Pentium U5600 vs Athlon 64 X2 TK-42

CPU

GPU

Pentium U5600

2 Cores2 Thrd18 WWMax: 1.33 GHz2011

Athlon 64 X2 TK-42

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 1.6 GHz2009

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Pentium U5600

2 / 2

835

+7.7%

775

0.0%

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 U5600 is positioned at rank 1122 and the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 is on rank 1019, so the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 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 U5600

#1110

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3514%

#1111

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3462%

#1112

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3178%

#1113

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3164%

#1114

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3135%

#1116

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3028%

#1117

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2903%

#1118

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2898%

#1119

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2820%

#1122

Pentium U5600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

100%

#1124

Core m5-6Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

100%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

99%

#1126

Core i5-5350U

MSRP: $315|Avg: N/A

98%

#1127

Pentium Dual Core T4300

MSRP: $150|Avg: $99

98%

#1128

Core i7-3520M

MSRP: $346|Avg: N/A

98%

#1129

Core i3-4100E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $30

98%

#1130

Core i3-2310E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $20

98%

#1131

Core i5-2510E

MSRP: $230|Avg: $30

98%

#1132

Core m5-6Y54

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

98%

#1134

Core i3-2330E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $10

97%

#1135

Core i5-4288U

MSRP: $342|Avg: N/A

93%

#1136

Core m3-6Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

93%

#1137

Core i3-2340UE

MSRP: $200|Avg: $200

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon 64 X2 TK-42

#1007

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2271%

#1008

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2238%

#1009

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

2054%

#1010

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2045%

#1011

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2026%

#1013

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1957%

#1014

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1876%

#1015

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1873%

#1016

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1823%

#1019

Athlon 64 X2 TK-42

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

100%

#1020

Athlon Neo MV-40

MSRP: $100|Avg: $5

99%

#1021

Core i7-4860EQ

MSRP: $434|Avg: $80

98%

#1022

Pentium SU2700

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

98%

#1023

A4-1250

MSRP: $100|Avg: $30

97%

#1025

Core i5-4200M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

97%

#1026

Celeron 1000M

MSRP: $86|Avg: N/A

96%

#1028

Celeron B840

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

96%

#1029

Celeron M 743

MSRP: $107|Avg: $15

96%

#1030

Core i7-3612QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

95%

#1031

Pentium 967

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

95%

#1032

Core i5-4400E

MSRP: $266|Avg: $50

95%

#1034

Pentium Dual Core T4400

MSRP: $107|Avg: $5

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 leads in gaming performance. However, the Pentium U5600 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 7.5% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Pentium U5600	Athlon 64 X2 TK-42
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($10)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Arrandale (2010−2011) / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Tyler (2007−2009) / 65 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 80% cheaper ($10 vs $50) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Pentium U5600	Athlon 64 X2 TK-42
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+364%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($50)	✅ More affordable ($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 U5600 Benchmark Check

Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Pentium U5600 and Athlon 64 X2 TK-42

Pentium U5600

The Pentium U5600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.33 GHz, with boost up to 1.33 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1288. Thermal design power (TDP): 18 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 835 points. Launch price was $69.

Athlon 64 X2 TK-42

The Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Tyler (2007−2009) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 1.6 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Passmark benchmark score: 775 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Pentium U5600 and Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.33 GHz on the Pentium U5600 versus 1.6 GHz on the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 — a 18.4% clock advantage for the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42. The Pentium U5600 uses the Arrandale (2010−2011) architecture (32 nm), while the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 uses Tyler (2007−2009) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Pentium U5600 scores 835 against the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42's 775 — a 7.5% lead for the Pentium U5600.

Feature	Pentium U5600	Athlon 64 X2 TK-42
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.33 GHz	1.6 GHz+20%
Base Clock	1.33 GHz	—
L3 Cache	3 MB (total)	—
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	1 MB+300%
Process	32 nm-51%	65 nm
Architecture	Arrandale (2010−2011)	Tyler (2007−2009)
PassMark	835+8%	775

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Pentium U5600 uses the BGA1288 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 uses S1 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Pentium U5600	Athlon 64 X2 TK-42
Socket	BGA1288	S1
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	—	DDR2-667
Max RAM Capacity	—	8 GB
RAM Channels	—	2
ECC Support	—	❌
PCIe Lanes	—	0

💰

Value Analysis

The Pentium U5600 launched at $100 MSRP, while the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 debuted at $60. At current prices ($50 vs $10), the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 is $40 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Pentium U5600 delivers 16.7 pts/$ vs 77.5 pts/$ for the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 — making the Athlon 64 X2 TK-42 the 129.1% better value option.