Athlon X4 950 vs Core i7-8500Y
Athlon X4 950
Core i7-8500Y
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 X4 950 is positioned at rank 344 and the Core i7-8500Y is on rank 1035, so the Athlon X4 950 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon X4 950
Performance Per Dollar Core i7-8500Y
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon X4 950 | Core i7-8500Y |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) / 28 nm) | ✨ Modern (Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon X4 950 | Core i7-8500Y |
|---|---|---|
| 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 X4 950 and Core i7-8500Y
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.
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 | — |
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.
| Feature | Athlon X4 950 | Core i7-8500Y |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM4 | FCBGA1515 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2400 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 64 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 8 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon X4 950) / not specified (Core i7-8500Y).
| Feature | Athlon X4 950 | Core i7-8500Y |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | — |
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