
Athlon II X2 265 vs Pentium 3550M

Athlon II X2 265

Pentium 3550M
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 265 is positioned at rank 884 and the Pentium 3550M is on rank 293, so the Pentium 3550M 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 265
Performance Per Dollar Pentium 3550M
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon II X2 265 | Pentium 3550M |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| 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 265 | Pentium 3550M |
|---|---|---|
| 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 265 and Pentium 3550M

Athlon II X2 265
The Athlon II X2 265 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 21 September 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,324 points. Launch price was $83.

Pentium 3550M
The Pentium 3550M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: PGA946. Thermal design power (TDP): 37 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,327 points. Launch price was $134.
Processing Power
Both the Athlon II X2 265 and Pentium 3550M share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon II X2 265 versus 2.3 GHz on the Pentium 3550M — a 35.7% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 265 (base: 3.3 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Athlon II X2 265 uses the Regor (2009−2013) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium 3550M uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X2 265 scores 1,324 against the Pentium 3550M's 1,327 — a 0.2% lead for the Pentium 3550M. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 265 vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 3550M.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 265 | Pentium 3550M |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 3.3 GHz+43% | 2.3 GHz |
| Base Clock | 3.3 GHz+43% | 2.3 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 0 kB | 2 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB+300% | 256K (per core) |
| Process | 45 nm | 22 nm-51% |
| Architecture | Regor (2009−2013) | Haswell (2013−2015) |
| PassMark | 1,324 | 1,327 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 275 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 520 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon II X2 265 uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 3550M uses PGA946 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 265 | Pentium 3550M |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM3 | PGA946 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 3.0+50% |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR3-1333 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ✅ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 0 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon II X2 265) / not specified (Pentium 3550M). Primary use case: Athlon II X2 265 targets Legacy Desktop. Direct competitor: Athlon II X2 265 rivals Pentium E6700.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 265 | Pentium 3550M |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | — |
| Target Use | Legacy Desktop | — |
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