A8-9600 vs i5-2500K

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-2500K and A8-9600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	1734	1893
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	0.39	14.13
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Core i5 (Desktop)	no data
Power efficiency	2.59	3.04
Architecture codename	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)	Bristol Ridge (2016−2019)
Release date	9 January 2011 (13 years ago)	27 July 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$216	$78

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

A8-9600 has 3523% better value for money than i5-2500K.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-2500K and A8-9600 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	4 (Quad-Core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	3.3 GHz	3.1 GHz
Boost clock speed	3.7 GHz	3.4 GHz
Bus rate	5 GT/s	no data
L1 cache	64 KB (per core)	no data
L2 cache	256K (per core)	2048 KB
L3 cache	6 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	32 nm	28 nm
Die size	216 mm2	250 mm2
Maximum core temperature	73 °C	90 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	no data	74 °C
Number of transistors	1,160 million	3,100 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	+	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-2500K and A8-9600 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	LGA1155	AM4
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-2500K and A8-9600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX	no data
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	-	+
AVX	+	+
FRTC	-	+
FreeSync	-	+
PowerTune	-	+
TrueAudio	-	+
PowerNow	-	+
PowerGating	-	+
VirusProtect	-	+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	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

Core i5-2500K and A8-9600 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	-

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-2500K and A8-9600 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 Core i5-2500K and A8-9600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3	DDR4-2400
Maximum memory size	32 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	21 GB/s	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics 3000	AMD Radeon R7 Graphics
iGPU core count	no data	6
Quick Sync Video	+	-
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Enduro	-	+
UVD	-	+
VCE	-	+
Graphics max frequency	1.1 GHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-2500K and A8-9600 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	2	no data
DisplayPort	-	+
HDMI	-	+

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-2500K and A8-9600 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	no data	DirectX® 12
Vulkan	-	+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-2500K and A8-9600.

PCIe version	2.0	3.0
PCI Express lanes	16	8

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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	2.60	2.09
Recency	9 January 2011	27 July 2017
Chip lithography	32 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	95 Watt	65 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-2500K and A8-9600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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