Athlon Gold 7220U vs Core i7-8665UE

Athlon Gold 7220U vs Core i7-8665UE Performance Spectrum

Athlon Gold 7220U

2 / 4

4,904

+1.1%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

Core i7-8665UE

4 / 8

4,852

0.0%

About PassMark

PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Athlon Gold 7220U vs Core i7-8665UE FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Athlon Gold 7220U vs Core i7-8665UE: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Athlon Gold 7220U

2022

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅Newer platform on FT6 with DDR5 support instead of FCBGA1528 and DDR4.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-8665UE across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Core i7-8665UE

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +15.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).
✅300% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 4) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (4,852 vs 4,904).
❌Launch MSRP is still $409 MSRP, while Athlon Gold 7220U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌Older platform position on FCBGA1528 with DDR4, while Athlon Gold 7220U moves to FT6 and DDR5.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Gold 7220U better than Core i7-8665UE?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i7-8665UE is ahead with a 15.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold 7220U pulls ahead with 1.1% better PassMark. Core i7-8665UE also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold 7220U is the stronger fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Athlon Gold 7220U is the easy recommendation for a fresh desktop build. Athlon Gold 7220U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $409 MSRP, and it still gives you 1.1% better PassMark. Core i7-8665UE only looks good on raw value math because it is a cheap legacy laptop chip, not because it is a real desktop gaming recommendation. It simply does not keep up in modern games.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Athlon Gold 7220U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), a healthier platform with FT6 and DDR5 instead of FCBGA1528, and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/8. That gives you a healthier platform runway for motherboard, RAM, and later CPU upgrades.

Athlon Gold 7220U vs Core i7-8665UE Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Athlon Gold 7220U

The Athlon Gold 7220U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FT6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 4,904 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i7-8665UE

The Core i7-8665UE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 1.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1528. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 4,852 points. Launch price was $409.

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Processing Power

The Athlon Gold 7220U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i7-8665UE offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-8665UE has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Athlon Gold 7220U versus 4.4 GHz on the Core i7-8665UE — a 17.3% clock advantage for the Core i7-8665UE (base: 2.4 GHz vs 1.7 GHz). The Athlon Gold 7220U uses the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture (6 nm), while the Core i7-8665UE uses Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Gold 7220U scores 4,904 against the Core i7-8665UE's 4,852 — a 1.1% lead for the Athlon Gold 7220U. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold 7220U vs 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-8665UE.

Feature	Athlon Gold 7220U	Core i7-8665UE
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 8+100%
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz	4.4 GHz+19%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz+41%	1.7 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	8 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)+100%	256 kB (per core)
Process	6 nm-57%	14 nm
Architecture	Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023)	Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019)
PassMark	4,904+1%	4,852

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Gold 7220U uses the FT6 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Core i7-8665UE uses FCBGA1528 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 5500 on the Athlon Gold 7220U versus DDR4-2400 on the Core i7-8665UE — the Athlon Gold 7220U supports 129.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Core i7-8665UE supports up to 64 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 300% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 4 (Athlon Gold 7220U) vs 16 (Core i7-8665UE) — the Core i7-8665UE offers 12 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Athlon Gold 7220U	Core i7-8665UE
Socket	FT6	FCBGA1528
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+33%	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	5500+129%	DDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB	64 GB+300%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	4	16+300%

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Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: true (Athlon Gold 7220U) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-8665UE). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon 610M (Athlon Gold 7220U) and UHD Graphics 620 (Core i7-8665UE) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-8665UE targets Embedded. Direct competitor: Athlon Gold 7220U rivals Core i3-1115G4.