Core i5-4300M vs Pentium Silver N6000

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.

Core i5-4300M vs Pentium Silver N6000 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.

Core i5-4300M vs Pentium Silver N6000: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Core i5-4300M

2013

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.8% higher average FPS across 37 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (2,960 vs 2,989).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (3 MB vs 4 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $227 MSRP, while Pentium Silver N6000 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌8433.3% higher power demand at 512W vs 6W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Pentium Silver N6000 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Pentium Silver N6000

2021

Why buy it

✅+1% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).
✅Draws 6W instead of 512W, a 506W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics (32 EU), while Core i5-4300M needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-4300M across 37 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium Silver N6000 better than Core i5-4300M?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i5-4300M is ahead with a 3.8% average FPS lead across 37 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Silver N6000 pulls ahead with 1% better PassMark. Pentium Silver N6000 also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Silver N6000 is the stronger fit. You are getting 1% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads. It also has the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).

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

Pentium Silver N6000 is still the much better call for a fresh build. Pentium Silver N6000 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $227 MSRP, and it still gives you 1% better PassMark. Core i5-4300M only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2013 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (13.0 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on PGA946.

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

Pentium Silver N6000 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2021 vs 2013), 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 threads instead of 2/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Core i5-4300M vs Pentium Silver N6000 Technical Specifications

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

Core i5-4300M

The Core i5-4300M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: PGA946. Thermal design power (TDP): 37 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,960 points. Launch price was $227.

Pentium Silver N6000

The Pentium Silver N6000 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Jasper Lake (2021) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 1.5 MB (total). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1338. Thermal design power (TDP): 6 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,989 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

The Core i5-4300M packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Pentium Silver N6000 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Pentium Silver N6000 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Core i5-4300M versus 3.3 GHz on the Pentium Silver N6000 — identical boost frequencies (base: 2.6 GHz vs 1.1 GHz). The Core i5-4300M uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Pentium Silver N6000 uses Jasper Lake (2021) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-4300M scores 2,960 against the Pentium Silver N6000's 2,989 — a 1% lead for the Pentium Silver N6000. L3 cache: 3 MB (total) on the Core i5-4300M vs 4 MB (total) on the Pentium Silver N6000.

Feature	Core i5-4300M	Pentium Silver N6000
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz	3.3 GHz
Base Clock	2.6 GHz+136%	1.1 GHz
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	4 MB (total)+33%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)+16967%	1.5 MB (total)
Process	22 nm	10 nm-55%
Architecture	Haswell (2013−2015)	Jasper Lake (2021)
PassMark	2,960	2,989
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	1,911
Geekbench 6 Single	—	473
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,090

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Memory & Platform

The Core i5-4300M uses the PGA946 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium Silver N6000 uses BGA1338 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i5-4300M	Pentium Silver N6000
Socket	PGA946	BGA1338
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4-2933
Max RAM Capacity	—	16 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	No
PCIe Lanes	—	8

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Core i5-4300M) / VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Pentium Silver N6000). The Pentium Silver N6000 includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics (32 EU)), while the Core i5-4300M requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Pentium Silver N6000 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Pentium Silver N6000 rivals Celeron N5105.