Athlon Silver 3050U vs Core i5-2500T
Athlon Silver 3050U
Core i5-2500T
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 Silver 3050U is positioned at rank 456 and the Core i5-2500T is on rank 882, so the Athlon Silver 3050U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon Silver 3050U
Performance Per Dollar Core i5-2500T
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon Silver 3050U | Core i5-2500T |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($30) |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Dali (Zen) (2020) / 14 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon Silver 3050U | Core i5-2500T |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($30) |
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 Silver 3050U and Core i5-2500T
Athlon Silver 3050U
The Athlon Silver 3050U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Dali (Zen) (2020) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,950 points. Launch price was $149.
Core i5-2500T
The Core i5-2500T is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 9 January 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 6144 kB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,929 points. Launch price was $69.
Processing Power
The Athlon Silver 3050U packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Core i5-2500T offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Core i5-2500T has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Athlon Silver 3050U versus 3.3 GHz on the Core i5-2500T — a 3.1% clock advantage for the Core i5-2500T (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Athlon Silver 3050U uses the Dali (Zen) (2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-2500T uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Silver 3050U scores 2,950 against the Core i5-2500T's 2,929 — a 0.7% lead for the Athlon Silver 3050U. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Silver 3050U vs 6144 kB (total) on the Core i5-2500T.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 3050U | Core i5-2500T |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 4 / 4+100% |
| Boost Clock | 3.2 GHz | 3.3 GHz+3% |
| Base Clock | 2.2 GHz | 2.3 GHz+5% |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB (total) | 6144 kB (total)+50% |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB (per core)+100% | 256 kB (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm-56% | 32 nm |
| Architecture | Dali (Zen) (2020) | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) |
| PassMark | 2,950 | 2,929 |
| Cinebench R23 Multi | 900 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 873 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 1,524 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon Silver 3050U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-2500T uses LGA1155 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2400 on the Athlon Silver 3050U versus DDR3-1333 on the Core i5-2500T — the Athlon Silver 3050U supports 28.6% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 8 (Athlon Silver 3050U) vs 16 (Core i5-2500T) — the Core i5-2500T offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 3050U | Core i5-2500T |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FP5 | LGA1155 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0+50% | PCIe 2.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2400+33% | DDR3-1333 |
| Max RAM Capacity | 32 GB | 32 GB |
| RAM Channels | 2 | 2 |
| ECC Support | ❌ | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | 8 | 16+100% |
Advanced Features
Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Athlon Silver 3050U) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-2500T). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon Vega 3 (Athlon Silver 3050U) and HD Graphics 2000 (Core i5-2500T) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Athlon Silver 3050U targets Budget, Core i5-2500T targets Desktop. Direct competitor: Athlon Silver 3050U rivals Pentium Gold 7505.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 3050U | Core i5-2500T |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | Yes |
| IGPU Model | Radeon Vega 3 | HD Graphics 2000 |
| Unlocked | No | No |
| AVX-512 | No | No |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | VT-x, VT-d |
| Target Use | Budget | Desktop |
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