Core i5-4200H vs Athlon Silver 7120U
Core i5-4200H
Athlon Silver 7120U
Performance Spectrum - CPU
About PassMark
PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Core i5-4200H is positioned at rank 221 and the Athlon Silver 7120U is on rank 976, so the Core i5-4200H offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Core i5-4200H
Performance Per Dollar Athlon Silver 7120U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Core i5-4200H | Athlon Silver 7120U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm) | ✨ Modern (Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) / 6 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Core i5-4200H | Athlon Silver 7120U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
Performance Check
To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.
Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-4200H and Athlon Silver 7120U
Core i5-4200H
The Core i5-4200H is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 October 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1364. Thermal design power (TDP): 47 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,036 points. Launch price was $257.
Athlon Silver 7120U
The Athlon Silver 7120U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FT6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 3,012 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Core i5-4200H packs 2 cores / 4 threads, matching the Athlon Silver 7120U's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Core i5-4200H versus 3.5 GHz on the Athlon Silver 7120U — a 2.9% clock advantage for the Athlon Silver 7120U (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-4200H uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Athlon Silver 7120U uses Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-4200H scores 3,036 against the Athlon Silver 7120U's 3,012 — a 0.8% lead for the Core i5-4200H. L3 cache: 3 MB on the Core i5-4200H vs 2 MB (total) on the Athlon Silver 7120U.
| Feature | Core i5-4200H | Athlon Silver 7120U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 3.4 GHz | 3.5 GHz+3% |
| Base Clock | 2.8 GHz+17% | 2.4 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 3 MB+50% | 2 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB | 512 kB (per core) |
| Process | 22 nm | 6 nm-73% |
| Architecture | Haswell (2013−2015) | Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) |
| PassMark | 3,036 | 3,012 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 990 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 1,927 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Core i5-4200H uses the BGA1364 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon Silver 7120U uses FT6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3L-1600 on the Core i5-4200H versus LPDDR5-5500 on the Athlon Silver 7120U — the Athlon Silver 7120U supports 50% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i5-4200H supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 16 (Core i5-4200H) vs 4 (Athlon Silver 7120U) — the Core i5-4200H offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: HM86,HM87,QM87 (Core i5-4200H) and AMD FT6 (Athlon Silver 7120U).
| Feature | Core i5-4200H | Athlon Silver 7120U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | BGA1364 | FT6 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 4.0+33% |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR3L-1600 | LPDDR5-5500+67% |
| Max RAM Capacity | 32 GB+100% | 16 GB |
| RAM Channels | 2 | 2 |
| ECC Support | ❌ | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | 16+300% | 4 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i5-4200H) / not specified (Athlon Silver 7120U). Both include integrated graphics — HD Graphics 4600 (Core i5-4200H) and AMD Radeon 610M (Athlon Silver 7120U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-4200H targets Productivity. Direct competitor: Core i5-4200H rivals Core i7-4500U.
| Feature | Core i5-4200H | Athlon Silver 7120U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | Yes |
| IGPU Model | HD Graphics 4600 | AMD Radeon 610M |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | VT-x, VT-d, EPT | — |
| Target Use | Productivity | — |
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