AMD PRO A12-9800 vs Intel Core i7-5557U Comparison

The Intel Core i7-5557U and AMD PRO A12-9800 occupy the same performance percentile—both sit at the 31st percentile of all CPUs—yet they achieve this status through fundamentally different designs and benchmark profiles. The AMD PRO A12-9800 wins all five head-to-head benchmarks, with margins ranging from 16.4% to 16.8% across Cinebench R15, R20, and R23 tests. However, the Intel chip operates in a completely different market segment with a 28W TDP versus the AMD's 65W TDP, making the comparison less about raw speed and more about efficiency versus brute force.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD PRO A12-9800 is the outright winner in every benchmark category recorded. In Cinebench R15 multicore, it scores 323 against the Intel's 270, a delta of -16.4% favoring AMD. This pattern holds across Cinebench R20 multicore (1347 vs 1126), R20 singlecore (190 vs 158), R23 multicore (3208 vs 2682), and R23 singlecore (453 vs 378). The AMD's advantage is remarkably consistent—every deltaPct falls between -16.4% and -16.8%, suggesting the performance gap is uniform across both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads.

The Intel Core i7-5557U, despite losing every benchmark, has its own domain of relevance. Its 28W TDP makes it suitable for mobile platforms, and its 14nm process node from Intel contrasts sharply with AMD's 28nm node. The Intel chip also supports PCIe Gen 2 with 12 lanes, while AMD offers PCIe Gen 3 with 8 lanes—a tradeoff between lane count and bandwidth per lane. In terms of memory bandwidth, the AMD's 38.4 GB/s exceeds Intel's 29.9 GB/s, but the Intel part uses DDR3 while AMD uses DDR4.

The data indicates the AMD PRO A12-9800 is the superior performer in computation-heavy tasks, while the Intel i7-5557U's advantage lies in its power envelope and mobile form factor. The Intel chip's integrated graphics is Intel Iris 6100, while AMD pairs with Radeon R7, but no benchmark data exists in the fact pack to compare these iGPUs directly.

Architecture Differences

The architectural divide between these two processors is substantial. Intel's Broadwell-U architecture uses a 14nm process node with 1,900 million transistors on a 133 mm² die. AMD's Bristol Ridge, based on the Excavator architecture, uses a 28nm process with 3,100 million transistors on a 250 mm² die—nearly double the transistor count and die area, but on an older, larger process.

Core configuration differs fundamentally: the Intel has 2 cores and 4 threads (Hyper-Threading), while AMD has 4 physical cores and 4 threads (no SMT). The Intel's base clock is 3.10 GHz with a 3.40 GHz boost, whereas AMD runs higher at 3.80 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost. Despite fewer cores, the Intel still manages to stay within 16-17% of AMD's performance, thanks to its newer process and microarchitecture.

Cache hierarchies are markedly different. Intel uses a per-core L1 of 64 KB and per-core L2 of 256 KB, plus 4 MB of shared L3 cache. AMD uses a unified 320 KB L1 and 2 MB L2, with no L3 cache at all. Intel's 4 MB L3 shared cache provides a latency buffer that AMD lacks entirely. Memory support diverges: Intel uses DDR3 dual-channel at 29.9 GB/s, while AMD uses DDR4 dual-channel at 38.4 GB/s—a 28.4% bandwidth advantage for AMD.

The sockets are incompatible (Intel BGA 1168 vs AMD Socket AM4), and market segments differ: Intel targets mobile with a 28W TDP, while AMD is a desktop part at 65W. Intel's production status is end-of-life with a release date of 2015-02-28, while AMD remains active with a release date of 2016-10-02. Neither chip has an unlocked multiplier, and both lack ECC memory support.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows the AMD PRO A12-9800 as the faster processor in every measured metric. It leads by 16.4% in Cinebench R15 and R20 multicore, 16.4% in R23 multicore, and approximately 16.6-16.8% in single-core tests. The AMD's higher base and boost clocks (3.80/4.20 GHz vs 3.10/3.40 GHz) combined with twice the physical cores explain this consistent advantage. For users prioritizing raw compute performance—whether in Cinebench-style rendering or bursty single-threaded workloads—the AMD part is unambiguously superior.

However, the Intel Core i7-5557U should not be dismissed based on benchmark scores alone. Its 28W TDP versus AMD's 65W TDP represents a 57% power reduction, making it the only viable choice for thin-and-light mobile designs. The Intel chip's 14nm process and smaller die (133 mm² vs 250 mm²) indicate better power efficiency per unit of performance. Its end-of-life status and mobile socket (BGA 1168) mean it is not a drop-in upgrade path, but rather a component designed for integrated laptops.

The choice depends entirely on use-case: the AMD PRO A12-9800 for desktop systems where power consumption is secondary to throughput, or the Intel i7-5557U for mobile platforms where thermal and battery constraints dominate. The fact that both processors land at the 31st percentile overall despite these differences underscores that they serve different segments of the market, not competing directly for the same socket or chassis.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has better multi-core performance?

