Core i7-6650U vs Athlon X4 950
Core i7-6650U
Athlon X4 950
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 i7-6650U is positioned at rank 436 and the Athlon X4 950 is on rank 344, so the Athlon X4 950 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Core i7-6650U
Performance Per Dollar Athlon X4 950
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Core i7-6650U | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Skylake (2015−2016) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) / 28 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Core i7-6650U | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
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 i7-6650U and Athlon X4 950
Core i7-6650U
The Core i7-6650U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,557 points. Launch price was $415.
Athlon X4 950
The Athlon X4 950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 27 July 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 3,576 points. Launch price was $60.
Processing Power
The Core i7-6650U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Athlon X4 950 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Athlon X4 950 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.4 GHz on the Core i7-6650U versus 3.8 GHz on the Athlon X4 950 — a 11.1% clock advantage for the Athlon X4 950 (base: 2.2 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Core i7-6650U uses the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture (14 nm), while the Athlon X4 950 uses Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-6650U scores 3,557 against the Athlon X4 950's 3,576 — a 0.5% lead for the Athlon X4 950. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Core i7-6650U vs 0 kB on the Athlon X4 950.
| Feature | Core i7-6650U | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 4 / 4+100% |
| Boost Clock | 3.4 GHz | 3.8 GHz+12% |
| Base Clock | 2.2 GHz | 3.5 GHz+59% |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB | 0 kB |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB | 512 kB (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm-50% | 28 nm |
| Architecture | Skylake (2015−2016) | Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) |
| PassMark | 3,557 | 3,576 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | — | 656 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | — | 1,637 |
Memory & Platform
The Core i7-6650U uses the BGA1356 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon X4 950 uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Core i7-6650U | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | BGA1356 | AM4 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | — | DDR4-2400 |
| Max RAM Capacity | — | 64 GB |
| RAM Channels | — | 2 |
| ECC Support | — | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | — | 8 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Core i7-6650U) / AMD-V (Athlon X4 950).
| Feature | Core i7-6650U | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | No |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | AMD-V |
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