AMD A10-7850K vs Core i3-3225

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

The AMD A10-7850K and the Core i3-3225 are within a few percent of each other for gaming. In a game, you will not see the difference.

The AMD A10-7850K has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the Core i3-3225 has 2 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the AMD A10-7850K help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 4 GHz and 3.3 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD A10-7850K uses the FM2+ socket and the Core i3-3225 uses LGA1155, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 95 W for the first and 55 W for the second. That difference changes the cooler you need, and it shows up in heat and noise.

At launch the AMD A10-7850K cost $131 and the Core i3-3225 $117, which gives 9.2 and 10.3 points of gaming performance per $100. Today's prices will differ.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the AMD A10-7850K can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 980 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core i3-3225 reaches the GeForce GTX 980. Both chips are in the same range for graphics card pairing.

Choose the AMD A10-7850K if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Core i3-3225 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.