Atom C3955 vs i5-6500
Aggregate performance score
Atom C3955 outperforms Core i5-6500 by a minimal 3% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1530 | 1500 |
| Place by popularity | 33 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.82 | 0.94 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i5 (Desktop) | Intel Atom |
| Power efficiency | 5.15 | 10.79 |
| Architecture codename | Skylake (2015−2016) | Goldmont (2016−2017) |
| Release date | 2 July 2015 (9 years ago) | 15 August 2017 (7 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $192 | $434 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Atom C3955 has 15% better value for money than i5-6500.
Detailed specifications
Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955 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) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 4 | 16 |
| Base clock speed | 3.2 GHz | 2.1 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 2.4 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 3.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 4 × 8 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 32 | 21 |
| L1 cache | 64K (per core) | 896 KB |
| L2 cache | 256K (per core) | 16 MB |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 16 MB |
| Chip lithography | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Die size | 177 mm2 | no data |
| Maximum core temperature | no data | 78 °C |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955 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 (Uniprocessor) | 1 (Uniprocessor) |
| Socket | FCLGA1151 | FCBGA1310 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 32 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955. 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 | + | + |
| AVX | + | - |
| vPro | + | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| QuickAssist | no data | - |
| Turbo Boost Technology | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | - |
| TSX | + | - |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | - |
| SIPP | + | - |
Security technologies
Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | + |
| Secure Boot | no data | + |
| Secure Key | + | + |
| MPX | + | - |
| Identity Protection | + | - |
| SGX | Yes with Intel® ME | - |
| OS Guard | + | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955 are enumerated here.
| AMD-V | + | - |
| VT-d | + | + |
| VT-x | + | + |
| EPT | + | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3, DDR4 | DDR4: 2400 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 256 GB |
| Max memory channels | 2 | 2 |
| Maximum memory bandwidth | 34.134 GB/s | 38.397 GB/s |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
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 | + | - |
| Clear Video | + | no data |
| Clear Video HD | + | no data |
| Graphics max frequency | 1.05 GHz | no data |
| InTru 3D | + | no data |
Graphics interfaces
Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955 integrated GPUs.
| Number of displays supported | 3 | no data |
| eDP | + | no data |
| DisplayPort | + | - |
| HDMI | + | - |
| DVI | + | no data |
Graphics image quality
Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955 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 i5-6500 and Atom C3955 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 i5-6500 and Atom C3955.
| PCIe version | 3.0 | 3 |
| PCI Express lanes | 16 | 16 |
| USB revision | no data | 3 |
| Total number of SATA ports | no data | 16 |
| Max number of SATA 6 Gb/s Ports | no data | 16 |
| Number of USB ports | no data | 8 |
| Integrated LAN | no data | 4x10/2.5/1 GBE |
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 | 3.54 | 3.65 |
| Recency | 2 July 2015 | 15 August 2017 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 16 |
| Threads | 4 | 16 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 32 Watt |
Atom C3955 has a 3.1% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, 300% more physical cores and 300% more threads, and 103.1% lower power consumption.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955.
Note that Core i5-6500 is a desktop processor while Atom C3955 is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-6500 and Atom C3955, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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