Core i7-8500Y vs Athlon X4 950
Core i7-8500Y
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 i7-8500Y is positioned at rank 1035 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 i7-8500Y
Performance Per Dollar Athlon X4 950
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Core i7-8500Y | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) / 28 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Core i7-8500Y | 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 i7-8500Y and Athlon X4 950
Core i7-8500Y
The Core i7-8500Y is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 28 August 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1515. Thermal design power (TDP): 5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,590 points. Launch price was $393.
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 i7-8500Y 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 4.2 GHz on the Core i7-8500Y versus 3.8 GHz on the Athlon X4 950 — a 10% clock advantage for the Core i7-8500Y (base: 1.5 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Core i7-8500Y uses the Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) architecture (14 nm), while the Athlon X4 950 uses Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Core i7-8500Y scores 3,590 against the Athlon X4 950's 3,576 — a 0.4% lead for the Core i7-8500Y. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Core i7-8500Y vs 0 kB on the Athlon X4 950.
| Feature | Core i7-8500Y | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 4 / 4+100% |
| Boost Clock | 4.2 GHz+11% | 3.8 GHz |
| Base Clock | 1.5 GHz | 3.5 GHz+133% |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB | 0 kB |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB | 512 kB (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm-50% | 28 nm |
| Architecture | Amber Lake-Y (2018−2021) | Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) |
| PassMark | 3,590 | 3,576 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | — | 656 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | — | 1,637 |
Memory & Platform
The Core i7-8500Y uses the FCBGA1515 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon X4 950 uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Core i7-8500Y | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FCBGA1515 | 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 i7-8500Y) / AMD-V (Athlon X4 950).
| Feature | Core i7-8500Y | Athlon X4 950 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | — | No |
| Unlocked | — | No |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | AMD-V |
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