Atom x5-Z8300 vs Pentium Gold 6500Y

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.

Atom x5-Z8300 vs Pentium Gold 6500Y 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.

Atom x5-Z8300 vs Pentium Gold 6500Y: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Atom x5-Z8300

2015

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.4% higher average FPS across 34 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel HD Graphics (Cherry Trail), while Pentium Gold 6500Y needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (2,934 vs 2,966).
❌Launch MSRP is still $20 MSRP, while Pentium Gold 6500Y mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Pentium Gold 6500Y

2021

Why buy it

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Atom x5-Z8300 across 34 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Atom x5-Z8300 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium Gold 6500Y better than Atom x5-Z8300?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Atom x5-Z8300 is ahead with a 5.4% average FPS lead across 34 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Gold 6500Y pulls ahead with 1.1% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Gold 6500Y is the stronger fit. You are getting 1.1% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

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

Pentium Gold 6500Y is still the much better call for a fresh build. Pentium Gold 6500Y comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $20 MSRP, and it still gives you 1.1% better PassMark. Atom x5-Z8300 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2015 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (146.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on UTFCBGA592.

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

Pentium Gold 6500Y makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2015) 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.

Atom x5-Z8300 vs Pentium Gold 6500Y Technical Specifications

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

Atom x5-Z8300

The Atom x5-Z8300 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 March 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Cherry Trail (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.44 GHz, with boost up to 1.84 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: UTFCBGA592. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,934 points. Launch price was $69.

Pentium Gold 6500Y

The Pentium Gold 6500Y is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 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: 2,966 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

The Atom x5-Z8300 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Pentium Gold 6500Y offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Atom x5-Z8300 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 1.84 GHz on the Atom x5-Z8300 versus 3.4 GHz on the Pentium Gold 6500Y — a 59.5% clock advantage for the Pentium Gold 6500Y (base: 1.44 GHz vs 1.1 GHz). The Atom x5-Z8300 uses the Cherry Trail (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Pentium Gold 6500Y uses Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Atom x5-Z8300 scores 2,934 against the Pentium Gold 6500Y's 2,966 — a 1.1% lead for the Pentium Gold 6500Y. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Atom x5-Z8300 vs 4 MB on the Pentium Gold 6500Y.

Feature	Atom x5-Z8300	Pentium Gold 6500Y
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 4
Boost Clock	1.84 GHz	3.4 GHz+85%
Base Clock	1.44 GHz+31%	1.1 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	4 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	512 kB
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Cherry Trail (2015−2016)	Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021)
PassMark	2,934	2,966+1%

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Memory & Platform

The Atom x5-Z8300 uses the UTFCBGA592 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium Gold 6500Y uses FCBGA1515 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Atom x5-Z8300	Pentium Gold 6500Y
Socket	UTFCBGA592	FCBGA1515
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR3L-RS 1600	—
Max RAM Capacity	2 GB	—
RAM Channels	1	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	1	—