Core i7-5550U vs Athlon X4 850
Core i7-5550U
Athlon X4 850
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 i7-5550U is positioned at rank 485 and the Athlon X4 850 is on rank 539, so the Core i7-5550U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Core i7-5550U
Performance Per Dollar Athlon X4 850
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Core i7-5550U | Athlon X4 850 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($20) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Broadwell-U (2015) / 14 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Godaveri (2014−2016) / 28 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Core i7-5550U | Athlon X4 850 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($20) |
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 i7-5550U and Athlon X4 850
Core i7-5550U
The Core i7-5550U 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 GHz, with boost up to 3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 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: 2,780 points. Launch price was $426.
Athlon X4 850
The Athlon X4 850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Godaveri (2014−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FM2+. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 2,756 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Core i7-5550U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Athlon X4 850 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Athlon X4 850 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3 GHz on the Core i7-5550U versus 3.9 GHz on the Athlon X4 850 — a 26.1% clock advantage for the Athlon X4 850 (base: 2 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Core i7-5550U uses the Broadwell-U (2015) architecture (14 nm), while the Athlon X4 850 uses Godaveri (2014−2016) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-5550U scores 2,780 against the Athlon X4 850's 2,756 — a 0.9% lead for the Core i7-5550U.
| Feature | Core i7-5550U | Athlon X4 850 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 4 / 4+100% |
| Boost Clock | 3 GHz | 3.9 GHz+30% |
| Base Clock | 2 GHz | 3.2 GHz+60% |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB (total) | — |
| L2 Cache | 256K (per core) | 4 MB+1500% |
| Process | 14 nm-50% | 28 nm |
| Architecture | Broadwell-U (2015) | Godaveri (2014−2016) |
| PassMark | 2,780 | 2,756 |
Memory & Platform
The Core i7-5550U uses the FCBGA1168 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon X4 850 uses FM2+ (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Core i7-5550U | Athlon X4 850 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FCBGA1168 | FM2+ |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | — | DDR3-2133 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 64 GB |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 16 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Core i7-5550U) / AMD-V (Athlon X4 850). Primary use case: Athlon X4 850 targets Desktop.
| Feature | Core i7-5550U | Athlon X4 850 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | No |
| Unlocked | — | Yes |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | AMD-V |
| Target Use | — | Desktop |
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