AMD Opteron 6238 vs AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 Comparison

The AMD Opteron 6238 and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 occupy opposite ends of the hardware timeline, yet their benchmark averages land within 0.3% of each other. The Opteron 6238, a 12-core server part from 2011, posts an average benchmark score of 1383, while the Ryzen 3 PRO 1200, a 4-core desktop chip from 2017, scores 1379. Both sit at the 36th percentile of all CPUs tested, and their nearest rivals are almost identical — the Opteron 6366 HE appears in both parts' rival lists. The data reveals a remarkable generational convergence: the older, wider chip and the newer, leaner chip deliver nearly interchangeable Cinebench results across every workload tested, despite radically different architectures and market positions.

Where Each One Wins

The Opteron 6238 wins all six head-to-head benchmark comparisons, but by margins so thin they border on statistical noise. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, it scores 481 against 480 for the Ryzen 3 PRO 1200, a 0.2% advantage. The single-core R15 test is a dead heat at 67 points for both. The R20 multi-core test shows a 2008 to 2002 result, a 0.3% edge, while the single-core R20 test gives the Opteron a 283 to 282 win, a 0.4% margin — the largest delta in the entire comparison. In R23, the Opteron leads 4781 to 4767 in multi-core and 675 to 673 in single-core, both 0.3% advantages. In practical terms, neither chip has a meaningful performance edge in any benchmark.

The use-case split is not about speed but about context. The Opteron 6238 targets server and workstation workloads, with a 12-core/12-thread configuration and quad-channel DDR3 memory support. Its design favors throughput in heavily threaded server tasks, even though its per-core performance is limited by the aging Bulldozer architecture. The Ryzen 3 PRO 1200, meanwhile, is a desktop part with 4 cores and 4 threads, dual-channel DDR4 memory, and a 65W TDP. It wins no benchmarks, but its single-core performance matches the Opteron's despite having one-third the core count. For workloads that scale with cores, the Opteron's six additional cores should theoretically dominate, but the benchmarks show otherwise — the Ryzen's modern Zen cores extract nearly identical multi-core scores from a fraction of the silicon.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two chips is enormous. The Opteron 6238 uses the Bulldozer architecture on the Interlagos codename, built on a 32nm process at GlobalFoundries. It packs 2,400 million transistors across a dual-die design measuring 2x 315 mm². The cache hierarchy is module-based: 768 KB of L1, 2 MB of L2 per module, and 8 MB of L3 per die. The Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 uses the Zen architecture (Summit Ridge codename) on a 14nm process, also from GlobalFoundries, with 4,800 million transistors on a single 213 mm² die. Its cache is per-core: 96 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 8 MB of shared L3.

Memory support diverges sharply. The Opteron uses DDR3 with a quad-channel memory bus and a peak bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The Ryzen uses DDR4 with a dual-channel bus and a listed bandwidth of 4256 MB/s — a figure that appears to be a per-channel measurement, but the data shows what it shows. Both support ECC memory, a rarity for desktop chips. PCIe generation differs: the Opteron has Gen 2, while the Ryzen has Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes. The Opteron's socket is G34, the Ryzen's is AM4. The Opteron has a locked multiplier; the Ryzen's multiplier is unlocked. The Opteron launched with a $455 MSRP; the Ryzen has no listed launch MSRP.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has more cores?

A: The AMD Opteron 6238 has 12 cores and 12 threads. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 has 4 cores and 4 threads.

Q: Do these processors have integrated graphics?

A: No. Neither the Opteron 6238 nor the Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 lists integrated graphics in the specification data.

Q: Which processor uses newer memory technology?

A: The Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 supports DDR4 memory, while the Opteron 6238 supports DDR3. The Ryzen also uses a dual-channel memory bus, versus the Opteron's quad-channel bus.

Q: Are both processors still in production?

A: No. The Opteron 6238 is listed as end-of-life, while the Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 is listed as active production.

Q: How do the benchmark scores compare between the two?

