Atom x5-Z8550 vs i5-520M

Primary details

Comparing Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking	2420	2705
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Series	Intel Core i5	5x Intel Atom
Power efficiency	2.92	no data
Architecture codename	Arrandale (2010−2011)	Cherry Trail (2015−2016)
Release date	7 January 2010 (14 years ago)	8 February 2016 (8 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$225	no data

Detailed specifications

Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550 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	2 (Dual-core)	4 (Quad-Core)
Threads	4	4
Base clock speed	2.4 GHz	1.44 GHz
Boost clock speed	2.93 GHz	2.4 GHz
Bus type	DMI 1.0	no data
Bus rate	1 × 2.5 GT/s	no data
Multiplier	18	no data
L1 cache	128 KB	no data
L2 cache	512 KB	2 MB
L3 cache	3 MB	0 KB
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm
Die size	81+114 mm2	no data
Maximum core temperature	105 °C	90 °C
Number of transistors	382+177 Million	no data
64 bit support	+	+
Windows 11 compatibility	-	-

Compatibility

Information on Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550 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	BGA1288,PGA988	UTFCBGA1380
Power consumption (TDP)	35 Watt	no data

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensions	Intel® SSE4.1, Intel® SSE4.2	no data
AES-NI	+	+
FMA	+	-
vPro	+	no data
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)	+	+
Turbo Boost Technology	+	no data
Hyper-Threading Technology	+	no data
Idle States	+	no data
Thermal Monitoring	+	-
Flex Memory Access	+	no data
PAE	36 Bit	no data
Turbo Boost Max 3.0	no data	-
FDI	+	no data
Fast Memory Access	+	no data

Security technologies

Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.

TXT	+	no data
EDB	+	no data
Secure Boot	no data	+
Identity Protection	-	+

Virtualization technologies

Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550 are enumerated here.

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

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory types	DDR3-800, DDR3-1066	DDR3
Maximum memory size	8.3 GB	8 GB
Max memory channels	2	2
Maximum memory bandwidth	17.051 GB/s	25.6 GB/s

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics card Compare	Intel HD Graphics for Previous Generation Intel Processors	Intel HD Graphics 400 (Braswell) (200 - 600 MHz)
Max video memory	no data	8 GB
Clear Video	+	no data
Clear Video HD	+	no data
Graphics max frequency	766 MHz	600 MHz
Execution Units	no data	12

Graphics interfaces

Available interfaces and connections of Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550 integrated GPUs.

Number of displays supported

2

3

Graphics image quality

Maximum display resolutions supported by Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550 integrated GPUs, including resolutions over different interfaces.

Max resolution over HDMI 1.4	no data	3840x2160
Max resolution over eDP	no data	2560x1600

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550.

PCIe version	2.0	2.0
PCI Express lanes	16	2
USB revision	no data	3.0
Number of USB ports	no data	3

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.

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Pros & cons summary

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Performance score	1.08	0.72
Integrated graphics card	0.77	0.45
Recency	7 January 2010	8 February 2016
Physical cores	2	4
Chip lithography	32 nm	14 nm

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Should you still have questions on choice between Core i5-520M and Atom x5-Z8550, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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