Athlon Silver 7120U vs Core i7-5600U
Athlon Silver 7120U
Core i7-5600U
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 7120U is positioned at rank 976 and the Core i7-5600U is on rank 341, so the Core i7-5600U 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 7120U
Performance Per Dollar Core i7-5600U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon Silver 7120U | Core i7-5600U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) / 6 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Broadwell-U (2015) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon Silver 7120U | Core i7-5600U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
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 7120U and Core i7-5600U
Athlon Silver 7120U
The Athlon Silver 7120U 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 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 2 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: 3,012 points. Launch price was $149.
Core i7-5600U
The Core i7-5600U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 March 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Broadwell-U (2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,011 points. Launch price was $393.
Processing Power
The Athlon Silver 7120U packs 2 cores / 2 threads, matching the Core i7-5600U's 2 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.5 GHz on the Athlon Silver 7120U versus 3.2 GHz on the Core i7-5600U — a 9% clock advantage for the Athlon Silver 7120U (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2.6 GHz). The Athlon Silver 7120U uses the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture (6 nm), while the Core i7-5600U uses Broadwell-U (2015) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Silver 7120U scores 3,012 against the Core i7-5600U's 3,011 — a 0% lead for the Athlon Silver 7120U. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Athlon Silver 7120U vs 4 MB (total) on the Core i7-5600U.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 7120U | Core i7-5600U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 3.5 GHz+9% | 3.2 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.4 GHz | 2.6 GHz+8% |
| L3 Cache | 2 MB (total) | 4 MB (total)+100% |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB (per core)+100% | 256K (per core) |
| Process | 6 nm-57% | 14 nm |
| Architecture | Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) | Broadwell-U (2015) |
| PassMark | 3,012 | 3,011 |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon Silver 7120U uses the FT6 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the Core i7-5600U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 7120U | Core i7-5600U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FT6 | FCBGA1168 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 4.0+33% | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | LPDDR5-5500 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 4 | — |
Advanced Features
The Athlon Silver 7120U includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon 610M), while the Core i7-5600U requires a dedicated GPU.
| Feature | Athlon Silver 7120U | Core i7-5600U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | — |
| IGPU Model | AMD Radeon 610M | — |
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