Core i5-6500TE vs Athlon Gold 7220U
Core i5-6500TE
Athlon Gold 7220U
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 Core i5-6500TE is positioned at rank 671 and the Athlon Gold 7220U is on rank 655, so the Athlon Gold 7220U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Core i5-6500TE
Performance Per Dollar Athlon Gold 7220U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Core i5-6500TE | Athlon Gold 7220U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($60) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) / 6 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Core i5-6500TE | Athlon Gold 7220U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($60) | ✅ 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 Core i5-6500TE and Athlon Gold 7220U
Core i5-6500TE
The Core i5-6500TE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 11 October 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 4,917 points. Launch price was $192.
Athlon Gold 7220U
The Athlon Gold 7220U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FT6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 4,904 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Core i5-6500TE packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Athlon Gold 7220U offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Core i5-6500TE has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Core i5-6500TE versus 3.7 GHz on the Athlon Gold 7220U — a 11.4% clock advantage for the Athlon Gold 7220U (base: 2.3 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Core i5-6500TE uses the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Athlon Gold 7220U uses Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) (6 nm). In PassMark, the Core i5-6500TE scores 4,917 against the Athlon Gold 7220U's 4,904 — a 0.3% lead for the Core i5-6500TE. L3 cache: 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-6500TE vs 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold 7220U.
| Feature | Core i5-6500TE | Athlon Gold 7220U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 4+100% | 2 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 3.3 GHz | 3.7 GHz+12% |
| Base Clock | 2.3 GHz | 2.4 GHz+4% |
| L3 Cache | 6 MB (total)+50% | 4 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 256 kB (per core) | 512 kB (per core)+100% |
| Process | 14 nm | 6 nm-57% |
| Architecture | Skylake (2015−2016) | Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) |
| PassMark | 4,917 | 4,904 |
Memory & Platform
The Core i5-6500TE uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon Gold 7220U uses FT6 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Core i5-6500TE | Athlon Gold 7220U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1151 | FT6 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 4.0+33% |
| Max RAM Speed | — | 5500 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 16 |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 4 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Core i5-6500TE) / true (Athlon Gold 7220U). The Athlon Gold 7220U includes integrated graphics (Radeon 610M), while the Core i5-6500TE requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Athlon Gold 7220U rivals Core i3-1115G4.
| Feature | Core i5-6500TE | Athlon Gold 7220U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | Yes |
| IGPU Model | — | Radeon 610M |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | true |
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The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
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