FX-4170 vs Pentium Silver J5005

FX-4170 vs Pentium Silver J5005 Performance Spectrum

FX-4170

4 / 4

3,121

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium Silver J5005

4 / 4

3,125

+0.1%

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.

FX-4170 vs Pentium Silver J5005 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

FX-4170 vs Pentium Silver J5005: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

FX-4170

2012

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,121 vs 3,125).
❌Launch MSRP is still $157 MSRP, while Pentium Silver J5005 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1150% higher power demand at 125W vs 10W.

Pentium Silver J5005

2017

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 10W instead of 125W, a 115W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than FX-4170 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium Silver J5005 better than FX-4170?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, FX-4170 is ahead with a 6.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Silver J5005 pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark. FX-4170 also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Silver J5005 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Pentium Silver J5005 is still the much better call for a fresh build. Pentium Silver J5005 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $157 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.1% better PassMark. FX-4170 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2012 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (19.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on AM3+.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Pentium Silver J5005 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2017 vs 2012) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

FX-4170 vs Pentium Silver J5005 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

FX-4170

The FX-4170 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 February 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Zambezi (2011−2012) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 4.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.3 GHz. L3 cache: 8192 kB. L2 cache: 4096 kB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,121 points. Launch price was $69.

Pentium Silver J5005

The Pentium Silver J5005 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 December 2017 (7 years ago). It is based on the Goldmont Plus (2017) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1090. Thermal design power (TDP): 10 Watt. Memory support: upto-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,125 points. Launch price was $161.

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Processing Power

Both the FX-4170 and Pentium Silver J5005 share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 4.3 GHz on the FX-4170 versus 2.8 GHz on the Pentium Silver J5005 — a 42.3% clock advantage for the FX-4170 (base: 4.2 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The FX-4170 uses the Zambezi (2011−2012) architecture (32 nm), while the Pentium Silver J5005 uses Goldmont Plus (2017) (14 nm). In PassMark, the FX-4170 scores 3,121 against the Pentium Silver J5005's 3,125 — a 0.1% lead for the Pentium Silver J5005. L3 cache: 8192 kB on the FX-4170 vs 4 MB (total) on the Pentium Silver J5005.

Feature	FX-4170	Pentium Silver J5005
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 4
Boost Clock	4.3 GHz+54%	2.8 GHz
Base Clock	4.2 GHz+180%	1.5 GHz
L3 Cache	8192 kB+100%	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	4096 kB+1500%	256K (per core)
Process	32 nm	14 nm-56%
Architecture	Zambezi (2011−2012)	Goldmont Plus (2017)
PassMark	3,121	3,125

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Memory & Platform

The FX-4170 uses the AM3+ socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium Silver J5005 uses FCBGA1090 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.