AMD PRO A12-8870 vs Intel Pentium 6805 Comparison
AMD PRO A12-8870
Pentium 6805
PERFORMANCE BENCHMARKS
Analysis: AMD PRO A12-8870 vs Intel Pentium 6805
FAQ
Q: Which processor has more physical cores?
A: The AMD PRO A12-8870 has 4 physical cores and 4 threads, while the Intel Pentium 6805 has 2 physical cores and 4 threads. Despite having half the core count, the Pentium wins every recorded head-to-head benchmark.
Q: How does the Intel Pentium 6805 perform in single-core tests?
A: In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Pentium scores 225 versus the AMD's 190, a 15.6% advantage. In Cinebench R23 single-core, it scores 536 versus 454, a 15.3% lead.
Q: What is the average benchmark score for each processor?
A: The AMD PRO A12-8870 has an average benchmark score of 1107, and the Intel Pentium 6805 has an average of 1099. Both sit at the 31st percentile among all CPUs in the database.
Q: Which processor has a higher boost clock?
A: The AMD PRO A12-8870 has a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, while the Intel Pentium 6805 has a boost clock of 3.00 GHz. The AMD also has a base clock of 3.70 GHz, compared to the Pentium's 1100.00 MHz base clock.
Q: What integrated graphics do these processors include?
A: The AMD PRO A12-8870 includes Radeon R7 graphics, while the Intel Pentium 6805 includes UHD Graphics (32EU).
Q: Are both processors unlocked for overclocking?
A: No, neither processor has an unlocked multiplier. The AMD PRO A12-8870 and the Intel Pentium 6805 both have multiplierUnlocked set to false.
Architecture Differences
The AMD PRO A12-8870 is built on the Excavator architecture, specifically the Carrizo design, using a 28 nm process from GlobalFoundries. It contains 3,100 million transistors on a 250 mm² die. The Intel Pentium 6805 uses the Ice Lake architecture, specifically the Sunny Cove-Y design, on Intel's 10 nm process, with a die size of 123 mm². The transistor count for the Pentium is not recorded in the database.
The AMD part is a desktop processor with a 65 W TDP, while the Pentium is a mobile processor with a 15 W TDP. They use entirely different sockets: the AMD uses AMD Socket AM4, and the Intel uses Intel BGA 1526. The AMD is listed as Active in production status, while the Intel is End-of-life.
Cache layouts differ substantially. The AMD PRO A12-8870 has 320 KB of L1 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache, with no L3 cache recorded. The Intel Pentium 6805 has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 4 MB of shared L3 cache. This gives the Pentium a significant cache hierarchy advantage, particularly the shared L3.
Both support DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration, and both use PCIe Gen 3. However, the memory bandwidth differs: the AMD is rated at 38.4 GB/s, while the Intel is rated at 51.2 GB/s. Neither supports ECC memory.
The AMD has a part number of AD887BAUM44AB, while the Intel has part number SRK0U. The Intel was released on September 30, 2020, and has a launch MSRP of $161. The AMD's release date and launch MSRP are not recorded in the database.
Head-to-Head Benchmarks
The recorded data shows a consistent pattern across all five head-to-head Cinebench tests: the Intel Pentium 6805 wins every single one. The AMD PRO A12-8870 does not win any of the recorded head-to-head benchmarks.
In Cinebench R15 multicore, the Pentium scores 383 against the AMD's 324, a 15.4% advantage. This is notable because the AMD has twice the physical core count. The same 15.4% margin appears in Cinebench R20 multicore, where the Pentium scores 1596 and the AMD scores 1351.
Single-core results follow nearly the same pattern. In Cinebench R20 single-core, the Pentium scores 225 versus 190, a 15.6% lead. In Cinebench R23 single-core, the Pentium scores 536 versus 454, a 15.3% lead. The margins are remarkably consistent, hovering around 15.3% to 15.6% across all tests.
The Cinebench R23 multicore test shows the Pentium at 3801 and the AMD at 3218, again a 15.3% difference. This consistency across different Cinebench versions suggests the performance gap is stable and not workload-specific within the Cinebench suite.
