FX-8300 vs Core i7-970

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-970 and FX-8300 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1307	1479
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.68	1.45
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Architecture codename	Gulftown (2010−2011)	Vishera (2012−2015)
Release date	19 July 2010 (13 years ago)	23 October 2012 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$662	no data
Current price	$132 (0.2x MSRP)	$90

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-970 has 16% better value for money than FX-8300.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-970 and FX-8300 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)	8 (Octa-Core)
Threads	12	8
Base clock speed	3.2 GHz	3.3 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.46 GHz	4.2 GHz
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256 KB (per core)	8192 KB
L3 cache	12 MB (shared)	no data
Chip lithography	32 nm	32 nm
Die size	239 mm2	315 mm2
Maximum core temperature	68 °C	71 °C
Number of transistors	1,170 million	1,200 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	Yes
P0 Vcore voltage	no data	Min: 1.075 V - Max: 1.2875 V

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-970 and FX-8300 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	FCLGA1366	AM3+
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-970 and FX-8300. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	no data	+
AVX	no data	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	1.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	-	no data
Demand Based Switching	-	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Core i7-970 and FX-8300 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-970 and FX-8300 are enumerated here.

AMD-V	no data	+
VT-x	+	no data
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-970 and FX-8300. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR3
Maximum memory size	24 GB	no data
Max memory channels	3	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	25.6 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card

no data

On certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-970 and FX-8300.

PCIe version

2.0

n/a

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

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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.

Core i7-970 outperforms FX-8300 by 24% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	4.24	3.43
Recency	19 July 2010	23 October 2012
Physical cores	6	8
Threads	12	8
Power consumption (TDP)	130 Watt	95 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-970 and FX-8300, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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