Athlon II N350 vs Pentium 3558U

Athlon II N350 vs Pentium 3558U Performance Spectrum

Athlon II N350

2 / 2

1,045

+0.4%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium 3558U

2 / 2

1,041

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 II N350 vs Pentium 3558U 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 II N350 vs Pentium 3558U: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Athlon II N350

2010

Why buy it

✅Draws 1W instead of 512W, a 511W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $100 MSRP, while Pentium 3558U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Pentium 3558U

2014

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,041 vs 1,045).
❌51100% higher power demand at 512W vs 1W.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon II N350 better than Pentium 3558U?

Yes. Athlon II N350 is the better all-around CPU here. It gives you a 1.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data and 0.4% better PassMark, which is enough to make it the stronger overall pick.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Athlon II N350 is the better pick. According to our tests, it delivers 1.7% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon II N350 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

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

Athlon II N350 is the better buy right now. Athlon II N350 comes in at an unclear MSRP at $100 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you a 1.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (10.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so you are getting the faster CPU without taking a value hit on paper.

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

Pentium 3558U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2014 vs 2010). That makes it the safer long-term bet.

Athlon II N350 vs Pentium 3558U Technical Specifications

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

Athlon II N350

The Athlon II N350 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.4 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,045 points. Launch price was $149.

Pentium 3558U

The Pentium 3558U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.7 GHz, with boost up to 1.7 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,041 points. Launch price was $161.

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Processing Power

Both the Athlon II N350 and Pentium 3558U share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.4 GHz on the Athlon II N350 versus 1.7 GHz on the Pentium 3558U — a 34.1% clock advantage for the Athlon II N350. The Athlon II N350 uses the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium 3558U uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II N350 scores 1,045 against the Pentium 3558U's 1,041 — a 0.4% lead for the Athlon II N350.

Feature	Athlon II N350	Pentium 3558U
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.4 GHz+41%	1.7 GHz
Base Clock	—	1.7 GHz
L3 Cache	—	2 MB
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	512 kB
Process	45 nm	22 nm-51%
Architecture	Champlain (2010−2011)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	1,045	1,041
Geekbench 6 Single	210	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	400	—

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon II N350 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 3558U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon II N350	Pentium 3558U
Socket	S1	FCBGA1168
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 3.0+50%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1066	—
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	0	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon II N350) / not specified (Pentium 3558U). Primary use case: Athlon II N350 targets Legacy Laptop. Direct competitor: Athlon II N350 rivals Pentium P6100.