Athlon X4 860K vs i7-990X

VS

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-990X
2011
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
4.50
+108%
Athlon X4 860K
2014
4 cores / 4 threads, 95 Watt
2.16

Core i7-990X outperforms Athlon X4 860K by a whopping 108% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking13201860
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.23no data
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.282.15
Architecture codenameGulftown (2010−2011)Kaveri (2014−2015)
Release date24 February 2011 (13 years ago)12 August 2014 (10 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,104no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

no data

Detailed specifications

Core i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)4 (Quad-Core)
Threads124
Base clock speed3.46 GHz3.7 GHz
Boost clock speed3.73 GHz4 GHz
Bus rate6.4 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)256K
L2 cache256 KB (per core)4 MB
L3 cache12 MB (shared)no data
Chip lithography32 nm28 nm
Die size239 mm2245 mm2
Maximum core temperature68 °Cno data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data72 °C
Number of transistors1,170 million2,411 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility-no data
Unlocked multiplier++

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K 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
SocketFCLGA1366,LGA1366FM2+
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt95 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2no data
AES-NI++
FMA-+
AVX-+
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 i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K 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 i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K 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 i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3-2133
Maximum memory size24 GBno data
Max memory channels3no data
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/sno data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K.

PCIe version2.03.0
PCI Express lanesno data16

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.

i7-990X 4.50
+108%
Athlon X4 860K 2.16

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.

i7-990X 7153
+108%
Athlon X4 860K 3431

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.

i7-990X 557
+21.4%
Athlon X4 860K 459

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.

i7-990X 2606
+131%
Athlon X4 860K 1127

3DMark Fire Strike Physics

i7-990X 8320
+113%
Athlon X4 860K 3910

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 4.50 2.16
Recency 24 February 2011 12 August 2014
Physical cores 6 4
Threads 12 4
Chip lithography 32 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 95 Watt

i7-990X has a 108.3% higher aggregate performance score, and 50% more physical cores and 200% more threads.

Athlon X4 860K, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 3 years, a 14.3% more advanced lithography process, and 36.8% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-990X is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon X4 860K in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-990X and Athlon X4 860K, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-990X
Core i7-990X
AMD Athlon X4 860K
Athlon X4 860K

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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