AMD Phenom II X4 965 vs AMD Phenom II X4 945

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the AMD Phenom II X4 965 scores 11 and the AMD Phenom II X4 945 scores 10, about 10% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The AMD Phenom II X4 965 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the AMD Phenom II X4 945 has 4 cores and 4 threads. Core counts are the same, so cache size and clock speed decide the difference. Boost clocks are 3.4 GHz and 3 GHz.

Platform, power and price

Both chips use the AM3 socket, so they fit the same motherboards. You can swap one for the other without changing the board.

Rated power is 125 W for the first and 95 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the AMD Phenom II X4 965 cost $245 and the AMD Phenom II X4 945 $165, which gives 4.5 and 6.1 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 Phenom II X4 965 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 1650 Super before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD Phenom II X4 945 reaches the Arc A380. If you plan to buy a fast graphics card, that gap is the real difference between these two.

Choose the AMD Phenom II X4 965 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the AMD Phenom II X4 945 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.