AMD Opteron 4284 vs Intel Core i5-2550K Comparison

The AMD Opteron 4284 and Intel Core i5-2550K represent two distinct approaches to processing from the same 32 nm era, but the benchmark data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy between them. Across every Cinebench workload recorded, the AMD Opteron 4284 secures a decisive victory, with margins ranging from 8.8% to 9.8%. The Intel Core i5-2550K, despite its higher base and boost clocks, never manages a single win in the head-to-head comparison, making the Opteron 4284 the unequivocal performance leader in this matchup.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking pattern in the data is the uniformity of the AMD Opteron 4284’s advantage. In the Cinebench R15 multi-core test, the Opteron scores 399 against the Core i5-2550K’s 365, a 9.3% lead. The single-core R15 result tells a similar story, with the Opteron at 56 and the Intel part at 51, representing a 9.8% margin—the largest single-core delta in the entire comparison. This is particularly notable because the Core i5-2550K has a higher boost clock of 3.80 GHz compared to the Opteron’s 3.70 GHz, yet the AMD processor still manages to win in lightly threaded workloads.

Moving to Cinebench R20, the Opteron 4284 extends its multi-core lead to 9.3%, scoring 1665 versus 1523. The single-core R20 test shows a slightly narrower but still decisive gap of 8.8%, with scores of 234 and 215 respectively. The consistency of these margins suggests that the Opteron’s advantage is architectural rather than workload-specific. The Cinebench R23 results reinforce this pattern: the Opteron posts 3965 in multi-core and 559 in single-core, while the Core i5-2550K manages 3628 and 512. The multi-core delta here is again 9.3%, and the single-core delta is 9.2%.

The fact that the Opteron wins 6 out of 6 head-to-head benchmarks is significant, but the magnitude of those wins deserves attention. A 9%+ lead in both single-threaded and multi-threaded tests indicates that the Opteron 4284 is not just leveraging its 8 cores to outmuscle the 4-core Intel part; it is also delivering superior per-thread performance despite running at a lower clock speed. The Intel Core i5-2550K’s average benchmark score of 1136 places it in the 32nd percentile of all CPUs, while the Opteron 4284 also sits at the 32nd percentile with an average score of 1146. This parity in overall percentile masks the fact that the Opteron holds a consistent edge in the specific workload tested here.

The nearest rival data further contextualizes these results. The Opteron 4284’s closest competitor is the Intel Core i7-2600S, which matches its average score of 1146 exactly, while the Intel Core i5-2550K’s nearest rival is the Intel Core i5-3570T at 1136. Both processors are essentially tied with their respective peer groups, but the Opteron’s average score is 10 points higher than the i5-2550K’s, aligning with the 9.3% head-to-head deltas observed in Cinebench.

FAQ

Q: Which processor wins in multi-core performance?

A: The AMD Opteron 4284 wins every multi-core test. In Cinebench R15, it scores 399 versus 365 (9.3% ahead). In R20, the gap is 1665 to 1523 (9.3%). In R23, it scores 3965 against 3628 (9.3%).

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-2550K win any benchmark in this comparison?

A: No. The data shows 6 wins for the AMD Opteron 4284 and 0 wins for the Intel Core i5-2550K. The closest the Intel part comes is an 8.8% deficit in Cinebench R20 single-core.

Q: How does the single-core performance compare given the clock speeds?

A: The Intel Core i5-2550K has a higher boost clock (3.80 GHz) and base clock (3.40 GHz) than the Opteron 4284 (3.70 GHz boost, 3.00 GHz base), yet the Opteron still wins single-core tests by 8.8% to 9.8%.

Q: What are the average benchmark scores for both processors?

A: The AMD Opteron 4284 has an average benchmark score of 1146, while the Intel Core i5-2550K scores 1136. Both rank in the 32nd percentile of all CPUs.

Q: How does the Opteron 4284 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Opteron 4284 is exactly tied with the Intel Core i7-2600S (both at 1146 average), is 0.1% behind the Intel Core i7-3612QE (1147), and is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Opteron 4332 HE (1144).

Q: What is the Intel Core i5-2550K’s position among its closest competitors?

A: The Intel Core i5-2550K is tied with the Intel Core i5-3570T (both at 1136 average), is 0.1% behind the Intel Xeon E5640 (1137), and is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i3-N300 (1135).

