A8-9600 vs i7-960

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-960
2009
4 cores / 8 threads, 130 Watt
2.11
+1%
A8-9600
2017
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
2.09

Core i7-960 outperforms A8-9600 by a minimal 1% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-960 and A8-9600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking18801893
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.1714.13
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
SeriesCore i7 (Desktop)no data
Power efficiency1.543.04
Architecture codenameBloomfield (2008−2010)Bristol Ridge (2016−2019)
Release date20 October 2009 (15 years ago)27 July 2017 (7 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$316$78

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

A8-9600 has 8212% better value for money than i7-960.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-960 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 cores4 (Quad-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads84
Base clock speed3.2 GHz3.1 GHz
Boost clock speed3.46 GHz3.4 GHz
Bus rate1333 MHzno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)no data
L2 cache256 KB (per core)2048 KB
L3 cache8 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography45 nm28 nm
Die size263 mm2250 mm2
Maximum core temperature68 °C90 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data74 °C
Number of transistors731 million3,100 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-960 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 configuration11
SocketFCLGA1366AM4
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt65 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-960 and A8-9600. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2no data
AES-NI-+
FMA-+
AVX-+
FRTC-+
FreeSync-+
PowerTune-+
TrueAudio-+
PowerNow-+
PowerGating-+
VirusProtect-+
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology1.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Demand Based Switching-no data
PAE36 Bitno data

Security technologies

Core i7-960 and A8-9600 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 Core i7-960 and A8-9600 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-960 and A8-9600. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR4-2400
Maximum memory size24 GBno data
Max memory channels32
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardN/AAMD Radeon R7 Graphics
iGPU core countno data6
Enduro-+
UVD-+
VCE-+

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i7-960 and A8-9600 integrated GPUs.

DisplayPort-+
HDMI-+

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i7-960 and A8-9600 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXno dataDirectX® 12
Vulkan-+

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-960 and A8-9600.

PCIe version2.03.0
PCI Express lanesno data8

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.

i7-960 2.11
+1%
A8-9600 2.09

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.

i7-960 3351
+1.1%
A8-9600 3314

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.

i7-960 489
A8-9600 612
+25.2%

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.

i7-960 1654
+10.1%
A8-9600 1502

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.11 2.09
Recency 20 October 2009 27 July 2017
Threads 8 4
Chip lithography 45 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 65 Watt

i7-960 has a 1% higher aggregate performance score, and 100% more threads.

A8-9600, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 7 years, a 60.7% more advanced lithography process, and 100% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i7-960 and A8-9600.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-960 and A8-9600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-960
Core i7-960
AMD A8-9600
A8-9600

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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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Questions & comments

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