The average benchmark scores tell a slightly different story. The AMD PRO A12-8870 has an average score of 1107, and the Intel Pentium 6805 has an average of 1099. This means the AMD is marginally ahead in the overall database average, despite losing every head-to-head Cinebench test. The nearest rivals for the AMD include the AMD Opteron 4280 at 1107 (0% delta), the AMD Athlon X4 845 at 1106 (0.1% delta), and the Intel Core i5-4570T at 1108 (-0.1% delta). The Pentium's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-3450S at 1099 (0% delta), the Intel Xeon E5-1603 v3 at 1098 (0.1% delta), and the Intel Pentium Gold G6500 at 1101 (-0.2% delta).
The percentile ranking for both processors is identical at 31st among all CPUs. This places them in the same performance tier overall, even though the Pentium dominates the Cinebench head-to-head tests. The discrepancy between the head-to-head results and the average scores likely reflects the broader benchmark mix used to compute the average, which includes tests beyond Cinebench.
The Verdict
The data indicates that the Intel Pentium 6805 is the stronger processor in every recorded Cinebench test. The 15.3% to 15.6% margins are consistent across multicore and single-core workloads. The Pentium achieves this with half the physical cores, a 15 W TDP compared to the AMD's 65 W, and a much newer 10 nm process versus 28 nm.
The AMD PRO A12-8870 does have a higher base clock (3.70 GHz versus 1100.00 MHz) and a higher boost clock (4.20 GHz versus 3.00 GHz), but these clock advantages do not translate into benchmark wins. The Pentium's Ice Lake architecture and 4 MB of shared L3 cache appear to compensate for its lower clocks and fewer cores.
For users comparing these two based on the database records, the Intel Pentium 6805 is the recommended choice for Cinebench performance. It also offers higher memory bandwidth (51.2 GB/s versus 38.4 GB/s) and a smaller die size (123 mm² versus 250 mm²). The AMD remains competitive in average benchmark score (1107 versus 1099), meaning it is not far behind across the broader benchmark mix, but the head-to-head results are unambiguous.
Neither processor is unlocked for overclocking, so users cannot close the gap through multiplier adjustments. The Pentium's End-of-life status may be a consideration for long-term availability, while the AMD is still Active. The Pentium has a recorded launch MSRP of $161, stated once here as recorded in the database.
The AMD PRO A12-8870's advantage in transistor count (3,100 million transistors versus no recorded figure for the Pentium) and larger die size may indicate a more complex design, but the benchmark data does not show a corresponding performance benefit. The Intel's shared L3 cache is a clear architectural feature the AMD lacks entirely, as the AMD has no L3 cache recorded at all.
Specification Differences
The table below lists only the fields where the two processors differ.
| Field | AMD PRO A12-8870 | Intel Pentium 6805 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer: AMD | Manufacturer: Intel |
| Cores: 4 | Cores: 2 |
| Threads: 4 | Threads: 4 |
| Base Clock: 3.70 GHz, Boost Clock: 4.20 GHz | Base Clock: 1100.00 MHz, Boost Clock: 3.00 GHz |
| TDP: 65 W | TDP: 15 W |
| Socket: AMD Socket AM4 | Socket: Intel BGA 1526 |
| Architecture: Excavator, Codename: Carrizo, Generation: A12 (Carrizo) | Architecture: Ice Lake, Codename: Ice Lake-Y, Generation: Pentium (Sunny Cove-Y) |
| Process Node: 28 nm, Foundry: GlobalFoundries | Process Node: 10 nm, Foundry: Intel |
| Transistors: 3,100 million, Die Size: 250 mm² | Transistors: not recorded, Die Size: 123 mm² |
| Cache L1: 320 KB L1, L2: 2 MB, L3: none | Cache L1: 80 KB per core, L2: 256 KB per core, L3: 4 MB shared |
| Memory Bandwidth: 38.4 GB/s | Memory Bandwidth: 51.4 GB/s |