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AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU vs AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950: Comparison
6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU vs 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950: the p-core base clock difference
The first real difference is p-core base clock: 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU 2.9 GHz against 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950 3.5 GHz. Integrated graphics is not the same on both, Yes on the 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU versus No on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950. They differ on igpu too, AMD Radeon R7 on the 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU versus None on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950. There is a split on unlocked multiplier as well, No on the 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU versus Yes on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950. They differ on memory type too, DDR4, 2-Channel, Up to 2400 MT/s on the 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU versus DDR4, Up to 2400 MT/s on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950. There is a split on retail availability as well, Tray OEM on the 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU versus Boxed Retail on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950.
Which should you buy, 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU or 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950?
Buy the 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU for PRO A-Series platform upgrades or repairs and budget legacy builds, though it is the wrong buy for modern gaming or productivity workloads and new builds. The 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950 is the one to take for Athlon platform upgrades or repairs and budget legacy builds, though it is not built for modern gaming or productivity workloads and new builds.
Where the two are identical
Everything else lines up. Total cores, performance cores, efficiency cores, total threads and p-core boost clock read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 8 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Socket the same on the 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU and 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950?
It is. Both are listed at AM4, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- AMD
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- AMD
Product Line
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- Other
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- Other
Form Factor
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- Desktop
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- Desktop
Codename
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- Carrizo
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- Athlon Legacy
iGPU
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- AMD Radeon R7
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- None
Market Segment
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- Desktop
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- Desktop
Socket
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- AM4
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- AM4
Socket Status
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- End of Life
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- End of Life
Process Node
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- 28nm
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- 28nm
Total Cores
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- 4
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- 4
Performance Cores
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- 4
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- 4
Efficiency Cores
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- 0
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- 0
Total Threads
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- 4
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- 4
SMT Enabled
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- No
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- No
P-Core Base Clock
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- 2.9 GHz
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- 3.5 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- 3.8 GHz
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- 3.8 GHz
Unlocked Multiplier
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- No
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- Yes
L2 Cache
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- 2 MB
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- 2 MB
Memory Type
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- DDR4, 2-Channel, Up to 2400 MT/s
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- DDR4, Up to 2400 MT/s
Integrated Graphics
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- Yes
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- No
PCIe Generation
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- PCIe 3.0
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- PCIe 3.0
Retail Availability
- AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU
- Tray OEM
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950
- Boxed Retail
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD 6th Gen AMD PRO A12-8870E APU if you want the higher L2 cache (2 MB vs 2 MB).
Choose AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 950 if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.