A6-3620 vs Core i5-560M

The A6-3620 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i5-560M offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the A6-3620 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.5 GHz on the A6-3620 versus 3.2 GHz on the Core i5-560M — a 24.6% clock advantage for the Core i5-560M (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.66 GHz). The A6-3620 uses the Llano (2011−2012) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i5-560M uses Arrandale (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the A6-3620 scores 1,877 against the Core i5-560M's 1,894 — a 0.9% lead for the Core i5-560M. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 300 vs 450, a 40% lead for the Core i5-560M that directly translates to higher frame rates. L3 cache: 0 kB on the A6-3620 vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i5-560M.

The A6-3620 uses the FM1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-560M uses PGA988 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1866 on the A6-3620 versus DDR3-1066 on the Core i5-560M — the A6-3620 supports 75% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The A6-3620 supports up to 16 GB of RAM compared to 8 GB — 100% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: A55,A75 (A6-3620) and HM55,HM57,PM55,QM57 (Core i5-560M).

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: AMD-V (A6-3620) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-560M). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon HD 6530D (A6-3620) and Intel HD Graphics (Westmere) (Core i5-560M) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: A6-3620 targets Budget Desktop, Core i5-560M targets Laptop. Direct competitor: A6-3620 rivals Pentium G840; Core i5-560M rivals AMD Turion II Ultra M660.