Intel Core i7-3520M vs AMD Athlon PRO 300U

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Intel Core i7-3520M or Intel Core i7-3520M – 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 Intel Core i7-3520M features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2012 and belongs to the 3 generation of the Intel Core i7 series.
To use the Intel Core i7-3520M, you'll need a motherboard with a BGA 1023 socket.
The AMD Athlon PRO 300U features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q1/2019 and belongs to the 6 generation of the AMD Athlon series.
To use the AMD Athlon PRO 300U, you'll need a motherboard with a FP5 socket.
Mobile Segment Mobile
Intel Core i7-3520M Name AMD Athlon PRO 300U
Intel Core i7 Family AMD Athlon
3 Generation 6
Intel Core i 3000M Group AMD Athlon PRO 300
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Intel Core i7-3520M has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the Intel Core i7-3520M is 2.9 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 3.6 GHz.
The AMD Athlon PRO 300U has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon PRO 300U is 2.4 GHz
and turbo frequency for one core is 3.3 GHz.
3.6 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 core) 3.3 GHz
No Overclocking No
normal Core architecture normal
2.9 GHz Frequency 2.4 GHz
4 Threads 4
3.4 GHz Turbo Frequency (all cores) 2.4 GHz
Yes Hyperthreading Yes
2 CPU Cores 2
2x Cores 2x
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Intel Core i7-3520M has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i7-3520M uses the Intel HD Graphics 4000, which has 128 texture shaders
and 16 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The AMD Athlon PRO 300U has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the AMD Athlon PRO 300U uses the AMD Radeon Vega 3 Graphics, which has 192 texture shaders
and 3 execution units.
0.65 GHz GPU frequency 1.0 GHz
Q1/2011 Release date Q1/2018
11.0 Direct X 12
Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU name AMD Radeon Vega 3 Graphics
22 nm Technology 14 nm
-- Max. displays --
128 Shaders 192
2.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 2.0 GB
16 Execution units 3
7 Generation 8
1.25 GHz GPU (Turbo) --
 
 

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.
Decode / Encode AVC Decode / Encode
Decode VC-1 Decode
No VP9 Decode / Encode
No h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode / Encode h264 Decode / Encode
No VP8 Decode / Encode
No h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
Decode JPEG Decode / Encode
No 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.
The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 32.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 38.4 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
2 Memory channels 2
32.0 GB Max. Memory 32.0 GB
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI Yes
No ECC Yes
25.6 GB/s Bandwidth 38.4 GB/s
DDR3L-1600, DDR3L-1333, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600 Memory type DDR4-2400
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 35 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 15 W watts.
-- Tjunction max 105 °C
35 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 15 W
 
 

Technical details

The Intel Core i7-3520M is manufactured using a 22 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 4.0 MB cache.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The AMD Athlon PRO 300U is manufactured using a 12 nm process.
Q2/2012 Release date Q1/2019
-- Part Number --
0 bytes L2-Cache 0 bytes
VT-x, VT-x EPT Virtualization AMD-V, SVM
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX ISA extensions SSE4a, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, FMA3, AVX2
Monolithic Chip design --
Ivy Bridge H Architecture Picasso (Zen+)
22 nm Technology 12 nm
BGA 1023 Socket FP5
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems
346 $ Release price --
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
4.0 MB L3-Cache 4.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

AMD Athlon PRO 300U
2C 4T @ 2.4 GHz
1986
1986
Intel Core i7-3520M
2C 4T @ 2.9 GHz
1446
1446

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

AMD Athlon PRO 300U
2C 4T @ 2.4 GHz
1878
1878
Intel Core i7-3520M
2C 4T @ 2.9 GHz
1613
1613

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

AMD Athlon PRO 300U
2C 4T @ 2.4 GHz
961
961
Intel Core i7-3520M
2C 4T @ 2.9 GHz
685
685