Pentium 3556U vs Pentium E5500

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.

Pentium 3556U vs Pentium E5500 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Pentium 3556U vs Pentium E5500: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Pentium 3556U

2013

Why buy it

✅+0.8% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌687.7% higher power demand at 512W vs 65W.

Pentium E5500

2010

Why buy it

✅Draws 65W instead of 512W, a 447W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,064 vs 1,072).
❌Launch MSRP is still $75 MSRP, while Pentium 3556U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium E5500 better than Pentium 3556U?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Pentium E5500 is ahead with a 1.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium 3556U pulls ahead with 0.8% better PassMark.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium 3556U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.8% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Pentium E5500 is the better buy right now. Pentium E5500 comes in at an unclear MSRP at $75 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you a 1.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The compromise is that Pentium 3556U is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.8% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (14.2 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so you are getting the faster CPU without taking a value hit on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Pentium 3556U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2013 vs 2010) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 2/2. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Pentium 3556U vs Pentium E5500 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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.

Pentium E5500

The Pentium E5500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 18 April 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Wolfdale (2008−2010) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,064 points. Launch price was $109.

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Processing Power

Both the Pentium 3556U and Pentium E5500 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.7 GHz on the Pentium 3556U versus 2.8 GHz on the Pentium E5500 — a 48.9% clock advantage for the Pentium E5500 (base: 1.7 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Pentium 3556U uses the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture (22 nm), while the Pentium E5500 uses Wolfdale (2008−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium 3556U scores 1,072 against the Pentium E5500's 1,064 — a 0.7% lead for the Pentium 3556U. L3 cache: 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 3556U vs 0 kB on the Pentium E5500.

Feature	Pentium 3556U	Pentium E5500
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.7 GHz	2.8 GHz+65%
Base Clock	1.7 GHz	2.8 GHz+65%
L3 Cache	2 MB (total)	0 kB
L2 Cache	256K (per core)+12700%	2 MB (total)
Process	22 nm-51%	45 nm
Architecture	Haswell (2013−2015)	Wolfdale (2008−2010)
PassMark	1,072	1,064

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Memory & Platform

The Pentium 3556U uses the FCBGA1168 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium E5500 uses LGA775 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.