Performance per price, higher is better.
Phenom X4 9600 vs Phenom II X3 720
Aggregated performance score
Phenom II X3 720
2010
3 cores / 3 threads
1.01
Phenom X4 9600 outperforms Phenom II X3 720 by 2% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
General info
Comparing Phenom II X3 720 and Phenom X4 9600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 2325 | 2314 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Value for money | 5.16 | 2.66 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Architecture codename | Heka (2009−2010) | Agena (2007−2008) |
| Release date | 1 January 2010 (14 years old) | November 2007 (16 years old) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $75 | no data |
| Current price | $19.85 (0.3x MSRP) | $25 |
Value for money
Phenom II X3 720 has 94% better value for money than Phenom X4 9600.
Technical specs
Phenom II X3 720 and Phenom X4 9600 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 | 3 (Tri-Core) | 4 (Quad-Core) |
| Threads | 3 | 4 |
| Base clock speed | 2.8 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 2.8 GHz | 2.3 GHz |
| L1 cache | 128 KB (per core) | 128 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 512 KB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 2 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 65 nm |
| Die size | 258 mm2 | 285 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 758 million | 450 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Phenom II X3 720 and Phenom X4 9600 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 | AM3 | AM2+ |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 95 Watt |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Phenom II X3 720 and Phenom X4 9600 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Phenom II X3 720 and Phenom X4 9600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Phenom II X3 720 and Phenom X4 9600.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no 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.
Phenom X4 9600 outperforms Phenom II X3 720 by 2% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Phenom X4 9600 outperforms Phenom II X3 720 by 1% in Passmark.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Phenom II X3 720 outperforms Phenom X4 9600 by 80% in GeekBench 5 Single-Core.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Phenom II X3 720 outperforms Phenom X4 9600 by 41% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Advantages and disadvantages
| Performance score | 1.01 | 1.03 |
| Physical cores | 3 | 4 |
| Threads | 3 | 4 |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 65 nm |
We couldn't decide between Phenom II X3 720 and Phenom X4 9600. The differences in performance seem too small.
Should you still have questions on choice between Phenom II X3 720 and Phenom X4 9600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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.
