AMD FX-4170 Vs. Intel Core i3-3220: Which ~$125 CPU Should You Buy?
AMD has the clock rate on its side. But Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture boasts superior IPC throughput. We pit the 4.2 GHz FX-4170 against Intel's new 3.3 GHz Core i3-3220 in an effort to determine which CPU is the better buy for $125.
Test System And Benchmarks
We're using the same memory and storage subsystem on both platforms in order to normalize as many variables as possible. In addition to the Core i3-3220 and FX-4170, we're also including Intel's Core i5-3550 in our benchmark results. This gives us a reference point in order to gauge how these $125 budget-oriented CPUs measure up to a $200 model.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Socket AM3+ | LGA 1155 |
---|---|---|
CPU | AMD FX-4170 (Zambezi), 4.2 GHz Base Clock Rate, 4.3 GHz Turbo Core | Intel Core i3-3220 (Ivy Bridge), 3.3 GHz, Hyper-Threading enabled |
Motherboard | Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5Socket AM3+, Chipset: AMD 990FX | ASRock Fatal1ty P67 Performance LGA 1155, Intel P67 Express PCH |
Networking | On-Board Gigabit LAN controller | |
Memory | Corsair Vengeance, 2 x 4 GB, 1866 MT/s, CL 9-9-9-34-2T | |
Graphics | AMD Radeon HD 7970925 MHz GPU, 3 GB GDDR5 at 1375 MHz | |
Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar Black 750 GB 7200 RPM, 32 MB Cache, SATA 3Gb/s | |
Power | ePower EP-1200E10-T2 1200 W ATX12V, EPS12V | |
Software and Drivers | ||
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 7 x64, Service Pack 1, KB2645594 and KB2646060 installed | |
DirectX | DirectX 11 | |
Graphics Drivers | AMD Catalyst 12.8 |
Benchmark Configuration | |
---|---|
3D Games | |
Battlefield 3 | Campaign Mode, "Operation Swordbreaker" 60-Second Fraps Run Ultra Quality Defaults (4x AA, 16x AF), 1920x1080 |
DiRT Showdown | Run with -benchmark example_benchmark.xml, Modified to two laps and no competing cars Ultra Quality Preset, 8x AA, 1920x1080 |
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | Update 1.4.27, Celedon Aethirborn Level 6, 25 Seconds Fraps DX11, Ultra Details, 8x AA, 16x AF, FXAA enabled, 1920x1080 |
StarCraft II | Custom map "Tom's Hardware Guide", 60 seconds Fraps Ultra Details, Extreme Quality, 1920x1080 |
Metro 2033 | Full Game, Built-In Benchmark, "Frontline" SceneDX 11, High Preset, 4x MSAA, 4x AF, PhysX/DOF Disabled, 1920x1080 |
Audio/Video Encoding | |
iTunes | Version 10.4.1.10 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format |
Lame MP3 | Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s) |
HandBrake CLI | Version 0.95: "Big Buck Bunny" (720x480, 23.972 FPS) 5 Minutes, Audio: Dolby Digital, 48 000 Hz, Six-Channel, English, to Video: AVC Audio: AC3 Audio2: AAC (High Profile) |
MainConcept Reference | Version: 2.2.0.5440: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, Two-Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV |
Productivity | |
Adobe Photoshop CS5 | Version 12.1 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
Autodesk 3ds Max 2012 | Version 12.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
WinZip | Version 15.5 Pro: THG-Workload (650 MB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r" |
WinRAR | Version 4.1: THG-Workload (650 MB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3" |
7-Zip | Version 9.22: THG-Workload (650 MB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" |
ABBYY FineReader | Version 10.0.102.82: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | |
3DMark 11 | Version: 1.0.1.0, Benchmark Only |
SiSoftware Sandra 2012 | Version 2011.10.17.80, CPU Test = CPU Arithmetic / MultiMedia, Memory Test = Bandwidth Benchmark |
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EzioAs Nice review as always. Nothing really too surprising but I guess it was quite necessary to compare the 2 CPUs at the same price point (not everybody prefers Intel). If Piledriver pulls through (I hope it does), then maybe AMD will have the slight edge at performance per dollar against the i3 Ivy BridgeReply -
jerm1027 At $125, they should have included the FX-6100. That's $120 on Newegg, plus an additional $15 off on sale.Reply -
Soma42 Nothing too surprising I suppose. AMD is looking to cut 20% of it's workforce and I think I know why. Performance is hit or miss and at twice the power of Intel's offerings. Intel is getting close to competing with ARM with their mainstream lineup and AMD's dual module is still at 125W. What's wrong here?Reply
Hope Piledriver is all that it promises and more. -
theabsinthehare This hurts. I've been an AMD fan for a long time and I was really excited for Bulldozer. However, after seeing the lackluster performance, I put off upgrading until Piledriver. I'm not so sure about Piledriver now, though, and I think it might be time to throw in the towel and finally buy an Intel chip for once.Reply -
abitoms One thing in the review's last page's title really piqued meReply
"...but Tomorrow Shows More Promise for AMD".
Tomorrow...as in ... Oct 16, 2012 or is it only figurative? -
abhijitkalyane Hope Vishera changes this - a $125 chip that can beat i3 at stock (apps & games) and can ALSO be overclocked would be a great thing for budget enthusiasts, who right now are stuck with either locked Intel CPU or not-so-great-performing AMD CPU. Power numbers still don't look good. Probably due to the 32nm process (and also due to architectural differences I suppose). Is Vishera 32nm or 22? Fingers crossed for healthy competition :)Reply -
cleeve jerm1027At $125, they should have included the FX-6100. That's $120 on Newegg, plus an additional $15 off on sale.Reply
At 3.3 GHz, the 6100 doesn't fare well. It's easily out-gamed by the FX-4170, and only gets a bit of a break in highly threaded apps. -
user32123 Why not compare with Trinity? It has higher performance, lower power and modern chipsetReply