteron 4274 HE uses the Bulldozer architecture with the Valencia codename, and both are built on the 32 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The 6378 has 16 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.30 GHz, while the 4274 HE has 8 cores and 8 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 3.50 GHz. The 6378 has 2,400 million transistors across a dual-die design of 2x 315 mm², while the 4274 HE has 1,200 million transistors on a single die of 315 mm², and the 6378 has 768 KB of L1 cache, 2 MB of L2 cache per module, and 8 MB of L3 cache per die, while the 4274 HE has 384 KB of L1 cache, 8 MB of L2 cache, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache.

The memory support differs significantly: the 6378 supports quad-channel DDR3 with 59.7 GB/s of bandwidth, while the 4274 HE supports dual-channel DDR3 with 25.6 GB/s of bandwidth, and both support ECC memory. The 6378 uses the AMD Socket G34, while the 4274 HE uses the AMD Socket C32, and both have PCIe Gen 2 and no integrated graphics. The 6378 is part of the Opteron 6000 series, while the 4274 HE is part of the Opteron 4000 series, and the 6378 was released in November 2012, while the 4274 HE was released in November 2011.

Specification Differences

The two processors differ in core count, with 16 cores for the Opteron 6378 and 8 cores for the Opteron 4274 HE, and thread count, 16 threads versus 8 threads. The base clock is 2.40 GHz for the 6378 and 2.50 GHz for the 4274 HE, while the boost clock is 3.30 GHz for the 6378 and 3.50 GHz for the 4274 HE, so the 4274 HE has a higher clock speed but fewer cores. The TDP differs, with 115 watts for the 6378 and 65 watts for the 4274 HE, a significant power difference. The socket is different: G34 for the 6378 and C32 for the 4274 HE. The memory bus is quad-channel for the 6378 and dual-channel for the 4274 HE, with memory bandwidth of 59.7 GB/s versus 25.6 GB/s. The cache configuration differs: 768 KB L1, 2 MB L2 per module, and 8 MB L3 per die for the 6378, versus 384 KB L1, 8 MB L2, and 8 MB shared L3 for the 4274 HE. The transistor count is 2,400 million versus 1,200 million, and the die size is 2x 315 mm² versus 315 mm². The launch MSRP is $867 for the 6378 and $377 for the 4274 HE.