AMD Opteron 4332 HE vs Intel Core i5-3330S Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data places the AMD Opteron 4332 HE and the Intel Core i5-3330S in a remarkably tight contest. Across the five Cinebench tests tracked in the database, the two processors exchange verdicts, but the margins are so narrow that the results effectively show a statistical dead heat. The AMD part claims four of the five test wins, while the Intel part takes one, yet the largest recorded difference between them is a mere 0.1 percent.

Starting with the multi-core workloads, the Cinebench R15 multicore test shows both processors scoring exactly 335 points. The database records the winner as the AMD Opteron 4332 HE with a delta of 0 percent, meaning the two are indistinguishable in this workload. The Cinebench R20 multicore test repeats the pattern: both score 1396 points, again with the AMD part listed as the nominal winner at 0 percent delta. These identical scores suggest that the six-core AMD design and the four-core Intel design reach the same performance ceiling in this generation of rendering workloads, despite their different core counts and clock speeds.

The single-core results follow the same trajectory. In Cinebench R20 single-core, both processors score 196 points. The AMD Opteron 4332 HE is again recorded as the winner with a 0 percent delta. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the score is 469 for both, and the AMD part once more takes the nominal win at 0 percent delta. The consistency here is striking: in four separate tests, the two chips produce byte-for-byte identical scores, with the database assigning the win to the AMD processor based on tie-breaking conventions rather than any measurable advantage.

The only actual divergence appears in Cinebench R23 multicore. Here, the Intel Core i5-3330S scores 3326 points, while the AMD Opteron 4332 HE scores 3324 points. The delta is recorded as -0.1 percent, favoring the Intel part. This is the sole test where the two processors separate by any margin at all, and even then the difference is minuscule, representing just two points out of more than three thousand. In practical terms, this gap is well within run-to-run variance for any benchmark suite, but the database records it as a win for the Intel processor.

Looking at the broader picture, the AMD Opteron 4332 HE holds an average benchmark score of 1144, while the Intel Core i5-3330S sits at 1128. That is a difference of 16 points on the database's aggregate scale, which translates to roughly 1.4 percent in favor of the AMD chip. Both processors occupy the 32nd percentile among all CPUs tracked in the database, meaning they sit at the same position in the overall performance distribution. The nearest rivals for the AMD part include the Intel Core i7-2600S and the AMD Opteron 4284, both with an average score of 1146 and a delta of -0.2 percent, as well as the Intel Core i5-4430 at 1149 with a -0.4 percent delta. The Intel Core i5-3330S counts among its nearest rivals the Intel Core i7-2720QM at 1128 with a 0 percent delta and the Intel Core i3-1115GRE at 1127 with a 0.1 percent delta. These neighboring scores reinforce the conclusion that both chips land in the same performance tier, with neither one able to pull away from the other in the aggregate data.

The head-to-head tally, four wins for the AMD part and one for the Intel part, might suggest an AMD advantage, but the delta values tell the real story. Four of those five wins come with a delta of exactly 0 percent, meaning the scores are identical. The single Intel win comes with a delta of only -0.1 percent. No test in the recorded set shows either processor leading by a meaningful margin. The data indicates that for the workloads covered by these Cinebench tests, the two processors are functionally equivalent, with the AMD part holding a razor-thin edge in the aggregate average and the Intel part eking out one marginally higher multi-core score.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Opteron 4332 HE has an average benchmark score of 1144, while the Intel Core i5-3330S has an average score of 1128. That puts the AMD part 16 points ahead, or about 1.4 percent higher on the database's aggregate scale.

Q: Are the two processors identical in single-core performance?

A: In the recorded Cinebench tests, yes. Both score 196 points in Cinebench R20 single-core and 469 points in Cinebench R23 single-core. The database records the AMD Opteron 4332 HE as the nominal winner in both cases, but with a delta of 0 percent, meaning the scores are exactly equal.

Q: In which test does the Intel Core i5-3330S beat the AMD Opteron 4332 HE?

A: The Intel Core i5-3330S wins the Cinebench R23 multicore test, scoring 3326 points against the AMD Opteron 4332 HE's 3324 points. The delta is -0.1 percent, which is the only non-zero difference in the entire head-to-head set.

Q: How do the two processors compare in their overall performance percentile?

A: Both the AMD Opteron 4332 HE and the Intel Core i5-3330S sit at the 32nd percentile among all CPUs tracked in the database. They occupy the same position in the overall performance distribution, which aligns with their near-identical benchmark scores.

Q: What are the closest rivals to each processor?

A: For the AMD Opteron 4332 HE, the closest rivals are the Intel Core i7-2600S and the AMD Opteron 4284, both with an average score of 1146 and a delta of -0.2 percent, followed by the Intel Core i7-3612QE at 1147 and the Intel Core i5-4430 at 1149. For the Intel Core i5-3330S, the closest rival is the Intel Core i7-2720QM at 1128 with a 0 percent delta, with the Intel Core i3-1115GRE at 1127 and the Intel Core i7-3612QM at 1129 also nearby.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD Opteron 4332 HE has 6 cores and 6 threads, while the Intel Core i5-3330S has 4 cores and 4 threads. Despite this difference in core count, the two processors produce identical scores in the Cinebench R15 and R20 multicore tests.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Opteron 4332 HE and the Intel Core i5-3330S come from fundamentally different design philosophies, which makes their near-identical benchmark results all the more notable. The AMD part is built on the Piledriver architecture under the codename Seoul, part of the Opteron 4000 series. It is fabricated on a 32 nm process node and contains 1,200 million transistors on a 315 mm² die. The Intel part uses the Ivy Bridge architecture, also its codename, and is fabricated on a 22 nm process node at Intel's own foundry. Its die measures 133 mm², substantially smaller than the AMD chip despite the transistor count for the Intel part not being listed in the database.

