Intel Core i3 3220 vs AMD A6 5400K

older Released September, 2012

Reasons to buy the Intel Core i3 3220

	More threads 4		Much newer manufacturing process 22 nm
	Lower typical power consumption 44.69W		Lower annual home energy cost 13.25 $/year

older Released October, 2012

Reasons to buy the AMD A6 5400K

	Much more l2 cache 1 MB		Is unlocked Yes
	Higher clock speed 3.6 GHz		Much better overclocked clock speed (Air) 4.46 GHz

A gamer on a budget needs a CPU that’s fast and reliable, while still easy on the wallet. For this matchup, we’re comparing two desktop processors that fit the bill: the Intel Core i3 3220 versus the AMD A6 5400K. Which processor will heed the call of duty?

Their only similarity is that they’re both Dual Core; after that, their specifications vary greatly. Starting with the first CPU, the 3220 is a 3.3 GHz with 3MB cache. It packs an HD 2500 GPU, and consumes a modest 55W TDP. A great feature is that it’s hyperthreaded, which maximizes usage of each processor core.

In contrast is the 5400K: clocked faster at 3.6 GHz, but at the expense of a lower cache of only 0.5 MB. As an Advanced Processing Unit (APU), its focus is in a beefier GPU: it packs a Radeon HD 7540D which is much better than ordinary integrated graphics. It’s capable of playing casual games, or even as an HTPC. Moreover, its unlocked multiplier makes for easy overclockability: a great boon for enthusiasts. But as a result, it consumes more power at 65W TDP.

Looking at the benchmarks, the 3220 dominated: it scored 15% better at 3DMark11 physics, 16% better at Geekbench, and an outstanding 30% better at PassMark. In defense of the 5400K however, keep in mind that it’s less than half the price of the 3220. Additionally, you need to buy a discrete graphics card for the 3220 because its integrated graphics just won’t do for gaming even at low settings.

In conclusion, only consider the AMD A6 5400K if you're an extremely strapped gamer. But if you’re looking for a sound investment with future expandability, we recommend the Intel Core i3 3220.

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Reasons to consider the
Intel Core i3 3220

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More threads

Twice as many threads

Much newer manufacturing process

22 nm

32 nm

A newer manufacturing process allows for a more powerful, yet cooler running processor

Lower typical power consumption

44.69W

52.81W

More than 15% lower typical power consumption

Lower annual home energy cost

13.25 $/year

15.66 $/year

More than 15% lower annual home energy cost

Lower annual commercial energy cost

48.18 $/year

56.94 $/year

More than 15% lower annual commercial energy cost

Reasons to consider the
AMD A6 5400K

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Much more l2 cache

1 MB

0.5 MB

2x more l2 cache; more data can be stored in the l2 cache for quick access later

Is unlocked

Yes

Somewhat common; An unlocked multiplier allows for easier overclocking

Higher clock speed

3.6 GHz

3.3 GHz

Around 10% higher clock speed

Much better overclocked clock speed (Air)

4.46 GHz

3.43 GHz

More than 30% better overclocked clock speed (Air)

Much more l2 cache per core

0.5 MB/core

0.25 MB/core

2x more l2 cache per core

Significantly higher Maximum operating temperature

70 °C

65.3 °C

More than 5% higher Maximum operating temperature

Much better overclocked clock speed (Water)

5.03 GHz

3.46 GHz

More than 45% better overclocked clock speed (Water)

CompuBench 1.5 (Bitcoin mining) Data courtesy CompuBench

Core i3 3220

4.07 mHash/s

A6 5400K

38.48 mHash/s

PCMark 8 Home 3.0 Accelerated Data courtesy FutureMark

Core i3 3220

2,251

A6 5400K

2,281

Sky Diver Data courtesy FutureMark

Core i3 3220

932

A6 5400K

1,924

Cloud Gate Data courtesy FutureMark

Core i3 3220

2,654

A6 5400K

2,712

GeekBench 3 (Multi-core) Data courtesy Primate Labs

Core i3 3220

5,399

A6 5400K

2,916

GeekBench 3 (Single core) Data courtesy Primate Labs

Core i3 3220

2,501

A6 5400K

1,906

GeekBench 3 (AES single core) Data courtesy Primate Labs

Core i3 3220

173,000 MB/s

A6 5400K

2,125,000 MB/s

PassMark Data courtesy Passmark

Core i3 3220

4,229

A6 5400K

2,139

summary	Core i3 3220	A6 5400K
Clock speed	3.3 GHz	3.6 GHz
Cores	Dual core	Dual core
Is unlocked	No	Yes
features
Has a NX bit	Yes	Yes
Has virtualization support	Yes	Yes
Instruction set extensions
SSE4a
AVX 1.1
SSE2
F16C
MMX
SSE4
XOP
AVX
SSE3
SSE
CLMUL
AMD64
SSE4.1
FMA4
SSE4.2
CVT16
AMD-V
Supplemental SSE3
AES
Supports dynamic frequency scaling	Yes	Yes
power consumption
TDP	55W	65W
Annual home energy cost	13.25 $/year	15.66 $/year
Annual commercial energy cost	48.18 $/year	56.94 $/year
Performance per watt	2.69 pt/W	6.62 pt/W
Typical power consumption	44.69W	52.81W

details	Core i3 3220	A6 5400K
Threads	4	2
L2 cache	0.5 MB	1 MB
L2 cache per core	0.25 MB/core	0.5 MB/core
Manufacture process	22 nm	32 nm
Max CPUs	1	1
Operating temperature	Unknown - 65.3°C	Unknown - 70°C
overclocking
Overclock popularity	50	8
Overclocked clock speed	3.43 GHz	4.46 GHz
Overclocked clock speed (Water)	3.46 GHz	5.03 GHz
PassMark (Overclocked)	3,775.1	1,170.5
Overclocked clock speed (Air)	3.43 GHz	4.46 GHz
integrated graphics
GPU	GPU	GPU
Label	Intel® HD Graphics 2500	Radeon™ HD 7540D
GPU clock speed	650 MHz	760 MHz
memory controller
Memory controller	Built-in	Built-in
Memory type
DDR3-1866
DDR3-1600
DDR3-1333
DDR3

Intel Core i3 3220

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AMD A6 5400K

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Intel Core i3 3220 vs AMD A4 5300

Comments

Showing 1 comment.

shivam.G (01:06 PM, August 4, 2013)

if u really want faster performance with energy efficiency u can buy core i3. if u r on a tight budget n want a cpu n mobo under 150$ u can buy the A6 5400K with FM2 socket mobo with a good 8 gb of ram. the amd A6 has a good performing inbuilt gpu.for those who want a run of the mill pc. AMD A6 is also unlocked u can buy a after market cpu cooler for 30 bucks or so for OC'ing n casual gaming.whera a core i3 with decent mobo,Gpu can cost u up to 300$ AMD A6 is half the price n great performer for 60$

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Intel Core i3 3220 vs AMD A6 5400K