AMD Opteron 4332 HE vs Intel Core i5-3570T Comparison

The AMD Opteron 4332 HE and Intel Core i5-3570T are two power-efficient processors from 2012, aimed at very different market segments. The Opteron is a server/workstation part built for AMD's Socket C32 platform, while the i5-3570T is a low-power desktop chip for Intel's Socket 1155. Despite their different origins, benchmark results place them in the same performance tier, with the Opteron holding a narrow but consistent lead across all tested Cinebench workloads. The data shows a 32nd percentile ranking for both chips against all CPUs, and their average benchmark scores sit within 1% of each other, making this a surprisingly close contest between six Piledriver cores and four Ivy Bridge cores.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head results are remarkably one-sided in favor of the AMD Opteron 4332 HE, which wins all five direct comparisons. The largest margin comes in Cinebench R15 multicore, where the Opteron scores 335 against the Intel's 331, a 1.2% advantage. That gap narrows slightly in Cinebench R20 multicore, with the Opteron posting 1396 versus 1383, a 0.9% lead. The same 0.9% delta appears in Cinebench R23 multicore, where the Opteron's 3324 edges out the i5-3570T's 3293.

Single-core results follow the same pattern, though the margins shrink further. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Opteron scores 196 against 195, a 0.5% advantage. Cinebench R23 single-core shows the Opteron at 469 versus 465, again a 0.9% lead. The consistency of these wins is notable; the AMD part never trails in any tested workload, even in single-threaded tests where Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture typically excels. The largest delta across all benchmarks is just 1.2%, so neither chip dominates the other in any meaningful way—the Opteron simply wins every round by a hair.

Context from the nearestRivals data reinforces how close these two processors are. The Opteron's average benchmark score is 1144, while the i5-3570T sits at 1136. The Opteron's closest rival is the Intel Core i7-2600S at 1146, a -0.2% delta, and the AMD Opteron 4284 at 1146 as well. The i5-3570T's nearest rival is the Intel Core i5-2550K at 1136, with a 0% delta, and the Intel Xeon E5640 at 1137. Both chips occupy the same performance neighborhood, surrounded by processors from 2011-2012 that deliver similar average scores. The data suggests that in absolute terms, the six-core Opteron's extra cores barely compensate for its older Piledriver architecture's lower per-core efficiency relative to Intel's Ivy Bridge design.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Opteron 4332 HE has an average benchmark score of 1144, compared to the Intel Core i5-3570T's 1136. That is an 8-point difference, which translates to roughly a 0.7% advantage for the AMD part.

Q: How do the two chips compare in Cinebench R23 multicore performance?

A: The Opteron scores 3324 in Cinebench R23 multicore, while the i5-3570T scores 3293. The Opteron leads by 31 points, a 0.9% delta in its favor.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two processors?

A: The AMD Opteron 4332 HE has a TDP of 65 watts, while the Intel Core i5-3570T has a TDP of 45 watts. The Intel part consumes 20 watts less under the same thermal design envelope.

Q: Do both processors support ECC memory?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists ECC memory support as false for both the AMD Opteron 4332 HE and the Intel Core i5-3570T.

Q: Which processor has more cores and threads?

A: The AMD Opteron 4332 HE has 6 cores and 6 threads. The Intel Core i5-3570T has 4 cores and 4 threads. The Opteron offers two additional cores and two additional threads.

Q: What is the release date for each processor?

A: The AMD Opteron 4332 HE was released on 2012-12-03. The Intel Core i5-3570T was released earlier, on 2012-04-28.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from fundamentally different architectural lineages. The AMD Opteron 4332 HE is built on the Piledriver architecture, codenamed Seoul, and belongs to the Opteron 4000 series. It uses a 32 nm process node and contains 1,200 million transistors on a 315 mm² die. The Intel Core i5-3570T uses the Ivy Bridge architecture, also its codename, and is manufactured on a 22 nm process node. Intel's chip packs 1,400 million transistors onto a significantly smaller 160 mm² die. The process node difference is notable: Intel's 22 nm process allowed for a denser transistor layout, with 200 million more transistors in roughly half the die area.

Cache hierarchies differ substantially between the two. The Opteron has 288 KB of L1 cache, 6 MB of L2 cache, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache. The i5-3570T has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 6 MB of shared L3 cache. With four cores, the Intel part's per-core L1 and L2 figures scale to 256 KB and 1 MB respectively, though the FACT PACK presents them per core. The Opteron's larger shared L3 cache at 8 MB gives it an advantage in cache capacity, which may help in workloads with large working sets.

