AMD Phenom II X3 720 vs AMD Phenom II X2 550

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the AMD Phenom II X3 720 scores 9 and the AMD Phenom II X2 550 scores 8, about 13% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The AMD Phenom II X3 720 has 3 cores and 3 threads, and the AMD Phenom II X2 550 has 2 cores and 2 threads. The extra cores of the AMD Phenom II X3 720 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 2.8 GHz and 3.1 GHz.

Platform, power and price

Both chips use the AM3 socket, so they fit the same motherboards. You can swap one for the other without changing the board.

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

At launch the AMD Phenom II X3 720 cost $145 and the AMD Phenom II X2 550 $102, which gives 6.2 and 7.8 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 X3 720 can feed a card up to the Radeon RX 6400 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The AMD Phenom II X2 550 reaches the GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop. If you plan to buy a fast graphics card, that gap is the real difference between these two.

Choose the AMD Phenom II X3 720 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the AMD Phenom II X2 550 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.