AMD Athlon II X4 640 vs Intel Core i3-3220

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

AMD Athlon II X4 640 or AMD Athlon II X4 640 – 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 X4 640 features 4 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2010 and belongs to the 1 generation of the AMD Athlon II series.
To use the AMD Athlon II X4 640, you'll need a motherboard with a AM3 socket.
The Intel Core i3-3220 features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2012 and belongs to the 3 generation of the Intel Core i3 series.
To use the Intel Core i3-3220, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1155 socket.
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
AMD Athlon II X4 640 Name Intel Core i3-3220
AMD Athlon II Family Intel Core i3
1 Generation 3
AMD Athlon II X4 (Propus) Group Intel Core i 3000
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Athlon II X4 640 has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon II X4 640 is 3.0 GHz
The Intel Core i3-3220 has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i3-3220 is 3.3 GHz
normal Core architecture normal
3.0 GHz Frequency 3.3 GHz
4 Threads 4
No Overclocking No
No Hyperthreading Yes
4 CPU Cores 2
4x Cores 2x
 
 

Internal Graphics

The AMD Athlon II X4 640 does not have integrated graphics.
The Intel Core i3-3220 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i3-3220 uses the Intel HD Graphics 2500, which has 48 texture shaders
and 6 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
-- GPU frequency 0.65 GHz
-- Release date Q2/2012
-- Direct X 11.0
GPU name Intel HD Graphics 2500
-- Technology 22 nm
-- Max. displays --
-- Shaders 48
0 bytes Max. GPU Memory 2.0 GB
-- Execution units 6
-- Generation 7
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.05 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 32.0 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 32.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI Yes
No ECC No
-- Bandwidth 25.6 GB/s
DDR3-1333 Memory type DDR3-1600
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 95 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 55 W watts.
-- Tjunction max --
95 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 55 W
 
 

Technical details

The AMD Athlon II X4 640 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 i3-3220 is manufactured using a 22 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 3.0 MB cache.
Q2/2010 Release date Q3/2012
-- Part Number --
2.0 MB L2-Cache 0 bytes
AMD-V Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT
SSE3, SSE4a, MMX, 3DNow! ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX
-- Chip design Monolithic
Propus Architecture Ivy Bridge S
45 nm Technology 22 nm
AM3 Socket LGA 1155
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
-- Release price 117 $
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
 
 

Benchmarks

Geekbench 3, 64bit (Multi-Core)

AMD Athlon II X4 640
4C 4T @ 3.0 GHz
5604
5604
Intel Core i3-3220
2C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
5412
5412

Geekbench 3, 64bit (Single-Core)

Intel Core i3-3220
2C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
2570
2570
AMD Athlon II X4 640
4C 4T @ 3.0 GHz
1618
1618

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i3-3220
2C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
1376
1376
AMD Athlon II X4 640
4C 4T @ 3.0 GHz
1332
1332

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i3-3220
2C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
639
639
AMD Athlon II X4 640
4C 4T @ 3.0 GHz
582
582

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i3-3220
2C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
295
295
AMD Athlon II X4 640
4C 4T @ 3.0 GHz
274
274

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Intel Core i3-3220
2C 4T @ 3.3 GHz
254
254
AMD Athlon II X4 640
4C 4T @ 3.0 GHz
152
152