AMD Phenom II X2 550 vs AMD Phenom X3 8750

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the AMD Phenom II X2 550 scores 8 and the AMD Phenom X3 8750 scores 7, about 14% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The AMD Phenom II X2 550 has 2 cores and 2 threads, and the AMD Phenom X3 8750 has 3 cores and 3 threads. The extra cores of the AMD Phenom X3 8750 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3.1 GHz and 2.4 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD Phenom II X2 550 uses the AM3 socket and the AMD Phenom X3 8750 uses AM2+, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 80 W for the first and 95 W for the second. That is close enough that cooling needs will be similar.

At launch the AMD Phenom II X2 550 cost $102 and the AMD Phenom X3 8750 $104, which gives 7.8 and 6.7 points of gaming performance per $100. Today's prices will differ.

Which graphics cards each one can feed, and which to buy

At 1080p the AMD Phenom II X2 550 can feed a card up to the GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD Phenom X3 8750 reaches the Radeon R9 380. If you plan to buy a fast graphics card, that gap is the real difference between these two.

Choose the AMD Phenom II X2 550 if you want the faster gaming chip. Choose the AMD Phenom X3 8750 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.