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AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU vs AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970: Comparison
What is the difference between 7th Gen A12-9800 APU and 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970?
They are built to different briefs, and p-core boost clock shows it, 7th Gen A12-9800 APU 4.2 GHz against 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 4 GHz. There is a split on integrated graphics as well, Yes on the 7th Gen A12-9800 APU versus No on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970. They differ on release year too, 2016 on the 7th Gen A12-9800 APU versus 2017 on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970. Igpu is not the same on both, Radeon R7 Series on the 7th Gen A12-9800 APU versus Discrete Graphics Card Required on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970. They differ on memory type too, DDR4, 2-Channel, Up to 2400 MT/s on the 7th Gen A12-9800 APU versus DDR4, Up to 2400 MT/s on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970. Pcie generation is not the same on both, PCIe 3.0 x8 on the 7th Gen A12-9800 APU versus PCIe 3.0 on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970.
Who each one is for
The 7th Gen A12-9800 APU suits A-Series platform upgrades or repairs and budget legacy builds, though it is not built for modern gaming or productivity workloads and new builds. The 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 is the one to take for Athlon platform upgrades or repairs and budget legacy builds, though it is the wrong buy for modern gaming or productivity workloads and new builds.
What 7th Gen A12-9800 APU and 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 have in common
Everything else lines up. Total cores, performance cores, efficiency cores, total threads and p-core base clock read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 11 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Is the TDP the same on the 7th Gen A12-9800 APU and 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970?
It is. Both are listed at 65 W, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- AMD
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- AMD
Product Line
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- Other
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- Other
Form Factor
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- Desktop
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- Desktop
Codename
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- Bristol Ridge
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- Athlon Legacy
Release Year
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 2016
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 2017
TDP
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 65 W
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 65 W
iGPU
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- Radeon R7 Series
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- Discrete Graphics Card Required
Market Segment
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- Desktop
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- Desktop
Socket
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- AM4
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- AM4
Socket Status
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- End of Life
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- End of Life
Process Node
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 28nm
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 28nm
Total Cores
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 4
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 4
Performance Cores
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 4
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 4
Efficiency Cores
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 0
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 0
Total Threads
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 4
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 4
SMT Enabled
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- No
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- No
P-Core Base Clock
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 3.8 GHz
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 3.8 GHz
P-Core Boost Clock
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 4.2 GHz
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 4 GHz
Unlocked Multiplier
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- Yes
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- Yes
L2 Cache
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 2 MB
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 2 MB
Base Power
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- 65 W
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- 65 W
Memory Type
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- DDR4, 2-Channel, Up to 2400 MT/s
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- DDR4, Up to 2400 MT/s
Integrated Graphics
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- Yes
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- No
PCIe Generation
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- PCIe 3.0 x8
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- PCIe 3.0
Retail Availability
- AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU
- Boxed Retail
- AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
- Boxed Retail
Which one should you pick?
Choose AMD 7th Gen A12-9800 APU if you want the higher L2 cache (2 MB vs 2 MB).
Choose AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.