Athlon 64 X2 5600+ vs Core i5-6400

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in performance ranking	1466	2703
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	1.37	3.73
Market segment	Desktop processor	Desktop processor
Series	Intel Core i5	no data
Architecture codename	Skylake (2015−2016)	Windsor (2006−2009)
Release date	2 July 2015 (8 years ago)	December 2006 (17 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$187	no data
Current price	$107 (0.6x MSRP)	$61

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

Athlon 64 X2 5600+ has 172% better value for money than i5-6400.

Detailed specifications

Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ 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)	2 (Dual-core)
Threads	4	2
Base clock speed	2.7 GHz	no data
Boost clock speed	3.3 GHz	2.9 GHz
L1 cache	64K (per core)	256 KB
L2 cache	256K (per core)	512K
L3 cache	6 MB (shared)	0 KB
Chip lithography	14 nm	90 nm
Die size	177 mm2	220 mm2
Maximum core temperature	71 °C	no data
Maximum case temperature (TCase)	72 °C	no data
Number of transistors	no data	227 million
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-
Unlocked multiplier	No	No

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ 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	FCLGA1151	AM2
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	89 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX2	no data
AES-NI	+	no data
AVX	+	no data
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	no data
Turbo Boost Technology	2.0	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	-	no data
TSX	-	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	no data
SIPP	-	no data
Status	Discontinued	no data

Security technologies

Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	-	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Key	+	no data
MPX	+	no data
Identity Protection	+	no data
SGX	Yes with Intel® ME	no data
OS Guard	+	no data

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ are enumerated here.

AMD-V	+	no data
VT-d	+	no data
VT-x	+	no data
EPT	+	no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3, DDR4	no data
Maximum memory size	64 GB	no data
Max memory channels	2	no data
Maximum memory bandwidth	34.1 GB/s	no data
ECC memory support	-	no data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card	Intel HD Graphics 530	no data
Max video memory	64 GB	no data
Quick Sync Video	+	no data
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	950 MHz	no data
InTru 3D	+	no data

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported	3	no data
eDP	+	no data
DisplayPort	+	no data
HDMI	+	no data
DVI	+	no data

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

4K resolution support	+	no data
Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	4096x2304@24Hz	no data
Max resolution over eDP	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over DisplayPort	4096x2304@60Hz	no data
Max resolution over VGA	N/A	no data

Graphics API support

APIs supported by Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+ integrated GPUs, sometimes API versions are included.

DirectX	12	no data
OpenGL	4.5	no data

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+.

PCIe version	3.0	no data
PCI Express lanes	16	no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

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

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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.

Core i5-6400 outperforms Athlon 64 X2 5600+ by 493% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	3.50	0.59
Physical cores	4	2
Threads	4	2
Chip lithography	14 nm	90 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	65 Watt	89 Watt

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-6400 and Athlon 64 X2 5600+, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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