Pentium Gold G5500 vs PRO A12-8870

Pentium Gold G5500 vs PRO A12-8870 Performance Spectrum

Pentium Gold G5500

2 / 4

3,846

+1.1%

3,805

0.0%

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.

Pentium Gold G5500 vs PRO A12-8870 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 PRO A12-8870: 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

✅+1.1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 54W instead of 65W, a 11W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

PRO A12-8870

2016

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,805 vs 3,846).
❌20.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 54W.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium Gold G5500 better than PRO A12-8870?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, PRO A12-8870 is ahead with a 0.1% 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 1.1% 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 1.1% 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 1.1% better PassMark. That said, if you already own a compatible AM4 + DDR4 setup, PRO A12-8870 can still make sense as a platform-matched option because it avoids a motherboard and RAM swap.

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 a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2016) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Pentium Gold G5500 vs PRO A12-8870 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.

PRO A12-8870

The PRO A12-8870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Outubro 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Carrizo (2015−2018) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L2 cache: 2048 kB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,805 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

The Pentium Gold G5500 packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the PRO A12-8870 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the PRO A12-8870 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Pentium Gold G5500 versus 4.2 GHz on the PRO A12-8870 — a 10% clock advantage for the PRO A12-8870 (base: 3.8 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Pentium Gold G5500 uses the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture (14 nm), while the PRO A12-8870 uses Carrizo (2015−2018) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium Gold G5500 scores 3,846 against the PRO A12-8870's 3,805 — a 1.1% lead for the Pentium Gold G5500.

Feature	Pentium Gold G5500	PRO A12-8870
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz	4.2 GHz+11%
Base Clock	3.8 GHz+3%	3.7 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	—
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	2048 kB+700%
Process	14 nm-50%	28 nm
Architecture	Coffee Lake (2017−2019)	Carrizo (2015−2018)
PassMark	3,846+1%	3,805

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Memory & Platform

The Pentium Gold G5500 uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the PRO A12-8870 uses AM4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.