Core i5-5200U vs Phenom II X4 N950

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Core i5-5200U

2 / 4

2,503

+0.7%

2,485

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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 Core i5-5200U is positioned at rank 446 and the Phenom II X4 N950 is on rank 180, so the Phenom II X4 N950 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Core i5-5200U

#434

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

586%

#435

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

578%

#436

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

530%

#437

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

528%

#438

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

523%

#440

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

505%

#441

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

484%

#442

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

483%

#443

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

470%

#446

Core i5-5200U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Phenom II X4 N950

#49

Core i9-12900HX

MSRP: $606|Avg: N/A

100%

#167

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

354%

#168

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

349%

#169

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

320%

#170

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

319%

#171

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

316%

#173

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

305%

#174

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

293%

#175

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

292%

#176

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

284%

#180

Phenom II X4 N950

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#192

Pentium Gold 4417U

MSRP: $161|Avg: N/A

98%

#194

Atom N475

MSRP: $75|Avg: N/A

98%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Core i5-5200U delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Phenom II X4 N950 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.7% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Core i5-5200U	Phenom II X4 N950
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Broadwell-U (2015) / 14 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Core i5-5200U	Phenom II X4 N950
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	Equivalent pricing	Equivalent pricing

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

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.

Core i5-5200U Benchmark Check

Phenom II X4 N950 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i5-5200U and Phenom II X4 N950

Core i5-5200U

The Core i5-5200U 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 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 2.7 GHz. L3 cache: 3 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: 2,503 points. Launch price was $281.

Phenom II X4 N950

The Phenom II X4 N950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Max frequency: 2.1 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Passmark benchmark score: 2,485 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i5-5200U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Phenom II X4 N950 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Phenom II X4 N950 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 2.7 GHz on the Core i5-5200U versus 2.1 GHz on the Phenom II X4 N950 — a 25% clock advantage for the Core i5-5200U. The Core i5-5200U uses the Broadwell-U (2015) architecture (14 nm), while the Phenom II X4 N950 uses Champlain (2010−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-5200U scores 2,503 against the Phenom II X4 N950's 2,485 — a 0.7% lead for the Core i5-5200U.

Feature	Core i5-5200U	Phenom II X4 N950
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	2.7 GHz+29%	2.1 GHz
Base Clock	2.2 GHz	—
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	—
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2 MB+700%
Process	14 nm-69%	45 nm
Architecture	Broadwell-U (2015)	Champlain (2010−2011)
PassMark	2,503	2,485

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i5-5200U uses the FCBGA1168 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Phenom II X4 N950 uses S1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.