A8-5500 vs Core i5-680

The A8-5500 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i5-680 offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the A8-5500 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the A8-5500 versus 3.86 GHz on the Core i5-680 — a 4.2% clock advantage for the Core i5-680 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The A8-5500 uses the Trinity (2012−2013) architecture (32 nm), while the Core i5-680 uses Clarkdale (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the A8-5500 scores 2,615 against the Core i5-680's 2,620 — a 0.2% lead for the Core i5-680. L3 cache: 0 kB on the A8-5500 vs 4 MB (total) on the Core i5-680.

The A8-5500 uses the FM2 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-680 uses LGA1156 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 1866 on the A8-5500 versus DDR3-1333 on the Core i5-680 — the A8-5500 supports 199.4% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The A8-5500 supports up to 64 of RAM compared to 16 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 16 PCIe lanes.

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: true (A8-5500) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-680). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon HD 7560D (A8-5500) and HD Graphics (Core i5-680) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-680 targets Desktop. Direct competitor: A8-5500 rivals Pentium G2120.