i7-960 vs FX-8350

VS

Aggregate performance score

FX-8350
2012
8 cores / 8 threads, 125 Watt
3.74
+77.3%
Core i7-960
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
2.11

FX-8350 outperforms Core i7-960 by an impressive 77% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing FX-8350 and Core i7-960 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking14751866
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.760.13
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesAMD FX-Series (Desktop)Core i7 (Desktop)
Power efficiency2.831.54
Architecture codenameVishera (2012−2015)Bloomfield (2008−2010)
Release date23 October 2012 (12 years ago)20 October 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$199$316

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

FX-8350 has 485% better value for money than i7-960.

Detailed specifications

FX-8350 and Core i7-960 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 cores8 (Octa-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads88
Base clock speed4 GHz3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed4.2 GHz3.46 GHz
Bus rateno data1333 MHz
L1 cacheno data64 KB (per core)
L2 cache8192 KB256 KB (per core)
L3 cacheno data8 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size315 mm2263 mm2
Maximum core temperature61 °C68 °C
Number of transistors1,200 million731 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier+-
P0 Vcore voltageMin: 1.2 V - Max: 1.4 Vno data

Compatibility

Information on FX-8350 and Core i7-960 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
SocketAM3+FCLGA1366
Power consumption (TDP)125 Watt130 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by FX-8350 and Core i7-960. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsMMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, SSE4a, AMD64, AMD-V, AES, AVX, CLMUL, CVT16, EVP, FMA4, XOP, Turbo Core, HT3.1Intel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
FMA+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data1.0
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-
PAEno data36 Bit

Security technologies

FX-8350 and Core i7-960 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data+
EDBno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by FX-8350 and Core i7-960 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by FX-8350 and Core i7-960. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data24 GB
Max memory channelsno data3
Maximum memory bandwidthno data25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)N/A

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by FX-8350 and Core i7-960.

PCIe versionn/a2.0

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.

FX-8350 3.74
+77.3%
i7-960 2.11

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.

FX-8350 5936
+77.4%
i7-960 3347

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.

FX-8350 487
i7-960 489
+0.4%

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.

FX-8350 1983
+20.1%
i7-960 1651

Cinebench 10 32-bit single-core

Cinebench R10 is an ancient ray tracing benchmark for processors by Maxon, authors of Cinema 4D. Its single core version uses just one CPU thread to render a futuristic looking motorcycle.

FX-8350 3201
i7-960 3863
+20.7%

Cinebench 10 32-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 10 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R10 using all the processor threads. Possible number of threads is limited by 16 in this version.

FX-8350 16904
+11%
i7-960 15223

3DMark06 CPU

3DMark06 is a discontinued DirectX 9 benchmark suite from Futuremark. Its CPU part contains two scenarios, one dedicated to artificial intelligence pathfinding, another to game physics using PhysX package.

FX-8350 6648
+24%
i7-960 5360

wPrime 32

wPrime 32M is a math multi-thread processor test, which calculates square roots of first 32 million integer numbers. Its result is measured in seconds, so that the less is benchmark result, the faster the processor.

FX-8350 8.34
+46.3%
i7-960 12.2

Cinebench 11.5 64-bit multi-core

Cinebench Release 11.5 Multi Core is a variant of Cinebench R11.5 which uses all the processor threads. A maximum of 64 threads is supported in this version.

FX-8350 7
+26%
i7-960 5

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

FX-8350 7380
+41.1%
i7-960 5230

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.74 2.11
Recency 23 October 2012 20 October 2009
Physical cores 8 4
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 125 Watt 130 Watt

FX-8350 has a 77.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, 100% more physical cores, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 4% lower power consumption.

The FX-8350 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-960 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between FX-8350 and Core i7-960, 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 FX-8350
FX-8350
Intel Core i7-960
Core i7-960

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.


4.2 3693 votes

Rate FX-8350 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.6 143 votes

Rate Core i7-960 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about FX-8350 or Core i7-960, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.