AMD Athlon 64 3200+ vs AMD Phenom 9850
The AMD Phenom 9850 is the faster chip for gaming by roughly 100%. Here is the full spec-by-spec breakdown.
| Specification | AMD Athlon 64 3200+ | AMD Phenom 9850 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming score | 3/100 | 6/100 |
| Tier | F | F |
| Manufacturer | AMD | AMD |
| Cores | 1 | 4 |
| Threads | 1 | 4 |
| Base clock | 2 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| Boost clock | 2 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| Power draw (TDP) | 89 W | 125 W |
| Release year | 2004 | 2008 |
Which should you buy?
For gaming specifically, the AMD Phenom 9850 is the better buy — it holds a 100% lead in our index, which shows up most at 1080p and in CPU-bound titles like strategy and simulation games. The AMD Phenom 9850 has more cores (4 vs 1), which helps if you stream, compile or render alongside playing. The AMD Athlon 64 3200+ runs 36W cooler, meaning a cheaper cooler and less case heat. Either way, pair it with a graphics card of similar standing — check the bottleneck calculator before you buy.