Consumercarts

Consumercarts is reader-supported. Learn more

AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 vs AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution: Comparison

7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 vs 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution: the p-core boost clock difference

P-core boost clock is the dividing line, 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 4 GHz against 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution 3.8 GHz. P-core base clock is not the same on both, 3.8 GHz on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 versus 3.5 GHz on the 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution. They differ on socket too, AM4 on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 versus FM2+ on the 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution. There is a split on igpu as well, Discrete Graphics Card Required on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 versus None on the 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution. They differ on unlocked multiplier too, Yes on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 versus No on the 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution. The memory type figures are near enough to ignore, DDR4, Up to 2400 MT/s on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 versus DDR3, 2-Channel, Up to 2133 MT/s on the 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution.

Which should you buy, 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 or 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution?

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. The 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution suits 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 integrated graphics read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing. They match on 7 further specifications as well.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Socket Status the same on the 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 and 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution?

It is. Both are listed at End of Life, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.

Specs and benchmarks

  • Brand

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    AMD
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    AMD
  • Product Line

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    Other
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    Other
  • Form Factor

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    Desktop
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    Desktop
  • Codename

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    Athlon Legacy
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    Athlon Legacy
  • iGPU

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    Discrete Graphics Card Required
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    None
  • Market Segment

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    Desktop
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    Desktop
  • Socket

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    AM4
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    FM2+
  • Socket Status

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    End of Life
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    End of Life
  • Process Node

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    28nm
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    28nm
  • Total Cores

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    4
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    4
  • Performance Cores

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    4
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    4
  • Efficiency Cores

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    0
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    0
  • Total Threads

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    4
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    4
  • SMT Enabled

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    No
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    No
  • P-Core Base Clock

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    3.8 GHz
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    3.5 GHz
  • P-Core Boost Clock

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    4 GHz
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    3.8 GHz
  • Unlocked Multiplier

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    Yes
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    No
  • L2 Cache

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    2 MB
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    2 MB
  • Memory Type

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    DDR4, Up to 2400 MT/sBest
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    DDR3, 2-Channel, Up to 2133 MT/s
  • Integrated Graphics

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    No
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    No
  • Retail Availability

    AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970
    Boxed Retail
    AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution
    Boxed Retail

    Which one should you pick?

    Choose AMD 7th Gen AMD Athlon X4 970 if you want the higher L2 cache (2 MB vs 2 MB).

    Choose AMD 845 with Near Silent Thermal Solution if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.