Phenom X3 8600 vs Phenom X4 9600
Aggregate performance score
Phenom X4 9600 outperforms Phenom X3 8600 by a substantial 33% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Phenom X4 9600 and Phenom X3 8600 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2464 | 2656 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 1.01 | 0.76 |
| Architecture codename | Agena (2007−2008) | Toliman (2008) |
| Release date | November 2007 (17 years ago) | March 2008 (16 years ago) |
Detailed specifications
Phenom X4 9600 and Phenom X3 8600 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) | 3 (Tri-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 3 |
| Boost clock speed | 2.3 GHz | 2.3 GHz |
| L1 cache | 128 KB (per core) | 128 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 512 KB (per core) | 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 2 MB (shared) | 2 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 65 nm | 65 nm |
| Die size | 285 mm2 | 285 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 450 million | 450 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Phenom X4 9600 and Phenom X3 8600 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+ | AM2+ |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 95 Watt |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Phenom X4 9600 and Phenom X3 8600 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 | 1.01 | 0.76 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 3 |
| Threads | 4 | 3 |
Phenom X4 9600 has a 32.9% higher aggregate performance score, and 33.3% more physical cores and 33.3% more threads.
The Phenom X4 9600 is our recommended choice as it beats the Phenom X3 8600 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Phenom X4 9600 and Phenom X3 8600, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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