Ryzen 5 5500 vs Athlon II X4 638

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Aggregate performance score

Athlon II X4 638
2012
4 cores / 4 threads, 65 Watt
1.42
Ryzen 5 5500
2022
6 cores / 12 threads, 65 Watt
12.21
+760%

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 ranking2191626
Place by popularitynot in top-1001
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data48.98
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency2.0717.78
Architecture codenameLlano (2011−2012)Cezanne (2021−2024)
Release date6 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.

no data

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 cores4 (Quad-Core)6 (Hexa-Core)
Threads412
Base clock speed2.7 GHz3.6 GHz
Boost clock speed2.7 GHz4.2 GHz
L1 cache128 KB (per core)64K (per core)
L2 cache1 MB (per core)512K (per core)
L3 cache0 KB16 MB
Chip lithography32 nm7 nm
Die size228 mm2180 mm2
Maximum case temperature (TCase)no data95 °C
Number of transistors1,178 million10,700 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 configuration11
SocketFM1AM4
Power consumption (TDP)65 Watt65 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 2no 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 typesDDR3DDR4-3200

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Athlon II X4 638 and Ryzen 5 5500.

PCIe versionno data3.0

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 X4 638 1.42
Ryzen 5 5500 12.21
+760%

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 X4 638 2250
Ryzen 5 5500 19396
+762%

Gaming 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.

Vote for your favorite

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AMD Athlon II X4 638
Athlon II X4 638
AMD Ryzen 5 5500
Ryzen 5 5500

Similar processor comparisons

We picked several similar comparisons of processors in the same market segment and performance relatively close to those reviewed on this page.

Community ratings

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


3.1 34 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about Athlon II X4 638 or Ryzen 5 5500, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.