Phenom II X2 550 vs Pentium G870

VS

Aggregate performance score

Pentium G870
2012
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.97
+32.9%
Phenom II X2 550
2009
2 cores / 2 threads, 80 Watt
0.73

Pentium G870 outperforms Phenom II X2 550 by a substantial 33% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking24792669
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.300.04
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency1.410.86
Architecture codenameSandy Bridge (2011−2013)Callisto (2009−2010)
Release date3 June 2012 (12 years ago)4 November 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$97$133

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Pentium G870 has 3150% better value for money than Phenom II X2 550.

Detailed specifications

Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550 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 cores2 (Dual-core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads22
Base clock speed3.1 GHz3.1 GHz
Boost clock speed3.1 GHz3.1 GHz
Bus rate5 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)128 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)512 KB (per core)
L3 cache3 MB (shared)6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size131 mm2258 mm2
Maximum core temperature69 °Cno data
Number of transistors504 million758 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550 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
SocketFCLGA1155AM3
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt80 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2no data
AES-NI+-
AVX+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology-no data
Hyper-Threading Technology-no data
Idle States+no data
Thermal Monitoring+-
Flex Memory Access+no data
FDI+no data
Fast Memory Access+no data

Security technologies

Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550 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 Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size32 GBno data
Max memory channels2no data
Maximum memory bandwidth21 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardIntel® HD Graphics for 2nd Generation Intel® ProcessorsOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)
Graphics max frequency1.1 GHzno data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported2no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550.

PCIe version2.02.0
PCI Express lanes16no data

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.

Pentium G870 0.97
+32.9%
Phenom II X2 550 0.73

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.

Pentium G870 1546
+32.5%
Phenom II X2 550 1167

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.97 0.73
Recency 3 June 2012 4 November 2009
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 80 Watt

Pentium G870 has a 32.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 40.6% more advanced lithography process, and 23.1% lower power consumption.

The Pentium G870 is our recommended choice as it beats the Phenom II X2 550 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Pentium G870 and Phenom II X2 550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Pentium G870
Pentium G870
AMD Phenom II X2 550
Phenom II X2 550

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Community ratings

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


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3.7 126 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Pentium G870 or Phenom II X2 550, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.