AMD Athlon II X2 240e vs Intel Core i5-12600K

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

AMD Athlon II X2 240e or AMD Athlon II X2 240e – which processor offers superior performance? In this comparison, we examine disparities and assess which of these two CPUs outperforms the other. We delve into technical specifications and benchmark outcomes.
The AMD Athlon II X2 240e features 2 processor cores and has the capability to manage 2 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q3/2009 and belongs to the 1 generation of the AMD Athlon II series.
To use the AMD Athlon II X2 240e, you'll need a motherboard with a AM3 socket.
The Intel Core i5-12600K features 10 processor cores and has the capability to manage 16 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q4/2021 and belongs to the 12 generation of the Intel Core i5 series.
To use the Intel Core i5-12600K, you'll need a motherboard with a LGA 1700 socket.
AMD Athlon II X2 (Propus) Group Intel Core i 12000
1 Generation 12
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
AMD Athlon II X2 240e Name Intel Core i5-12600K
AMD Athlon II Family Intel Core i5
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Athlon II X2 240e has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon II X2 240e is 2.8 GHz
The Intel Core i5-12600K has 10 CPU cores and can calculate 16 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.7 GHz.
The number of CPU cores greatly affects the speed of the processor and is an important performance indicator.
Processors with hybrid (big.LITTLE) architecture strike a balance between performance and power efficiency, making them ideal for mobile devices.
2 Threads 16
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading Yes
None None 3.7 GHz
No Overclocking Yes
None None 3.6 GHz
2x Cores None
None None 2.8 GHz
2 CPU Cores 10
None None 6x Golden Cove
None None 4.9 GHz
None None 4x Gracemont
2.8 GHz Frequency None
 
 

Internal Graphics

The AMD Athlon II X2 240e does not have integrated graphics.
The Intel Core i5-12600K has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Intel Core i5-12600K uses the Intel UHD Graphics 770, which has 256 texture shaders
and 32 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
-- Shaders 256
-- Release date Q4/2021
-- Technology 10 nm
-- Direct X 12
0 bytes Max. GPU Memory 64.0 GB
-- Max. displays --
-- Execution units 32
-- GPU frequency 0.3 GHz
-- Generation 11
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.45 GHz
GPU name Intel UHD Graphics 770
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

-- AI specifications --
-- AI hardware --
 
 

Hardware codec support

A photo or video codec that is accelerated in hardware can greatly accelerate the working speed of a processor and extend the battery life of notebooks or smartphones when playing videos.
-- VP8 Decode / Encode
-- VC-1 Decode
-- JPEG Decode / Encode
-- AV1 Decode
-- h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
-- AVC Decode / Encode
-- h264 Decode / Encode
-- VP9 Decode / Encode
-- h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 128.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 76.8 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
No AES-NI Yes
DDR3-1333 Memory type DDR4-3200, DDR5-4800
No ECC Yes
16.0 GB Max. Memory 128.0 GB
2 Memory channels 2
-- Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 45 W watts.
TDP indicates the cooling solution needed to effectively manage the processor's heat. It generally provides an approximate indication of the actual power consumption of the CPU itself.
The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 125 W watts.
None TDP (PL2) 150 W
45 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 125 W
-- Tjunction max 100 °C
 
 

Technical details

The AMD Athlon II X2 240e is manufactured using a 45 nm process.
A smaller manufacturing process indicates a more contemporary and energy-efficient CPU.
A substantial cache can significantly enhance the processor's performance, particularly in scenarios like gaming.
The Intel Core i5-12600K is manufactured using a 10 nm process.
In total, this processor boasts a generous 20.0 MB cache.
Q3/2009 Release date Q4/2021
AMD-V Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
SSE3, SSE4a, MMX, 3DNow! ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+
45 nm Technology 10 nm
-- Chip design Monolithic
-- Release price 289 $
Propus Architecture Alder Lake S
0 bytes L3-Cache 20.0 MB
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux, Windows 11
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number BX8071512600K
AM3 Socket LGA 1700
2.0 MB L2-Cache 9.5 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Intel Core i5-12600K
10C 16T @ 3.7 GHz
11912
11912
AMD Athlon II X2 240e
2C 2T @ 2.8 GHz
715
715

AMD Athlon II X2 240e and Intel Core i5-12600K in leaderboards