AMD Athlon II X3 420e vs Intel Core i3-4012Y

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

AMD Athlon II X3 420e or AMD Athlon II X3 420e – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The AMD Athlon II X3 420e features 3 processor cores and has the capability to manage 3 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2010 and belongs to the 1 generation of the AMD Athlon II series.
To use the AMD Athlon II X3 420e, you'll need a motherboard with a AM3 socket.
The Intel Core i3-4012Y features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2013 and belongs to the 4 generation of the Intel Core i3 series.
To use the Intel Core i3-4012Y, you'll need a motherboard with a BGA 1168 socket.
Desktop / Server Segment Mobile
AMD Athlon II X3 420e Name Intel Core i3-4012Y
AMD Athlon II Family Intel Core i3
1 Generation 4
AMD Athlon II X3 (Rana) Group Intel Core i 4000Y
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Athlon II X3 420e has 3 CPU cores and can calculate 3 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon II X3 420e is 2.6 GHz
The Intel Core i3-4012Y has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-4012Y is 1.5 GHz
normal Core architecture normal
2.6 GHz Frequency 1.5 GHz
3 Threads 4
No Overclocking No
No Hyperthreading Yes
3 CPU Cores 2
3x Cores 2x
 
 

Internal Graphics

The AMD Athlon II X3 420e does not have integrated graphics.
The Intel Core i3-4012Y has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i3-4012Y uses the Intel HD Graphics 4200, which has 160 texture shaders
and 20 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
-- GPU frequency 0.2 GHz
-- Release date Q2/2013
-- Direct X 11.1
GPU name Intel HD Graphics 4200
-- Technology 22 nm
-- Max. displays --
-- Shaders 160
0 bytes Max. GPU Memory 2.0 GB
-- Execution units 20
-- Generation 7.5
-- GPU (Turbo) 0.85 GHz
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications --
-- AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
-- AVC Decode / Encode
-- VC-1 Decode
-- VP9 No
-- h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
-- h264 Decode / Encode
-- VP8 No
-- h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
-- JPEG Decode
-- AV1 No
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 21.3 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 16.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
2 Memory channels 2
16.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI Yes
No ECC No
21.3 GB/s Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
DDR3-1333 Memory type DDR3-1600, LPDDR3-1600
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 45 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 11.5 W watts.
-- Tjunction max 100 °C
45 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 11.5 W
None TDP down 4.5 W
 
 

Technical details

The AMD Athlon II X3 420e is manufactured using a 45 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i3-4012Y is manufactured using a 22 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 3.0 MB cache.
Q3/2010 Release date Q3/2013
-- Part Number --
1.5 MB L2-Cache 0 bytes
AMD-V Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
SSE3, SSE4a, MMX, 3DNow! ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2
-- Chip design Monolithic
Rana Architecture Haswell Y
45 nm Technology 22 nm
AM3 Socket BGA 1168
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
-- Release price --
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
0 bytes L3-Cache 3.0 MB