A: The AMD PRO A12-9800 wins all multi-core benchmarks: Cinebench R15 scores 323 vs 270, R20 scores 1347 vs 1126, and R23 scores 3208 vs 2682. Each margin is 16.4% in AMD's favor.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-5557U more efficient?

A: Yes, the Intel chip has a 28W TDP versus AMD's 65W TDP. It also uses a 14nm process with 1,900 million transistors on a 133 mm² die, compared to AMD's 28nm process with 3,100 million transistors on a 250 mm² die.

Q: Do these processors use the same memory type?

A: No. The Intel Core i7-5557U supports DDR3 with dual-channel 29.9 GB/s bandwidth, while the AMD PRO A12-9800 supports DDR4 with dual-channel 38.4 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which CPU has more cache?

A: The Intel chip has 4 MB of shared L3 cache plus per-core 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2. The AMD part has 320 KB L1 and 2 MB L2 but no L3 cache at all.

Q: Are these processors unlocked for overclocking?

A: No. Both the Intel Core i7-5557U and the AMD PRO A12-9800 have multiplierUnlocked set to false in the data.

Q: What are the production statuses?

A: The Intel Core i7-5557U is end-of-life (released 2015-02-28), while the AMD PRO A12-9800 is active (released 2016-10-02).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The biggest win for the AMD PRO A12-9800 comes in single-core tests, where it shows a 16.8% advantage in Cinebench R20 singlecore (190 vs 158) and a 16.6% lead in R23 singlecore (453 vs 378). These margins are slightly larger than the multi-core deltas of 16.4%, indicating AMD's higher clock speeds (4.20 GHz boost vs 3.40 GHz) provide a marginally greater benefit in lightly-threaded workloads.

In Cinebench R15 multicore, AMD scores 323 versus Intel's 270, a 53-point gap. The R20 multicore test shows a 221-point difference (1347 vs 1126), while R23 multicore reveals a 526-point gap (3208 vs 2682). The absolute point gaps grow with each newer Cinebench version, but the percentage margin remains constant at 16.4%, suggesting the workload scaling affects both processors proportionally.

The consistency of AMD's victory across all five benchmarks is notable. Every deltaPct falls within a narrow band of -16.4% to -16.8%. This uniformity implies the AMD's advantage is systemic—rooted in its 4 physical cores versus Intel's 2 cores with Hyper-Threading, and its higher operating frequencies—rather than workload-specific. The Intel chip's 4 MB L3 cache and 14nm process cannot compensate for the raw throughput deficit in either single or multi-threaded scenarios.

The Intel's best performance relative to AMD appears in Cinebench R15 multicore, where both chips show exactly the same -16.4% delta. No benchmark shows Intel winning, and the data records winsA as 0 and winsB as 5. The average benchmark scores reflect this: Intel's avgBenchmarkScore is 1110, while AMD's is 1104, a 0.5% difference that falls within the margin of error given their nearest rivals—Intel's closest competitor is the Xeon E5630 at 1110 (0% delta), while AMD's nearest is the Opteron 3280 at 1106 (-0.2% delta).

Specification Differences

The two processors differ on nearly every specification field. Core count: 2 (Intel) vs 4 (AMD). Threads: 4 (Intel) vs 4 (AMD)—Intel uses Hyper-Threading to match AMD's physical core count. Base clock: 3.10 GHz (Intel) vs 3.80 GHz (AMD). Boost clock: 3.40 GHz (Intel) vs 4.20 GHz (AMD). TDP: 28W (Intel) vs 65W (AMD).

Process technology: 14nm (Intel) vs 28nm (AMD). Transistor count: 1,900 million (Intel) vs 3,100 million (AMD). Die size: 133 mm² (Intel) vs 250 mm² (AMD). Foundry: Intel vs GlobalFoundries. Socket: Intel BGA 1168 vs AMD Socket AM4.

Cache structures are entirely different: Intel uses 64 KB L1 per core and 256 KB L2 per core with 4 MB shared L3; AMD uses 320 KB total L1 and 2 MB total L2 with no L3. Memory support: DDR3 (Intel) vs DDR4 (AMD). Memory bandwidth: 29.9 GB/s (Intel) vs 38.4 GB/s (AMD). PCIe: Gen 2 with 12 lanes (Intel) vs Gen 3 with 8 lanes (AMD).

Integrated graphics: Intel Iris 6100 vs Radeon R7. Market segment: Mobile (Intel) vs Desktop (AMD). Production status: End-of-life (Intel) vs Active (AMD). Release date: 2015-02-28 (Intel) vs 2016-10-02 (AMD). Launch MSRP: $426 for Intel; no MSRP listed for AMD. Neither has an unlocked multiplier, and both lack ECC support. Architecture names: Broadwell-U (Intel) vs Bristol Ridge/Excavator (AMD). The generation fields confirm the split: "Core i7 (Broadwell-U)" versus "A12 (Bristol Ridge)".