Athlon 64 X2 4200+ vs Phenom X3 8550
Aggregate performance score
Phenom X3 8550 outperforms Athlon 64 X2 4200+ by an impressive 57% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Phenom X3 8550 and Athlon 64 X2 4200+ processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2694 | 2939 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.13 | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 0.72 | 0.49 |
| Architecture codename | Toliman (2008) | Manchester (2005−2006) |
| Release date | April 2008 (16 years ago) | December 2006 (18 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $170 | $309 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Phenom X3 8550 and Athlon 64 X2 4200+ 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) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 3 | 2 |
| Boost clock speed | 2.2 GHz | 2.2 GHz |
| L1 cache | 128 KB (per core) | 256K |
| L2 cache | 512 KB (per core) | 512 KB |
| L3 cache | 2 MB (shared) | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 65 nm | 90 nm |
| Die size | 285 mm2 | 220 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 450 million | 154 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Phenom X3 8550 and Athlon 64 X2 4200+ 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 | AM2+ | 939 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 89 Watt |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Phenom X3 8550 and Athlon 64 X2 4200+ are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | - |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.72 | 0.46 |
| Physical cores | 3 | 2 |
| Threads | 3 | 2 |
| Chip lithography | 65 nm | 90 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 89 Watt |
Phenom X3 8550 has a 56.5% higher aggregate performance score, 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads, and a 38.5% more advanced lithography process.
Athlon 64 X2 4200+, on the other hand, has 6.7% lower power consumption.
The Phenom X3 8550 is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon 64 X2 4200+ in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Phenom X3 8550 and Athlon 64 X2 4200+, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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