AMD PRO A10-8850B vs Intel Core i5-2450P Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark record is decisively one-sided. Across every shared workload in the database, the Intel Core i5-2450P finishes ahead of the AMD PRO A10-8850B. The largest margin appears in Cinebench R15 multi-core, where Intel scores 366 against AMD's 321, a 14% advantage. That lead is not an outlier: Cinebench R20 multi-core shows Intel at 1525 versus 1339, a 13.9% gap, and Cinebench R23 multi-core repeats the pattern with 3632 against 3189, again 13.9%. The single-core results tighten slightly but remain consistent: Intel leads Cinebench R20 single-core 215 to 189 (13.8%) and Cinebench R23 single-core 512 to 450 (13.8%). The total win count stands at five for Intel, zero for AMD.

What is notable is the uniformity of the margin. The smallest delta recorded is 13.8%, and the largest is 14%. This suggests the difference is structural rather than workload-specific. The AMD part's higher clock rates, 3.90 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost, do not translate into a win in any measured test. The Intel part, with a 3.20 GHz base and 3.50 GHz boost, consistently posts higher scores despite the lower frequency. In absolute terms, the Intel advantage ranges from 45 points in Cinebench R15 multi-core to 443 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core. The single-core deltas are 26 points in R20 and 62 points in R23.

For context, the two CPUs sit at nearly the same percentile within the broader database. The Intel part ranks at the 30th percentile of all CPUs, while the AMD part ranks at the 31st percentile. Their average benchmark scores are close as well: 1086 for Intel and 1098 for AMD. This makes the head-to-head sweep more striking; the aggregate scores suggest near parity, but the direct comparison shows a clear and repeatable Intel victory in every rendered workload.

Architecture Differences

The two processors come from different design schools and different manufacturing eras. The Intel Core i5-2450P uses the Sandy Bridge architecture, built on a 32 nm process at Intel's own foundry. It integrates 1,160 million transistors on a 216 mm² die. The AMD PRO A10-8850B uses the Steamroller architecture, codenamed Godaveri, fabricated on a 28 nm process at GlobalFoundries. That chip packs 2,411 million transistors into a 245 mm² die. The transistor counts differ by more than a factor of two, and the die sizes are close, which points to different density and design priorities.

Cache layouts diverge sharply. The Intel part provides 64 KB of L1 cache per core and 256 KB of L2 cache per core, plus a shared 6 MB L3 cache. The AMD part lists 256 KB of L1 cache total and 4 MB of L2 cache, with no L3 cache at all. The absence of L3 on the AMD side is a significant architectural difference for workloads that benefit from a large shared cache. The Intel design's shared L3 can hold more working set data across all four cores.

Both CPUs run on dual-channel DDR3 memory, but the AMD part lists a memory bandwidth figure of 34.1 GB/s, while the Intel part has no recorded bandwidth number in the database. Neither supports ECC memory. Both use PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes from the CPU. The sockets are incompatible: Intel uses Socket 1155, while AMD uses Socket FM2+. The AMD part includes integrated graphics, a Radeon R7, while the Intel part has no integrated graphics listed. This is a functional difference for systems built without a discrete GPU.

The AMD chip is marked as end-of-life in production status, while the Intel part has no production status recorded. Release dates also differ: the Intel part was released in January 2012, and the AMD part in September 2015. The Intel part is from the Core i5 generation line, while the AMD part is from the A10 generation line. Neither has an unlocked multiplier, and neither lists a launch MSRP.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Core i5-2450P wins every benchmark category that appears in the shared test set. That includes multi-core rendering tests, Cinebench R15, R20, and R23, and single-core rendering tests, R20 and R23. The margins are consistent, between 13.8% and 14%, which indicates a broad advantage across both threaded and lightly threaded workloads. For users running CPU rendering, video encoding, or any application that scales with Cinebench-style performance, the Intel part is the stronger choice based on recorded data.

The AMD PRO A10-8850B does not win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison. However, it does have attributes that matter outside of the measured tests. It includes integrated Radeon R7 graphics, which the Intel part lacks. For a system that needs a display output without a separate graphics card, the AMD part has a functional advantage. The AMD part also has a higher base clock, 3.90 GHz versus 3.20 GHz, and a higher boost clock, 4.10 GHz versus 3.50 GHz. These clock rates could benefit workloads that are not represented in the benchmark suite, but the database does not contain evidence of such a win.

The cache structure also differs in ways that could matter for specific workloads. The Intel part's 6 MB shared L3 cache may help with repeated data access across cores. The AMD part's 4 MB L2 cache, with no L3, may behave differently for memory-heavy tasks. The recorded benchmarks do not show an AMD advantage in any case, but the architectural distinction remains.

The average benchmark scores are nearly identical, with AMD at 1098 and Intel at 1086, a difference of just over 1%. The percentile rankings are also within one point, 31st for AMD and 30th for Intel. This means that in the broader database context, these two CPUs are peers. The head-to-head data, however, shows that the Intel part is consistently faster in the tests that were run on both.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear choice for performance. The Intel Core i5-2450P wins all five shared benchmarks, with margins between 13.8% and 14%. It is faster in both multi-core and single-core Cinebench tests. For any user whose workload is represented by these rendering benchmarks, the Intel part is the better CPU. The consistency of the margin, across multiple versions of Cinebench, suggests a reliable performance advantage rather than a test-specific anomaly.

The AMD PRO A10-8850B, despite higher clock speeds and a newer release date, does not match the Intel part in any measured test. Its strengths lie elsewhere: it includes integrated Radeon R7 graphics, making it viable for systems without a discrete GPU. It also has a larger transistor count and a different cache arrangement. But the benchmark record does not show any scenario where it outperforms the Intel part.

The choice depends on the use case. For raw CPU compute, as measured by Cinebench, the Intel Core i5-2450P is the superior option. For a system that needs integrated graphics and does not require maximum rendering performance, the AMD PRO A10-8850B offers that capability. The database shows no benchmark win for AMD, so a performance-focused decision should favor Intel. A feature-focused decision, specifically for integrated graphics, would favor AMD.

FAQ

Q: Which CPU has a higher single-core score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i5-2450P scores 512, while the AMD PRO A10-8850B scores 450, giving Intel a 13.8% advantage.

Q: How do the two CPUs compare in multi-core performance?

A: The Intel part wins all three multi-core tests. In Cinebench R15, it scores 366 versus 321 (14% ahead). In R20, it scores 1525 versus 1339 (13.9% ahead). In R23, it scores 3632 versus 3189 (13.9% ahead).

Q: Does the AMD PRO A10-8850B include integrated graphics?

A: Yes, it includes a Radeon R7 integrated graphics unit. The Intel Core i5-2450P has no integrated graphics listed in the database.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the AMD part?

A: The AMD PRO A10-8850B lists a memory bandwidth of 34.1 GB/s. The Intel part does not have a bandwidth figure recorded.

Q: Which CPU has a larger L3 cache?

A: The Intel Core i5-2450P has 6 MB of shared L3 cache. The AMD PRO A10-8850B has no L3 cache listed.

Q: How close are the average benchmark scores?

A: The AMD part averages 1098, and the Intel part averages 1086, a difference of about 1%. The AMD part ranks at the 31st percentile, and the Intel part at the 30th percentile.