AMD FX-8120 vs AMD Athlon II X2 280

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CPU comparison with benchmarks


AMD FX-8120 CPU1 vs CPU2 AMD Athlon II X2 280
AMD FX-8120 AMD Athlon II X2 280

CPU comparison

In this CPU comparison, we compare the AMD FX-8120 and the AMD Athlon II X2 280 and use benchmarks to check which processor is faster.

We compare the AMD FX-8120 8 core processor released in Q2/2012 with the AMD Athlon II X2 280 which has 2 CPU cores and was introduced in Q1/2013.
AMD FX (30) Family AMD Athlon II (52)
AMD FX-8000 (11) CPU group AMD Athlon II X2 (Propus) (18)
2 Generation 1
Vishera (Bulldozer) Architecture Propus
Desktop / Server Segment Desktop / Server
-- Predecessor --
-- Successor --

CPU Cores and Base Frequency

The AMD FX-8120 is a 8 core processor with a clock frequency of 3.10 GHz (4.00 GHz). The processor can compute 8 threads at the same time. The AMD Athlon II X2 280 clocks with 3.60 GHz, has 2 CPU cores and can calculate 2 threads in parallel.

AMD FX-8120 Characteristic AMD Athlon II X2 280
8 Cores 2
8 Threads 2
normal Core architecture normal
No Hyperthreading No
Yes Overclocking ? No
3.10 GHz Frequency 3.60 GHz
4.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (1 Core) --
4.00 GHz Turbo Frequency (All Cores) --

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 FX-8120 Characteristic AMD Athlon II X2 280
-- AI hardware --
-- AI specifications --

Internal Graphics

Graphics (iGPU) integrated into the processor not only enable image output without having to rely on a dedicated graphics solution, but can also efficiently accelerate video playback.

no iGPU GPU no iGPU
GPU frequency --
-- GPU (Turbo) --
-- GPU Generation --
Technology
Max. displays
-- Compute units --
-- Shader --
No Hardware Raytracing No
No Frame Generation No
-- Max. GPU Memory --
-- DirectX Version --

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 no iGPU
No Codec h265 / HEVC (8 bit) No
No Codec h265 / HEVC (10 bit) No
No Codec h264 No
No Codec VP9 No
No Codec VP8 No
No Codec AV1 No
No Codec AVC No
No Codec VC-1 No
No Codec JPEG No

Memory & PCIe

Up to GB of memory in a maximum of 2 memory channels is supported by the AMD FX-8120, while the AMD Athlon II X2 280 supports a maximum of 16 GB of memory with a maximum memory bandwidth of 21.3 GB/s enabled.

AMD FX-8120 Characteristic AMD Athlon II X2 280
DDR3-1866 Memory DDR3-1333
Max. Memory 16 GB
2 (Dual Channel) Memory channels 2 (Dual Channel)
29.9 GB/s Max. Bandwidth 21.3 GB/s
Yes ECC No
-- L2 Cache 2.00 MB
8.00 MB L3 Cache --
-- PCIe version 2.0
-- PCIe lanes --
-- PCIe Bandwidth --

Thermal Management

The AMD FX-8120 has a TDP of 95 W. The TDP of the AMD Athlon II X2 280 is 65 W. System integrators use the TDP of the processor as a guide when dimensioning the cooling solution.

AMD FX-8120 Characteristic AMD Athlon II X2 280
95 W TDP (PL1 / PBP) 65 W
-- TDP (PL2) --
-- TDP up --
-- TDP down --
-- Tjunction max. --

Technical details

The AMD FX-8120 has 8.00 MB cache and is manufactured in 32 nm. The cache of AMD Athlon II X2 280 is at 2.00 MB. The processor is manufactured in 45 nm.

AMD FX-8120 Characteristic AMD Athlon II X2 280
32 nm Technology 45 nm
Unknown Chip design Unknown
x86-64 (64 bit) Instruction set (ISA) x86-64 (64 bit)
SSE4.1, SSE4.2, AVX, FMA3, FMA4 ISA extensions MMX, 3DNow!, SSE3, SSE4a
AM3+ Socket AM3
AMD-V Virtualization AMD-V
Yes AES-NI No
Windows 10, Linux Operating systems Windows 10, Linux
Q2/2012 Release date Q1/2013
115 $ Release price --
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Rate these processors

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Average performance in benchmarks

⌀ Single core performance in 1 CPU benchmarks
AMD FX-8120 (94%)
AMD Athlon II X2 280 (100%)
⌀ Multi core performance in 2 CPU benchmarks
AMD FX-8120 (100%)
AMD Athlon II X2 280 (34%)

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 FX-8120 AMD FX-8120
8C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
479 (94%)
AMD Athlon II X2 280 AMD Athlon II X2 280
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
507 (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 FX-8120 AMD FX-8120
8C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
2085 (100%)
AMD Athlon II X2 280 AMD Athlon II X2 280
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
975 (47%)

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 FX-8120 AMD FX-8120
8C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
6596 (100%)
AMD Athlon II X2 280 AMD Athlon II X2 280
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
1357 (21%)

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 FX-8120 AMD FX-8120
8C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
89 (100%)
AMD Athlon II X2 280 AMD Athlon II X2 280
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

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 FX-8120 AMD FX-8120
8C 8T @ 4.00 GHz
587 (100%)
AMD Athlon II X2 280 AMD Athlon II X2 280
2C 2T @ 3.60 GHz
0 (0%)

Devices using this processor

AMD FX-8120 AMD Athlon II X2 280
Unknown Unknown

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