FX-8170 vs Athlon II X3 420e
Primary details
Comparing Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2472 | not rated |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.05 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 2.06 | no data |
| Architecture codename | Rana (2009−2011) | Zambezi (2011−2012) |
| Release date | 21 September 2010 (14 years ago) | 23 October 2012 (12 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $116 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 3 (Tri-Core) | 8 (Octa-Core) |
| Threads | 3 | 8 |
| Base clock speed | 2.6 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.6 GHz | 4.5 GHz |
| L1 cache | 128 KB (per core) | 384 KB |
| L2 cache | 512 KB (per core) | 8 MB |
| L3 cache | 0 KB | 8 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Die size | 169 mm2 | 315 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 300 million | 1,200 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | AM3 | AM3+ |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 45 Watt | 125 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| FMA | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 2.0 |
Pros & cons summary
| Recency | 21 September 2010 | 23 October 2012 |
| Physical cores | 3 | 8 |
| Threads | 3 | 8 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 32 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 45 Watt | 125 Watt |
Athlon II X3 420e has 177.8% lower power consumption.
FX-8170, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 2 years, 166.7% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.
We couldn't decide between Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170. We've got no test results to judge.
Should you still have questions on choice between Athlon II X3 420e and FX-8170, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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