Ryzen 5 5500 vs Athlon II X4 638
Aggregate performance score
Ryzen 5 5500 outperforms Athlon II X4 638 by a whopping 760% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2210 | 637 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | 1 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 51.90 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 2.07 | 17.78 |
| Architecture codename | Llano (2011−2012) | Cezanne (2021−2024) |
| Release date | 6 February 2012 (12 years ago) | 4 April 2022 (2 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $159 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500 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 cores | 4 (Quad-Core) | 6 (Hexa-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 12 |
| Base clock speed | 2.7 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.7 GHz | 4.2 GHz |
| L1 cache | 128 KB (per core) | 64K (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1 MB (per core) | 512K (per core) |
| L3 cache | 0 KB | 16 MB |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 7 nm |
| Die size | 228 mm2 | 180 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 95 °C |
| Number of transistors | 1,178 million | 10,700 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | + |
| Unlocked multiplier | - | + |
Compatibility
Information on Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500 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 configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | FM1 | AM4 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | + |
| AVX | - | + |
| Precision Boost 2 | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR4-3200 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500.
| PCIe version | no data | 3.0 |
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.
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.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.42 | 12.21 |
| Recency | 6 February 2012 | 4 April 2022 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 6 |
| Threads | 4 | 12 |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | 7 nm |
Ryzen 5 5500 has a 759.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 years, 50% more physical cores and 200% more threads, and a 357.1% more advanced lithography process.
The Ryzen 5 5500 is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon II X4 638 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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