A9-9420 vs i7-3970X Extreme Edition
Aggregate performance score
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition outperforms A9-9420 by a whopping 518% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and A9-9420 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1093 | 2471 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Laptop |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | AMD Bristol Ridge |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Stoney Ridge (2016−2019) |
| Release date | 12 November 2012 (11 years ago) | 31 May 2016 (8 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and A9-9420 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 | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 12 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 3 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.5 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 35 | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 160 KB |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | 1 MB (shared) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | no data |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 28 nm |
| Die size | no data | 125 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 90 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 74 °C |
| Number of transistors | no data | 1,200 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and A9-9420 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 (Uniprocessor) | 1 |
| Socket | no data | FT4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 15 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and A9-9420. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Virtualization, |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| FMA | - | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and A9-9420 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | - | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and A9-9420. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR4 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | no data |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | Radeon R5 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and A9-9420.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | 3.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 8 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.99 | 0.97 |
| Recency | 12 November 2012 | 31 May 2016 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 2 |
| Threads | 12 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 15 Watt |
i7-3970X Extreme Edition has a 517.5% higher aggregate performance score, and 200% more physical cores and 500% more threads.
A9-9420, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 3 years, a 14.3% more advanced lithography process, and 900% lower power consumption.
The Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition is our recommended choice as it beats the A9-9420 in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor while A9-9420 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition and A9-9420, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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