AMD Phenom II X4 940 vs AMD A8-7600

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the AMD Phenom II X4 940 scores 10 and the AMD A8-7600 scores 9, about 11% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The AMD Phenom II X4 940 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the AMD A8-7600 has 4 cores and 4 threads. Core counts are the same, so cache size and clock speed decide the difference. Boost clocks are 3 GHz and 3.8 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD Phenom II X4 940 uses the AM2+ socket and the AMD A8-7600 uses FM2+, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 125 W for the first and 65 W for the second. That difference changes the cooler you need, and it shows up in heat and noise.

We do not have launch prices for both chips, so we cannot compare value.

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

At 1080p the AMD Phenom II X4 940 can feed a card up to the Arc A380 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD A8-7600 reaches the Radeon RX 6400. If you plan to buy a fast graphics card, that gap is the real difference between these two.

Choose the AMD Phenom II X4 940 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the AMD A8-7600 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.