Athlon II X2 270 vs Athlon II X4 638

Aggregate performance score

Athlon II X4 638
2012
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
1.42
+73.2%
Athlon II X2 270
2011
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.82

Athlon II X4 638 outperforms Athlon II X2 270 by an impressive 73% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Athlon II X4 638 and Athlon II X2 270 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking21912583
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data5.15
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency2.061.19
Architecture codenameLlano (2011−2012)Regor (2009−2013)
Release date6 February 2012 (12 years ago)1 July 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$100

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Athlon II X4 638 and Athlon II X2 270 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads42
Base clock speed2.7 GHz3.4 GHz
Boost clock speed2.7 GHz3.4 GHz
L1 cache128 KB (per core)128 KB
L2 cache1 MB (per core)1 MB
L3 cache0 KB0 KB
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size228 mm2117 mm2
Number of transistors1,178 million410 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Athlon II X4 638 and Athlon II X2 270 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 configuration11
SocketFM1AM3
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt65 Watt

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Athlon II X4 638 and Athlon II X2 270 are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Athlon II X4 638 and Athlon II X2 270. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR2, DDR3

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Athlon II X4 638 and Athlon II X2 270.

PCIe versionno data2.0

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

Athlon II X4 638 1.42
+73.2%
Athlon II X2 270 0.82

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

Athlon II X4 638 2250
+72.9%
Athlon II X2 270 1301

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.42 0.82
Recency 6 February 2012 1 July 2011
Physical cores 4 2
Threads 4 2
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm

Athlon II X4 638 has a 73.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 months, 100% more physical cores and 100% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

The Athlon II X4 638 is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon II X2 270 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Athlon II X4 638 and Athlon II X2 270, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Athlon II X4 638
Athlon II X4 638
AMD Athlon II X2 270
Athlon II X2 270

Similar processor comparisons

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.1 34 votes

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3.4 234 votes

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Questions & comments

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