i3-3250 vs Athlon X4 950

VS

Aggregate performance score

Athlon X4 950
2017
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
2.26
+46.8%
Core i3-3250
2013
2 cores / 4 threads, 55 Watt
1.54

Athlon X4 950 outperforms Core i3-3250 by a considerable 47% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking18142122
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation3.660.14
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.292.65
Architecture codenameBristol Ridge (2016−2019)Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
Release date27 July 2017 (7 years ago)9 June 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$60$138

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Athlon X4 950 has 2514% better value for money than i3-3250.

Detailed specifications

Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250 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)
Threads44
Base clock speed3.5 GHz3.5 GHz
Boost clock speed3.8 GHz3.5 GHz
Bus rateno data5 GT/s
L1 cache128 KB (per core)64 KB (per core)
L2 cache512 KB (per core)256 KB (per core)
L3 cache0 KB3 MB (shared)
Chip lithography28 nm22 nm
Die size246 mm294 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)74 °C65 °C
Number of transistors1,178 millionno data
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250 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
SocketAM4FCLGA1155
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt55 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX
AES-NI+-
FMA+-
AVX++
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
My WiFino data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data-
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Thermal Monitoring-+
FDIno data+

Security technologies

Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+
Secure Keyno data-
Identity Protection-+
Anti-Theftno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250 are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-dno data-
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4 Dual-channelDDR3-1333, DDR3-1600
Maximum memory sizeno data32 GB
Max memory channelsno data2
Maximum memory bandwidthno data25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataIntel HD Graphics 2500
Quick Sync Video-+
Clear Video HDno data+
Graphics max frequencyno data1.05 GHz
InTru 3Dno data+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data3

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250.

PCIe versionno data2.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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 X4 950 2.26
+46.8%
i3-3250 1.54

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 X4 950 3596
+47.3%
i3-3250 2442

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

Athlon X4 950 655
+12.7%
i3-3250 581

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

Athlon X4 950 1625
+37.9%
i3-3250 1178

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.26 1.54
Recency 27 July 2017 9 June 2013
Physical cores 4 2
Chip lithography 28 nm 22 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 55 Watt

Athlon X4 950 has a 46.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, and 100% more physical cores.

i3-3250, on the other hand, has a 27.3% more advanced lithography process, and 18.2% lower power consumption.

The Athlon X4 950 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-3250 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Athlon X4 950 and Core i3-3250, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite CPU.


AMD Athlon X4 950
Athlon X4 950
Intel Core i3-3250
Core i3-3250

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

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


3.8 284 votes

Rate Athlon X4 950 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.5 199 votes

Rate Core i3-3250 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Athlon X4 950 or Core i3-3250, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.