The core configurations differ in both count and organization. The AMD Opteron 4332 HE has 6 cores and 6 threads, with no simultaneous multithreading. The Intel Core i5-3330S has 4 cores and 4 threads, also without hyper-threading support. The cache hierarchies reflect these different designs. The AMD processor has a 288 KB L1 cache, a 6 MB L2 cache, and an 8 MB shared L3 cache. The Intel processor lists its L1 cache as 64 KB per core, its L2 cache as 256 KB per core, and its L3 cache as 6 MB shared. With four cores, that works out to 256 KB of L1 and 1 MB of L2 in aggregate, but the per-core listing for the Intel part makes a direct comparison less straightforward. The AMD part's larger L3 cache, 8 MB versus 6 MB, may help it compensate for the higher latency typically associated with the Piledriver design.

The memory support for both processors is DDR3, and neither supports ECC memory according to the database. The Intel part has a dual-channel memory bus and a PCIe implementation described as Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The AMD part does not have its memory bus or PCIe details listed. The Intel processor also includes integrated graphics in the form of the Intel HD 2500, while the AMD Opteron 4332 HE has no integrated graphics listed, consistent with its server/workstation positioning. The market segment for the AMD part is Server/Workstation, while the Intel part is classified as Desktop.

Clock speeds favor the AMD processor, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 3.70 GHz. The Intel part runs at a 2.70 GHz base clock and a 3.20 GHz boost clock. The AMD part has the higher clock speed on both counts, but the Intel part's Ivy Bridge architecture, with its 22 nm process, generally delivers higher instructions per clock. The net effect, as the benchmark data shows, is performance parity. The TDP figures also differ, with the AMD part rated at 65 watts and the Intel part rated at 77 watts. Neither multiplier is unlocked on either chip, so overclocking headroom is not part of the comparison for users who want to push beyond stock settings.

The release dates place the Intel Core i5-3330S first, launching on September 2012, with the AMD Opteron 4332 HE following about three months later in December 2012. The sockets are entirely different: the AMD part uses AMD Socket C32, the Intel part number OS4332OFU6KHK, and the Intel part uses Intel Socket 1155 with part number SR0RR. These platform incompatibility means that choosing one processor forces a complete platform decision, not just a CPU swap.

Specification Differences

The TDP differs in favor of the AMD part, which is rated at 65 watts, while the Intel part is rated at 77 watts. The AMD Opteron 4332 HE also has the higher base clock at 3.00 GHz versus 2.70 GHz for the Intel Core i5-3330S, and the higher boost clock at 3.70 GHz versus 3.20 GHz. The core and thread counts also differ, with the AMD part offering 6 cores and 6 threads against 4 cores and 4 threads for the Intel part. The process node favors Intel at 22 nm, while the AMD part uses 32 nm. The die size tells a similar story, with the AMD part at 315 mm² and the Intel part at 133 mm². The AMD part lists its transistor count at 1,200 million, while the Intel part has no transistor count recorded. The L1 and L2 caches are listed differently, with the AMD part showing 288 KB L1 and 6 MB L2, while the Intel part shows 64 KB per core L1 and 256 KB per core L2. The L3 cache is 8 MB shared for the AMD part and 6 MB shared for the Intel part. The integrated graphics presence sets the Intel part apart with Intel HD 2500, while the AMD part has none listed. The memory bus is dual-channel for Intel, with PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU, while the AMD part does not list these fields. The market segments differ, with the AMD part being Server/Workstation and the Intel part being Desktop. The sockets and part numbers are distinct, as are the release dates.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Opteron 4332 HE wins the aggregate average benchmark score, posting 1144 against the Intel Core i5-3330S's 1128. It also holds the higher clock speeds, with a 3.00 GHz base clock and a 3.70 GHz boost clock, and the lower TDP at 65 watts. In the head-to-head tests, the AMD part takes four wins out of five, even though four of those wins come with a 0 percent delta. The AMD part also offers more cores and threads, along with a larger L3 cache, which could benefit workloads that scale with core count and cache capacity.

The Intel Core i5-3330S wins the Cinebench R23 multicore test, the only test where the two processors separate by a non-zero delta, with 3326 points against 3324. It also has the smaller die size at 133 mm² and the more advanced 22 nm process node. The Intel part includes integrated graphics, which the AMD part lacks, and it has a dual-channel memory bus and PCIe Gen 3 support listed. For desktop workloads that can use the integrated GPU or that favor the Ivy Bridge architecture's per-core efficiency, the Intel part has the edge, even if the recorded benchmark data shows the margin is negligible.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a draw. The AMD Opteron 4332 HE and the Intel Core i5-3330S produce identical scores in four of the five recorded head-to-head tests, with the only separation being a 0.1 percent difference in Cinebench R23 multicore favoring the Intel part. The aggregate average favors the AMD part, 1144 to 1128, but both sit at the 32nd percentile among all CPUs, and their nearest rivals cluster around the same scores. Users coming from a server or workstation background, where the Opteron 4000 series is positioned, will find the AMD part offers the higher core count, the higher clock speeds, and the lower TDP, alongside the larger L3 cache. Users building a desktop system will find the Intel part brings integrated graphics, a smaller die, a more advanced process node, and a dual-channel memory bus, plus the single multi-core test where it holds a lead. Given the near-identical performance and the completely different sockets, the choice comes down to platform preference, not performance advantage. The data shows no decisive winner, only two processors that reach the same destination through different architectures.