AMD Athlon II X4 635 vs Intel Core i9-12900K

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD Athlon II X4 635 CPU1 vs CPU2 Intel Core i9-12900K
AMD Athlon II X4 635 Intel Core i9-12900K

CPU comparison

AMD Athlon II X4 635 or Intel Core i9-12900K - which processor is faster? In this comparison we look at the differences and analyze which of these two CPUs is better. We compare the technical data and benchmark results.

The AMD Athlon II X4 635 has 4 cores with 4 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 2.90 GHz. Up to 16 GB of memory is supported in 2 memory channels. The AMD Athlon II X4 635 was released in Q1/2010.

The Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 cores with 24 threads and clocks with a maximum frequency of 5.20 GHz. The CPU supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The Intel Core i9-12900K was released in Q4/2021.
AMD Athlon II (52) Family Intel Core i9 (78)
AMD Athlon II X4 (Propus) (10) CPU group Intel Core i 12000 (34)
1 Generation 12
Propus Architecture Alder Lake S
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor Intel Core i9-11900K
-- Successor Intel Core i9-13900K

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD Athlon II X4 635 has 4 CPU cores and can calculate 4 threads in parallel. The clock frequency of the AMD Athlon II X4 635 is 2.90 GHz while the Intel Core i9-12900K has 16 CPU cores and 24 threads can calculate simultaneously. The clock frequency of the Intel Core i9-12900K is at 3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz).

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Characteristic Intel Core i9-12900K
4 Cores 16
4 Threads 24
normal Core architecture hybrid (big.LITTLE)
No Hyperthreading Yes
No Overclocking ? Yes
2.90 GHz A-Core 3.20 GHz (5.20 GHz)
8x Golden Cove
-- B-Core 2.40 GHz (3.90 GHz)
8x Gracemont

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Processors with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can process many calculations, especially audio, image and video processing, much faster than classic processors. Algorithms for ML improve their performance the more data they have collected via software. ML tasks can be processed up to 10,000 times faster than with a classic processor.

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Characteristic Intel Core i9-12900K
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

The AMD Athlon II X4 635 or Intel Core i9-12900K has integrated graphics, called iGPU for short. The iGPU uses the system's main memory as graphics memory and sits on the processor's die.

no iGPU GPU Intel UHD Graphics 770
GPU frequency 0.30 GHz
-- GPU (Turbo) 1.55 GHz
-- GPU Generation 11
Technology 10 nm
Max. displays 3
-- Compute units 32
-- Shader 256
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory 64 GB
-- DirectX Version 12

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.

no iGPU GPU Intel UHD Graphics 770
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) Decode / Encode
No Codec h264 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP9 Decode / Encode
No Codec VP8 Decode / Encode
No Codec AV1 Decode
No Codec AVC Decode / Encode
No Codec VC-1 Decode
No Codec JPEG Decode / Encode

Memory & PCIe

The AMD Athlon II X4 635 can use up to 16 GB of memory in 2 memory channels. The maximum memory bandwidth is 21.3 GB/s. The Intel Core i9-12900K supports up to 128 GB of memory in 2 memory channels and achieves a memory bandwidth of up to 76.8 GB/s.

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Characteristic Intel Core i9-12900K
DDR3-1333 Memory DDR5-4800, DDR4-3200
16 GB Max. Memory 128 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
21.3 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 76.8 GB/s
No ECC Yes
2.00 MB L2 Cache 14.00 MB
-- L3 Cache 30.00 MB
2.0 PCIe version 5.0
-- PCIe lanes 20
-- PCIe Bandwidth 78.8 GB/s

Thermal Management

The thermal design power (TDP for short) of the AMD Athlon II X4 635 is 95 W, while the Intel Core i9-12900K has a TDP of 125 W. The TDP specifies the necessary cooling solution that is required to cool the processor sufficiently.

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Characteristic Intel Core i9-12900K
95 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 125 W
-- TDP (PL2) 241 W
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. 100 °C

Technical details

The AMD Athlon II X4 635 is manufactured in 45 nm and has 2.00 MB cache. The Intel Core i9-12900K is manufactured in 10 nm and has a 44.00 MB cache.