The Opteron's Piledriver design uses a module-based approach where pairs of cores share certain resources, while the i5-3570T uses Intel's traditional per-core design. The Opteron's socket is AMD Socket C32, while the Intel part uses Socket 1155. The i5-3570T includes integrated graphics in the form of Intel HD 2500, whereas the Opteron has no integrated graphics listed. The Opteron's market segment is Server/Workstation, while the i5-3570T is a Desktop part. Neither processor has an unlocked multiplier, so both are fixed-frequency chips.

Specification Differences

The core and thread counts differ, with the Opteron offering 6 cores and 6 threads versus the i5-3570T's 4 cores and 4 threads. Base clock speeds are 3.00 GHz for the AMD part and 2.30 GHz for the Intel part. Boost clocks are 3.70 GHz and 3.30 GHz respectively. The Opteron runs at higher clocks in both states, with a 0.70 GHz base clock advantage and a 0.40 GHz boost clock advantage. TDP also differs: the Opteron is rated at 65 watts, while the i5-3570T is rated at 45 watts.

Socket compatibility is entirely different: the Opteron uses AMD Socket C32, and the i5-3570T uses Intel Socket 1155. The process node favors Intel at 22 nm versus AMD's 32 nm. Transistor count is higher for Intel at 1,400 million versus 1,200 million. Die size is smaller for Intel at 160 mm² versus 315 mm². The Opteron has 8 MB of shared L3 cache, while the i5-3570T has 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The Opteron's L1 cache is 288 KB total, while the i5-3570T's is specified as 64 KB per core. Similarly, L2 cache is 6 MB total for the Opteron and 256 KB per core for the Intel part.

Memory support is DDR3 for both, but the i5-3570T lists dual-channel memory bus support while the Opteron's memory bus is not specified. The i5-3570T supports PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes (CPU only), while the Opteron has no PCIe information listed. Integrated graphics are present only on the Intel part, with Intel HD 2500. The Opteron has no integrated graphics. The market segment differs: Server/Workstation for AMD, Desktop for Intel. Release dates are also different, with the i5-3570T launching on 2012-04-28 and the Opteron on 2012-12-03. The part numbers are OS4332OFU6KHK for AMD and SR0P1 for Intel.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Opteron 4332 HE wins across every benchmark in the head-to-head comparison, but the margins are small. Its largest win is a 1.2% advantage in Cinebench R15 multicore, and its smallest is a 0.5% lead in Cinebench R20 single-core. The Opteron's higher base and boost clocks, combined with two additional cores, give it a consistent edge in both multicore and single-core Cinebench tests. For workloads that are heavily threaded, the Opteron's six cores provide a structural advantage over the i5-3570T's four cores, though the 0.9% multicore deltas suggest that Piledriver's per-core efficiency lags Ivy Bridge enough to nearly cancel out the core count advantage.

The Intel Core i5-3570T wins the efficiency contest by a clear margin. Its 45 watt TDP is 20 watts lower than the Opteron's 65 watt TDP. The Intel part also has a smaller die at 160 mm² versus 315 mm², and it includes integrated graphics, which the Opteron lacks. For desktop users who need a low-power chip with built-in display output and no discrete GPU, the i5-3570T is the obvious choice. The Opteron, being a server/workstation part, requires a discrete graphics solution and targets a different use case entirely.

For raw benchmark performance, the Opteron takes the win in all five tested scenarios. The data shows that its 3.00 GHz base clock and 3.70 GHz boost clock, combined with 6 MB of L2 and 8 MB of L3 cache, deliver slightly better Cinebench results than the i5-3570T's 2.30 GHz base and 3.30 GHz boost with 6 MB of shared L3. The Opteron also has a higher average benchmark score at 1144 versus 1136. However, the practical difference is negligible in real-world terms; a 0.5% to 1.2% delta is within run-to-run variance for many workloads. The i5-3570T compensates with a 22 nm process node, more transistors (1,400 million versus 1,200 million), and a smaller die, which typically translates to better power efficiency per unit of performance.

The use-case split is clear: the Opteron serves multi-threaded server workloads where its six cores and higher clocks provide a modest benchmark advantage, while the i5-3570T serves power-sensitive desktop builds where its 45 watt TDP, integrated graphics, and smaller footprint are more valuable than a 1% performance lead. Both processors sit at the 32nd percentile against all CPUs, so neither is a high-performance part by modern standards. The Opteron's wins are consistent but narrow, making the choice between them depend more on platform requirements than on benchmark scores.