Pentium Gold G5500 vs Pentium Gold G5600

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 Gold G5500 vs Pentium Gold G5600 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 Gold G5500 vs Pentium Gold G5600: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Pentium Gold G5500

2018

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌No integrated graphics, while Pentium Gold G5600 can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Pentium Gold G5600

2018

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Intel UHD Graphics 630, while Pentium Gold G5500 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,844 vs 3,846).

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium Gold G5500 better than Pentium Gold G5600?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Pentium Gold G5600 is ahead with a 0.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Gold G5500 pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium Gold G5500 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

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

Pentium Gold G5500 still makes the most sense overall. Pentium Gold G5500 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.1% better PassMark.

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

Pentium Gold G5500 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 2/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Pentium Gold G5500 vs Pentium Gold G5600 Technical Specifications

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

Pentium Gold G5500

The Pentium Gold G5500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 54 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,846 points. Launch price was $75.

Pentium Gold G5600

The Pentium Gold G5600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 54 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,844 points. Launch price was $93.

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Processing Power

Both the Pentium Gold G5500 and Pentium Gold G5600 share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Pentium Gold G5500 versus 3.9 GHz on the Pentium Gold G5600 — a 2.6% clock advantage for the Pentium Gold G5600 (base: 3.8 GHz vs 3.9 GHz). Both are built on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture using a 14 nm process. In PassMark, the Pentium Gold G5500 scores 3,846 against the Pentium Gold G5600's 3,844 — a 0.1% lead for the Pentium Gold G5500. Both processors carry 4 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Pentium Gold G5500	Pentium Gold G5600
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz	3.9 GHz+3%
Base Clock	3.8 GHz	3.9 GHz+3%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	256K (per core)
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)
PassMark	3,846	3,844
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	2,200
Geekbench 6 Single	—	837

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Memory & Platform

Both processors use the LGA1151 socket with PCIe 3.0.

Feature	Pentium Gold G5500	Pentium Gold G5600
Socket	LGA1151	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR4 2400 MHz
Max RAM Capacity	—	64 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	Yes
PCIe Lanes	—	16

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Pentium Gold G5500) / true (Pentium Gold G5600). The Pentium Gold G5600 includes integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics 630), while the Pentium Gold G5500 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Pentium Gold G5600 targets Desktop.