AMD Phenom II X6 1045T vs Intel Core i7-2715QE Comparison

The AMD Phenom II X6 1045T and the Intel Core i7-2715QE are both end-of-life processors that landed in the 25th percentile of all CPUs, yet they represent fundamentally different design philosophies from their respective eras. The AMD part is a six-core desktop chip built on a 45 nm process, while the Intel part is a four-core, eight-thread mobile chip on a 32 nm process. Despite their different core counts and thermal envelopes, the benchmark data reveals a striking parity in performance, with the AMD chip winning all five head-to-head tests by margins of 0.4% to 0.5%. The average benchmark scores are nearly identical as well: 946 for the AMD versus 942 for the Intel, a difference of less than half a percent.

Where Each One Wins

The data shows a clear but narrow sweep for the AMD Phenom II X6 1045T, which wins all five head-to-head Cinebench comparisons. The largest margin is in the Cinebench R23 single-core test, where the AMD scores 388 against the Intel's 386, a delta of 0.5%. In the multicore tests, the AMD holds a consistent 0.4% advantage across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23. The R20 single-core test is a dead heat at 162 points for both, with the AMD declared the winner on a delta of 0%.

However, the context of these wins matters more than the raw deltas. The Intel Core i7-2715QE achieves these near-identical scores while consuming a TDP of 45 watts, compared to the AMD's 95 watts. Furthermore, the Intel chip is a mobile part designed for laptops, whereas the AMD is a desktop processor. In practical terms, the Intel wins on efficiency and platform suitability for compact systems, even though it loses on raw benchmark points. The AMD wins on raw score in every single test, but the margins are so small that they fall within typical run-to-run variance for Cinebench. Neither processor can claim a meaningful performance victory; instead, the differentiators are architectural and platform-level.

Architecture Differences

The two chips come from different architectural generations and are built for different markets. The AMD Phenom II X6 1045T is based on the K10 architecture with the Thuban codename, manufactured by GlobalFoundries on a 45 nm process. It packs 904 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. The Intel Core i7-2715QE uses the Sandy Bridge architecture, manufactured by Intel on a 32 nm process, with 1,160 million transistors on a much smaller 216 mm² die. The Intel part's transistor count is higher by 256 million, yet its die size is 130 mm² smaller, reflecting the denser 32 nm node.

Core and thread configurations differ significantly. The AMD offers six physical cores and six threads, with a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 3.20 GHz. The Intel offers four physical cores and eight threads via Hyper-Threading, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 3.00 GHz. Despite having two fewer physical cores, the Intel's eight threads allow it to compete directly with the AMD's six threads in multicore workloads, as evidenced by the benchmark scores.

Cache hierarchies also diverge. The AMD has a larger L1 cache at 128 KB per core and L2 at 512 KB per core, while the Intel has 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core. Both share 6 MB of L3 cache. The AMD supports DDR2 and DDR3 memory with a dual-channel bus, delivering 21.3 GB/s of bandwidth; the Intel's memory support is not specified in the data, though it also uses a dual-channel bus. ECC memory is supported on the AMD but not on the Intel. The AMD uses PCIe Gen 2, while the Intel's PCIe version is not listed. Integrated graphics also differ: the AMD relies on a chipset feature on certain motherboards, whereas the Intel has Intel HD 3000 built in.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Cinebench R15 multicore test shows the AMD ahead with 276 points versus the Intel's 275, a delta of 0.4%. This is the closest multicore result in the set, with a single point separating the two. In Cinebench R20 multicore, the gap widens to five points: 1154 for the AMD and 1149 for the Intel, again a 0.4% delta. The Cinebench R23 multicore test follows the same pattern, with the AMD scoring 2748 and the Intel 2737, a difference of 11 points and a 0.4% delta.

Single-core results are similarly tight. In Cinebench R20 single-core, both processors score exactly 162 points, resulting in a 0% delta with the AMD declared the winner due to the tie-breaking rule. The Cinebench R23 single-core test shows the AMD at 388 and the Intel at 386, a 0.5% delta in favor of the AMD. Across all five tests, the AMD's largest margin is just two points in the R23 single-core run. These results indicate that the six-core AMD and the four-core eight-thread Intel are effectively performance equals in Cinebench, with the AMD's extra physical cores offset by the Intel's higher IPC per clock from the newer Sandy Bridge architecture.

The average benchmark scores corroborate this. The AMD's average is 946, while the Intel's is 942. The AMD's nearest rival, the Intel Xeon X5560, also scores 946 with a 0% delta, placing the AMD in a three-way tie with the Xeon and the Intel Pentium Gold G5400T. The Intel Core i7-2715QE's nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-8145U, scores 941 with a 0.1% delta, meaning the i7-2715QE is 0.1% ahead of that chip. The AMD's closest rival below it is the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U at 947, which is 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i3-1110G4 at 945, which is 0.1% slower.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has more physical cores?

A: The AMD Phenom II X6 1045T has six physical cores and six threads, while the Intel Core i7-2715QE has four physical cores and eight threads.

Q: How much faster is the AMD in the Cinebench R23 multicore test?

A: The AMD scores 2748, and the Intel scores 2737, giving the AMD a 0.4% advantage with an 11-point difference.

Q: Do both processors have the same amount of L3 cache?

A: Yes, both the AMD Phenom II X6 1045T and the Intel Core i7-2715QE have 6 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: Which processor has a higher TDP?

A: The AMD Phenom II X6 1045T has a TDP of 95 watts, which is more than double the Intel Core i7-2715QE's 45 watts.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the Intel wins?

A: No, the head-to-head data shows the AMD winning all five Cinebench tests, with the Intel not winning a single comparison.

Q: What is the single-core performance difference in Cinebench R23?

A: The AMD scores 388, and the Intel scores 386, resulting in a 0.5% delta in favor of the AMD.

The Verdict

The benchmark data presents a clear picture: the AMD Phenom II X6 1045T is the faster processor in every measured Cinebench test, but only by margins of 0.4% to 0.5%. These differences are functionally negligible, meaning neither chip offers a meaningful performance advantage over the other in these workloads. The AMD's six cores versus the Intel's four cores and eight threads produce nearly identical results, which suggests that the Intel's architectural efficiency from Sandy Bridge compensates for its two fewer physical cores.

The real differentiators are platform-level. The Intel Core i7-2715QE is a mobile processor with a 45 W TDP and integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics, making it suitable for laptops and compact systems where power and space are constrained. The AMD Phenom II X6 1045T is a desktop chip with a 95 W TDP, requiring a discrete graphics solution or a motherboard chipset with integrated graphics. It also supports ECC memory and DDR2/DDR3, offering flexibility for older or specialized desktop platforms.

For a user choosing between these two, the decision rests on the platform rather than the benchmarks. If the requirement is a low-power mobile system, the Intel is the only option. If the requirement is a desktop build with ECC memory support or the ability to use DDR2, the AMD is the better fit. The data shows no performance-based reason to prefer one over the other in Cinebench, as the AMD's 0.4% to 0.5% leads are well within noise. Both processors sit at the 25th percentile of all CPUs, and their average scores of 946 and 942 place them in the same performance tier as the Intel Xeon X5560 and the Intel Pentium Gold G5400T. The AMD wins on raw scores across the board, while the Intel wins on efficiency and integrated graphics; the choice depends entirely on which of those factors matters more for the target system.