Athlon II X2 250 vs Pentium 3556U
Athlon II X2 250
Pentium 3556U
Performance Spectrum - CPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Athlon II X2 250 is positioned at rank 955 and the Pentium 3556U is on rank 253, so the Pentium 3556U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon II X2 250
Performance Per Dollar Pentium 3556U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon II X2 250 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Regor (2009−2013) / 45 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon II X2 250 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
Performance Check
To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.
Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II X2 250 and Pentium 3556U
Athlon II X2 250
The Athlon II X2 250 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2 June 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,080 points. Launch price was $39.
Pentium 3556U
The Pentium 3556U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. 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 (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,072 points. Launch price was $69.
Processing Power
Both the Athlon II X2 250 and Pentium 3556U share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the Athlon II X2 250 versus 1.7 GHz on the Pentium 3556U — a 55.3% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 250 (base: 3 GHz vs 1.7 GHz). The Athlon II X2 250 uses the Regor (2009−2013) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium 3556U uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X2 250 scores 1,080 against the Pentium 3556U's 1,072 — a 0.7% lead for the Athlon II X2 250. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 250 vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 3556U.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 250 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 3 GHz+76% | 1.7 GHz |
| Base Clock | 3 GHz+76% | 1.7 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 0 kB | 2 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+700% | 256K (per core) |
| Process | 45 nm | 22 nm-51% |
| Architecture | Regor (2009−2013) | Haswell (2013−2015) |
| PassMark | 1,080 | 1,072 |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon II X2 250 uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 3556U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 250 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM3 | FCBGA1168 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 3.0+50% |
| Max RAM Speed | 1333 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 0 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: true (Athlon II X2 250) / not specified (Pentium 3556U). Direct competitor: Athlon II X2 250 rivals Pentium E5700.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 250 | Pentium 3556U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| IGPU Model | None | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | true | — |
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