Apple M2 vs AMD Athlon II X4 620e

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CPU comparison with benchmarks

-VS-

CPU lineage

Apple M2 or Apple M2 – 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 Apple M2 features 8 processor cores and has the capability to manage 8 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2022 and belongs to the 2 generation of the Apple M series series.
The AMD Athlon II X4 620e features 4 processor cores and has the capability to manage 4 threads concurrently.
It was released in Q2/2011 and belongs to the 1 generation of the AMD Athlon II series.
To use the AMD Athlon II X4 620e, you'll need a motherboard with a AM3 socket.
Apple M2 Group AMD Athlon II X4 (Propus)
2 Generation 1
Mobile Segment Desktop / Server
Apple M2 Name AMD Athlon II X4 620e
Apple M series Family AMD Athlon II
 
 

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The Apple M2 has 8 CPU cores and can calculate 8 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the A-Core is 3.5 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.
The AMD Athlon II X4 620e has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel.
The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon II X4 620e is 2.6 GHz
8 Threads 4
2.8 GHz B-Core Frequency None
None None 4x
8 CPU Cores 4
hybrid (big.LITTLE) Core architecture normal
4x Avalanche Cores A None
No Hyperthreading No
3.5 GHz A-Core Frequency None
No Overclocking No
4x Blizzard Cores B None
None None 2.6 GHz
 
 

Internal Graphics

The Apple M2 has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short.
Specifically, the Apple M2 uses the Apple M2 (10 Core), which has 1280 texture shaders
and 160 execution units.
The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.
The AMD Athlon II X4 620e does not have integrated graphics.
1280 Shaders --
Q2/2022 Release date --
5 nm Technology --
-- Direct X --
24.0 GB Max. GPU Memory 0 bytes
-- Max. displays --
160 Execution units --
1.4 GHz GPU frequency --
2 Generation --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
Apple M2 (10 Core) GPU name
 
 

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

16 Neural cores @ 15.8 TOPS AI specifications --
Apple Neural Engine 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.
Decode VP8 --
Decode VC-1 --
Decode / Encode JPEG --
No AV1 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (8 bit) --
Decode AVC --
Decode / Encode h264 --
Decode / Encode VP9 --
Decode / Encode h265 / HEVC (10 bit) --
 
 

Memory & PCIe

The processor supports a maximum memory capacity of 24.0 GB distributed across 2 memory channels. It offers a peak memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. Both the type and quantity of memory can have a substantial impact on the overall system performance.
pci PCIe pci
Yes AES-NI No
LPDDR5-6400 Memory type DDR3-1333
No ECC No
24.0 GB Max. Memory 16.0 GB
2 Memory channels 2
102.4 GB/s Bandwidth --
 
 

Thermal Management

The processor has a thermal design power (TDP) of 22 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 45 W watts.
10 W TDP down None
22 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 45 W
100 °C Tjunction max --
 
 

Technical details

The Apple M2 is manufactured using a 5 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 AMD Athlon II X4 620e is manufactured using a 45 nm process.
Q2/2022 Release date Q2/2011
Apple Virtualization Framework Virtualization AMD-V
Rosetta 2 x86-Emulation ISA extensions SSE3, SSE4a, MMX, 3DNow!
5 nm Technology 45 nm
Chiplet Chip design --
-- Release price --
M2 Architecture Propus
0 bytes L3-Cache 0 bytes
macOS, iPadOS Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Technical data sheet Documents Technical data sheet
ARMv8-A64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
-- Part Number --
Socket AM3
20.0 MB L2-Cache 2.0 MB
 
 

Benchmarks

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
8853
8853
AMD Athlon II X4 620e
4C 4T @ 2.6 GHz
1207
1207

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
8714
8714
AMD Athlon II X4 620e
4C 4T @ 2.6 GHz
1288
1288

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
1874
1874
AMD Athlon II X4 620e
4C 4T @ 2.6 GHz
344
344

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Apple M2
8C 8T @ 3.5 GHz
1695
1695
AMD Athlon II X4 620e
4C 4T @ 2.6 GHz
340
340