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Characteristic Intel Core i9-12900K
45 nm Technology 10 nm
Unknown Chip design Monolithic
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
MMX, 3DNow!, SSE3, SSE4a ISA extensions SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX2, AVX2+
AM3 Socket LGA 1700
AMD-V Virtualization VT-x, VT-x EPT, VT-d
No AES-NI Yes
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux
Q1/2010 Release date Q4/2021
-- Release price 589 $
show more data show more data


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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 4 CPU benchmarks
⌀ Multi core performance in 5 CPU benchmarks

Cinebench R23 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
376 (19%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1997 (100%)

Cinebench R23 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R23 is the successor of Cinebench R20 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
1422 (5%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
27472 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Single-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
373 (19%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1990 (100%)

Geekbench 5, 64bit (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 5 is a cross plattform benchmark that heavily uses the systems memory. A fast memory will push the result a lot. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
1288 (7%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
17595 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
147 (19%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
779 (100%)

Cinebench R20 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R20 is the successor of Cinebench R15 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
563 (5%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
10511 (100%)

Estimated results for PassMark CPU Mark

Some of the CPUs listed below have been benchmarked by CPU-monkey. However the majority of CPUs have not been tested and the results have been estimated by a CPU-monkey’s secret proprietary formula. As such they do not accurately reflect the actual Passmark CPU mark values and are not endorsed by PassMark Software Pty Ltd.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
2100 (5%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
40902 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Single-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The single-core test only uses one CPU core, the amount of cores or hyperthreading ability doesn't count.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
68 (23%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
294 (100%)

Cinebench R15 (Multi-Core)

Cinebench R15 is the successor of Cinebench 11.5 and is also based on the Cinema 4 Suite. Cinema 4 is a worldwide used software to create 3D forms. The multi-core test involves all CPU cores and taks a big advantage of hyperthreading.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
265 (6%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
4111 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Single-Core)

The Cinebench 2024 benchmark is based on the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxon's 3D program Cinema 4D. The benchmark runs are each 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
126 (100%)

Cinebench 2024 (Multi-Core)

The Multi-Core test of the Cinebench 2024 benchmark uses all cpu cores to render using the Redshift rendering engine, which is also used in Maxons Cinema 4D. The benchmark run is 10 minutes long to test whether the processor is limited by its heat generation.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
1582 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The single-core benchmark only evaluates the performance of the fastest CPU core, the number of CPU cores in a processor is irrelevant here.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.20 GHz
2560 (100%)

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Geekbench 6 is a benchmark for modern computers, notebooks and smartphones. What is new is an optimized utilization of newer CPU architectures, e.g. based on the big.LITTLE concept and combining CPU cores of different sizes. The multi-core benchmark evaluates the performance of all of the processor's CPU cores. Virtual thread improvements such as AMD SMT or Intel's Hyper-Threading have a positive impact on the benchmark result.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
16244 (100%)

iGPU - FP32 Performance (Single-precision GFLOPS)

The theoretical computing performance of the internal graphics unit of the processor with simple accuracy (32 bit) in GFLOPS. GFLOPS indicates how many billion floating point operations the iGPU can perform per second.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
@ 0.00 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
Intel UHD Graphics 770 @ 1.55 GHz
794 (100%)

Blender 3.1 Benchmark

In the Blender Benchmark 3.1, the scenes "monster", "junkshop" and "classroom" are rendered and the time required by the system is measured. In our benchmark we test the CPU and not the graphics card. Blender 3.1 was presented as a standalone version in March 2022.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
364 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Single-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 5.00 GHz
817 (100%)

CPU-Z Benchmark 17 (Multi-Core)

The CPU-Z benchmark measures a processor's performance by measuring the time it takes the system to complete all benchmark calculations. The faster the benchmark is completed, the higher the score.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
4C 4T @ 2.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
16C 24T @ 3.20 GHz
11365 (100%)

CPU performance per watt (efficiency)

Efficiency of the processor under full load in the Cinebench R23 (multi-core) benchmark. The benchmark result is divided by the average energy required (CPU package power in watts). The higher the value, the more efficient the CPU is under full load.
AMD Athlon II X4 635 AMD Athlon II X4 635
2.90 GHz
0 (0%)
Intel Core i9-12900K Intel Core i9-12900K
27,472 CB R23 MC @ 240 W
114 (100%)

Devices using this processor

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Intel Core i9-12900K
Unknown Unknown

News and articles for the AMD Athlon II X4 635 and the Intel Core i9-12900K


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