Pentium 3556U vs Athlon II N370

CPU

GPU

Pentium 3556U

2 Cores2 Thrd512 WWMax: 1.7 GHz2013

Athlon II N370

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 2.5 GHz2010

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium 3556U

2 / 2

1,072

0.0%

1,085

+1.2%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

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 Pentium 3556U is positioned at rank 253 and the Athlon II N370 is on rank 923, so the Pentium 3556U 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 Pentium 3556U

#241

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

411%

#242

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

405%

#243

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

371%

#244

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

370%

#245

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

366%

#247

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

354%

#248

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

339%

#249

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

339%

#250

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

330%

#253

Pentium 3556U

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II N370

#911

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1623%

#912

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1599%

#913

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1468%

#914

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1461%

#915

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1448%

#917

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1398%

#918

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1341%

#919

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1338%

#920

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1303%

#923

Athlon II N370

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

100%

#928

A8-6410

MSRP: $100|Avg: $40

98%

#933

Athlon X2 L310

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Athlon II N370 delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Pentium 3556U in both compute-intensive tasks (1.2% faster) and gaming workloads.

Insight	Pentium 3556U	Athlon II N370
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Pentium 3556U	Athlon II N370
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($0)	⚠️ Higher cost ($10)

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.

Pentium 3556U Benchmark Check

Athlon II N370 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

No prediction data available

Valorant

No prediction data available

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium 3556U and Athlon II N370

Pentium 3556U

The Pentium 3556U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.7 GHz, with boost up to 1.7 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,072 points. Launch price was $69.

Athlon II N370

The Athlon II N370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.5 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,085 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium 3556U and Athlon II N370 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.7 GHz on the Pentium 3556U versus 2.5 GHz on the Athlon II N370 — a 38.1% clock advantage for the Athlon II N370. The Pentium 3556U uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Athlon II N370 uses Champlain (2010−2011) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 3556U scores 1,072 against the Athlon II N370's 1,085 — a 1.2% lead for the Athlon II N370.

Feature	Pentium 3556U	Athlon II N370
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.7 GHz	2.5 GHz+47%
Base Clock	1.7 GHz	—
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	—
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB+300%
Process	22 nm-51%	45 nm
Architecture	Haswell (2013−2015)	Champlain (2010−2011)
PassMark	1,072	1,085+1%
Geekbench 6 Single	—	220
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	420

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium 3556U uses the FCBGA1168 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Athlon II N370 uses S1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium 3556U	Athlon II N370
Socket	FCBGA1168	S1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR3-1066
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium 3556U) / AMD-V (Athlon II N370). Primary use case: Athlon II N370 targets Legacy Laptop. Direct competitor: Athlon II N370 rivals Pentium P6100.