AMD Vision A10 vs. Core i5

While the A10 represents the top of AMD's line of processors for business computers, the i5 represents Intel's midrange processor. For most business computing applications, the two chips are interchangeable. Both can be used in Windows- and Linux-based computers and will run an office suite, handle email and Web browsing and allow for multitasking. However, they also have different design priorities that make a difference for more demanding tasks.

Processor Speeds

The Intel Core i5 3570's four processing cores each run at 3.4GHz -- the same as the A10-5700. However, the i5-3570 can only achieve 3.8GHz in short bursts, while the A10-5700's clock can hit 4GHz in its "Turbo" mode. When overclocked with air cooling, the two processors are still almost the same speed -- 4.22GHz for the Intel and 4.24 for the AMD.

Embedded Graphics

Both processors include a graphics co-processor on their chip. The Intel chip has an HD 2500 processor that runs at 650 MHz and can drive a single display. AMD builds a Radeon 7660D processor into the A10. The 7660D runs at a base speed of 633MHz, but, in testing conducted by Notebook Check, achieves better performance than the Intel HD 4000 processor, which is the HD 2500's faster cousin.

Cache Memory

AMD and Intel use different cache systems. The A10 features level one and level two cache, while the i5 has three levels of cache. Intel uses 256KB of the fastest level one memory, 1MB of level two cache and 6MB of level three. AMD, on the other hand, uses 192KB of level one cache and 4MB of level two cache. This means that while the AMD processor has more high-speed cache memory, the Intel can store more in its cache and spend less time accessing the much-slower system memory.

Product Ranges

As of June 2013, AMD's A10 line of desktop processors is much more limited than Intel's. In addition to the A10-5700, they also offer a slightly faster A10-5800K with a faster clock speed and more power consumption. Intel's line includes 15 different processors, most of which are slower than the i5-3570. The i5 line even includes a few dual-core processors, which theoretically have half the processing capability of higher-end i5 or all AMD A10 chips.

Tech Disclaimer

The information in this piece is based on a comparison of the Intel Core i5 3570 and AMD A10-5700 CPUs. It may not apply to different variants of the two processor families.