A: The Opteron 6238 wins all six head-to-head Cinebench tests, but by margins of 0% to 0.4%. The largest advantage is 0.4% in Cinebench R20 single-core (283 vs 282). The average benchmark scores are 1383 for the Opteron and 1379 for the Ryzen.

Q: Can the Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 be overclocked?

A: Yes. The Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 has an unlocked multiplier. The Opteron 6238 does not have an unlocked multiplier.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Opteron 6238 | AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 |

|---|---|---|

| Cores | 12 | 4 |

| Threads | 12 | 4 |

| Base Clock | 2.60 GHz | 3.10 GHz |

| Boost Clock | 3.20 GHz | 3.40 GHz |

| TDP | 115 W | 65 W |

| Socket | AMD Socket G34 | AMD Socket AM4 |

| Architecture | Bulldozer | Zen |

| Codename | Interlagos | Zen (Summit Ridge) |

| Process Node | 32 nm | 14 nm |

| Transistors | 2,400 million | 4,800 million |

| Die Size | 2x 315 mm² | 213 mm² |

| L1 Cache | 768 KB | 96 KB (per core) |

| L2 Cache | 2 MB (per module) | 512 KB (per core) |

| L3 Cache | 8 MB (per die) | 8 MB (shared) |

| Memory Support | DDR3 | DDR4 |

| Memory Bus | Quad-channel | Dual-channel |

| Memory Bandwidth | 51.2 GB/s | 4256 MB/s |

| PCIe | Gen 2 | Gen 3, 16 Lanes (CPU only) |

| Market Segment | Server/Workstation | Desktop |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release Date | 2011-11-13 | 2017-06-28 |

| Launch MSRP | $455 | Not listed |

| Multiplier Unlocked | No | Yes |

| Part Number | OS6238WKTCGGU | YD120BBBM4KAE |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data paints a picture of near-perfect parity. In Cinebench R15 multi-core, the Opteron 6238 scores 481 against the Ryzen's 480, a 0.2% win. The single-core R15 test is an exact tie at 67 points each, with the Opteron technically declared the winner at a 0% delta. Moving to R20, the Opteron takes multi-core 2008 to 2002 (0.3% margin) and single-core 283 to 282 (0.4% margin). In R23, the Opteron wins multi-core 4781 to 4767 and single-core 675 to 673, both at 0.3% margins.

The most striking result is the single-core parity. The Opteron 6238, with a 2.60 GHz base clock and Bulldozer architecture, matches the Ryzen 3 PRO 1200's 3.10 GHz base clock and Zen architecture in single-threaded Cinebench tests. The Ryzen has a 0.50 GHz clock advantage at base and a 0.20 GHz advantage at boost (3.40 GHz vs 3.20 GHz), yet it cannot translate that into a single-core win. The Opteron's higher TDP — 115W versus 65W — does not yield a multi-core advantage either; its 12 cores only manage a 0.3% lead over 4 cores in the latest R23 multi-core test.

The nearest rival data contextualizes these scores. The Opteron 6238's closest competitor is the AMD Opteron 6366 HE at 1379 (a 0.3% delta) and the Intel Core i7-3615QE at 1381 (0.2% delta). The Ryzen 3 PRO 1200's nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 2300U at 1379 (0% delta) and the AMD Opteron 6366 HE at 1379 (0% delta). Both chips effectively occupy the same performance tier as a mid-range Intel quad-core from 2012. The Opteron 6238's 12 cores are massive overkill for the performance it delivers; the Ryzen 3 PRO 1200 achieves the same results with a quarter of the core count and half the TDP. The data suggests the Bulldozer architecture's inefficiency is so severe that it erases the core-count advantage entirely. In every benchmark, the Ryzen's modern Zen cores punch far above their weight, matching a server chip with three times the cores. The Opteron's wins are real but meaningless in practical terms — a 0.4% margin is within run-to-run variance for any benchmark.