i3-550 vs A8-9600

VS

Aggregate performance score

A8-9600
2017
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
2.09
+107%
Core i3-550
2010
2 cores / 4 threads, 73 Watt
1.01

A8-9600 outperforms Core i3-550 by a whopping 107% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing A8-9600 and Core i3-550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking18802446
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation14.130.06
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.041.31
Architecture codenameBristol Ridge (2016−2019)Clarkdale (2010−2011)
Release date27 July 2017 (7 years ago)30 May 2010 (14 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$78$101

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

A8-9600 has 23450% better value for money than i3-550.

Detailed specifications

A8-9600 and Core i3-550 basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.

Physical cores4 (Quad-Core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads44
Base clock speed3.1 GHz3.2 GHz
Boost clock speed3.4 GHz3.2 GHz
Bus rateno data2.5 GT/s
L1 cacheno data64 KB (per core)
L2 cache2048 KB256 KB (per core)
L3 cache0 KB4 MB (shared)
Chip lithography28 nm32 nm
Die size250 mm281 mm2
Maximum core temperature90 °C73 °C
Maximum case temperature (TCase)74 °Cno data
Number of transistors3,100 million382 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on A8-9600 and Core i3-550 compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.

Number of CPUs in a configuration11
SocketAM4FCLGA1156
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt73 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by A8-9600 and Core i3-550. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsno dataIntel® SSE4.2
AES-NI+-
FMA+-
AVX+-
FRTC+-
FreeSync+-
PowerTune+-
TrueAudio+-
PowerNow+-
PowerGating+-
VirusProtect+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)no data+
Turbo Boost Technologyno data-
Hyper-Threading Technologyno data+
Idle Statesno data+
Demand Based Switchingno data-
PAEno data36 Bit
FDIno data+

Security technologies

A8-9600 and Core i3-550 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXTno data-
EDBno data+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by A8-9600 and Core i3-550 are enumerated here.

AMD-V+-
VT-xno data+
EPTno data+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by A8-9600 and Core i3-550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR4-2400DDR3
Maximum memory sizeno data16.38 GB
Max memory channels22
Maximum memory bandwidthno data21 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardAMD Radeon R7 GraphicsIntel® HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel® Processors
iGPU core count6no data
Clear Video HDno data+
Enduro+-
UVD+-
VCE+-

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of A8-9600 and Core i3-550 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supportedno data2
DisplayPort+-
HDMI+-

Graphics API support

APIs supported by A8-9600 and Core i3-550 integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectXDirectX® 12no data
Vulkan+-

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by A8-9600 and Core i3-550.

PCIe version3.02.0
PCI Express lanes816

Synthetic benchmark performance

Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

A8-9600 2.09
+107%
i3-550 1.01

Passmark

Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.

A8-9600 3312
+106%
i3-550 1611

GeekBench 5 Single-Core

GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.

A8-9600 612
+43%
i3-550 428

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core

GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.

A8-9600 1502
+72.8%
i3-550 869

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.09 1.01
Recency 27 July 2017 30 May 2010
Physical cores 4 2
Chip lithography 28 nm 32 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 73 Watt

A8-9600 has a 106.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 7 years, 100% more physical cores, a 14.3% more advanced lithography process, and 12.3% lower power consumption.

The A8-9600 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i3-550 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between A8-9600 and Core i3-550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD A8-9600
A8-9600
Intel Core i3-550
Core i3-550

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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