Phenom II X2 550 vs Athlon II X2 280

Aggregate performance score

Athlon II X2 280
2013
2 cores / 2 threads, 65 Watt
0.89
+17.1%

Athlon II X2 280 outperforms Phenom II X2 550 by a moderate 17% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Athlon II X2 280 and Phenom II X2 550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking25552663
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation4.520.02
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency1.250.87
Architecture codenameRegor (2009−2013)Callisto (2009−2010)
Release date6 February 2013 (11 years ago)4 November 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$100$133

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Athlon II X2 280 has 22500% better value for money than Phenom II X2 550.

Detailed specifications

Athlon II X2 280 and Phenom II X2 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 cores2 (Dual-core)2 (Dual-core)
Threads22
Base clock speed3.6 GHz3.1 GHz
Boost clock speed3.6 GHz3.1 GHz
L1 cache128 KB128 KB (per core)
L2 cache1 MB512 KB (per core)
L3 cache0 KB6 MB (shared)
Chip lithography45 nm45 nm
Die size117 mm2258 mm2
Number of transistors410 million758 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--

Compatibility

Information on Athlon II X2 280 and Phenom II X2 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
SocketAM3AM3
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt80 Watt

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Athlon II X2 280 and Phenom II X2 550 are enumerated here.

AMD-V-+

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Athlon II X2 280 and Phenom II X2 550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR2, DDR3DDR3

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Athlon II X2 280 and Phenom II X2 550.

PCIe version2.02.0

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.

Athlon II X2 280 0.89
+17.1%
Phenom II X2 550 0.76

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.

Athlon II X2 280 1355
+16.1%
Phenom II X2 550 1167

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.89 0.76
Recency 6 February 2013 4 November 2009
Power consumption (TDP) 65 Watt 80 Watt

Athlon II X2 280 has a 17.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, and 23.1% lower power consumption.

The Athlon II X2 280 is our recommended choice as it beats the Phenom II X2 550 in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Athlon II X2 280 and Phenom II X2 550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Athlon II X2 280
Athlon II X2 280
AMD Phenom II X2 550
Phenom II X2 550

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Community ratings

Here you can see how users rate the processors, as well as rate them yourself.


3.5 54 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Athlon II X2 280 or Phenom II X2 550, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.