Athlon X4 950 vs Core i7-8500Y

Athlon X4 950 vs Core i7-8500Y Performance Spectrum

Athlon X4 950

4 / 4

3,576

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i7-8500Y

2 / 4

3,590

+0.4%

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 X4 950 vs Core i7-8500Y 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 X4 950 vs Core i7-8500Y: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Athlon X4 950

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.0% higher average FPS across 30 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (Yes), unlike Core i7-8500Y.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,576 vs 3,590).
❌Launch MSRP is still $58 MSRP, while Core i7-8500Y mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌1200% higher power demand at 65W vs 5W.

Core i7-8500Y

2018

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 5W instead of 65W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Athlon X4 950 across 30 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Athlon X4 950.

Quick Answers

So, is Core i7-8500Y better than Athlon X4 950?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon X4 950 is ahead with a 3.0% average FPS lead across 30 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-8500Y pulls ahead with 0.4% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i7-8500Y is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

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

Core i7-8500Y is still the better call for a fresh build. Core i7-8500Y comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $58 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.4% better PassMark. Athlon X4 950 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is so cheap, but its absolute performance tier is too low to be the better recommendation now. At roughly 3,576 PassMark with 4 cores and 4 threads, it only really makes sense as a bare-minimum stopgap or a very constrained existing-platform upgrade.

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

Core i7-8500Y makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2017) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon X4 950 vs Core i7-8500Y Technical Specifications

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

Athlon X4 950

The Athlon X4 950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 July 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 3,576 points. Launch price was $60.

Core i7-8500Y

The Core i7-8500Y is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 28 August 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1515. Thermal design power (TDP): 5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,590 points. Launch price was $393.

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Processing Power

The Athlon X4 950 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i7-8500Y offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Athlon X4 950 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Athlon X4 950 versus 4.2 GHz on the Core i7-8500Y — a 10% clock advantage for the Core i7-8500Y (base: 3.5 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Athlon X4 950 uses the Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) architecture (28 nm), while the Core i7-8500Y uses Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon X4 950 scores 3,576 against the Core i7-8500Y's 3,590 — a 0.4% lead for the Core i7-8500Y. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon X4 950 vs 4 MB on the Core i7-8500Y.

Feature	Athlon X4 950	Core i7-8500Y
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz	4.2 GHz+11%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+133%	1.5 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	4 MB
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	512 kB
Process	28 nm	14 nm-50%
Architecture	Bristol Ridge (2016−2019)	Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021)
PassMark	3,576	3,590
Geekbench 6 Single	656	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,637	—

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon X4 950 uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-8500Y uses FCBGA1515 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.