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Opteron 4284 is the superior processor in this head-to-head. It wins all six recorded benchmarks, with a minimum margin of 8.8% and a maximum of 9.8%. For any workload represented by the Cinebench suite—whether single-threaded or multi-threaded—the Opteron 4284 delivers meaningfully higher performance. The Intel Core i5-2550K, despite its higher clock speeds and desktop-oriented design, cannot overcome the Opteron’s architectural efficiency.

Users prioritizing raw compute throughput should select the AMD Opteron 4284. The 8-core, 8-thread configuration provides a clear advantage in multi-threaded rendering workloads, as evidenced by the 9.3% lead in all three Cinebench multi-core tests. The Opteron’s single-core wins also make it the better choice for lightly threaded applications, which contradicts the typical expectation that a higher-clocked Intel part would dominate in that scenario. The Intel Core i5-2550K is only viable if the specific platform requirements (Intel Socket 1155, non-ECC memory) are mandatory, as its performance profile offers no advantage in the tested workloads.

Both processors sit at the same 32nd percentile, indicating they are contemporaries in overall capability, but the Opteron 4284’s higher average score of 1146 versus 1136 for the i5-2550K confirms that the AMD part is the stronger performer. Given that the Opteron also launched at a higher MSRP of $316 compared to $235 for the Intel part, the pricing data suggests a tiered positioning, but the benchmark results justify that premium with consistent wins across the board.

Specification Differences

The AMD Opteron 4284 and Intel Core i5-2550K differ in nearly every core specification. The Opteron features 8 cores and 8 threads, while the Core i5-2550K has 4 cores and 4 threads. Base clocks are 3.00 GHz for the AMD part and 3.40 GHz for the Intel part, with boost clocks of 3.70 GHz and 3.80 GHz respectively. Both have a 95 W TDP, making power consumption equivalent on paper. The Opteron uses AMD Socket C32, whereas the Core i5-2550K uses Intel Socket 1155. Memory support is DDR3 for both, with identical dual-channel buses and memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. The Opteron supports ECC memory, while the Core i5-2550K does not. PCIe support is Gen 2 for both, but the Intel part specifies 16 lanes (CPU only), while the AMD part does not list a lane count. The Opteron’s market segment is Server/Workstation, while the Core i5-2550K targets Desktop. The Opteron has a locked multiplier, whereas the Core i5-2550K has an unlocked multiplier. Launch MSRP is $316 for the Opteron and $235 for the Core i5-2550K.

Cache configurations also diverge significantly. The Opteron 4284 has 384 KB of L1 cache, 8 MB of L2 cache, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The Core i5-2550K has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The Opteron’s total L2 cache (8 MB) is double the i5-2550K’s aggregate L2 (4 × 256 KB = 1 MB), and its L3 is 33% larger. The Opteron’s die size is 315 mm² with 1,200 million transistors, while the Core i5-2550K is 216 mm² with 1,160 million transistors. Release dates are close, with the Opteron launching on 2011-11-13 and the Core i5-2550K on 2012-01-29.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental architectural split is between AMD’s Bulldozer design and Intel’s Sandy Bridge design. The Opteron 4284 is built on the Bulldozer architecture with the codename Valencia, fabricated by GlobalFoundries on a 32 nm process. The Core i5-2550K uses the Sandy Bridge architecture with the same codename, fabricated by Intel on an equally 32 nm process. Despite the identical process node, the transistor counts and die sizes differ: the Opteron packs 1,200 million transistors into 315 mm², while the Core i5-2550K fits 1,160 million transistors into 216 mm². This indicates a denser Intel design, but the Opteron’s larger die accommodates more cores and cache.

The Opteron 4284 belongs to the Opteron 4000 series, specifically the Opteron (Valencia) generation, while the Core i5-2550K is part of the Core i5 (Sandy Bridge) generation. The AMD part is a server/workstation processor, which explains its ECC memory support and 8-core configuration. The Intel part is a desktop processor with an unlocked multiplier, suggesting overclocking as an intended use case—though the benchmark data shows it cannot match the Opteron even with its higher stock clocks. Architectural features such as the Bulldozer module-based design (8 cores sharing resources) versus Sandy Bridge’s traditional per-core design are reflected in the cache layouts: the Opteron’s L1 is a single 384 KB block, while the Core i5-2550K lists 64 KB per core, and the Opteron’s L2 is 8 MB shared, while the Intel part has 256 KB per core. The L3 cache is 8 MB shared on the Opteron and 6 MB shared on the Core i5-2550K, reinforcing the AMD part’s larger on-chip storage capacity. The data shows that these architectural differences translate directly into the 8.8% to 9.8% performance deltas observed across all Cinebench workloads.