AMD Phenom II X4 940 vs Core i3-550

Gaming speed, cores and clocks

On our gaming index the AMD Phenom II X4 940 scores 10 and the Core i3-550 scores 9, about 11% faster for gaming. That gap is small and mostly shows up at 1080p with a very fast graphics card.

The AMD Phenom II X4 940 has 4 cores and 4 threads, and the Core i3-550 has 2 cores and 4 threads. The extra cores of the AMD Phenom II X4 940 help with video editing, streaming while you play and heavy multitasking more than with the game itself. Boost clocks are 3 GHz and 3.2 GHz.

Platform, power and price

The AMD Phenom II X4 940 uses the AM2+ socket and the Core i3-550 uses LGA1156, so they need different motherboards, and often different memory. When you compare prices, count the board as well as the chip.

Rated power is 125 W for the first and 73 W for the second. That difference changes the cooler you need, and it shows up in heat and noise.

We do not have launch prices for both chips, so we cannot compare value.

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

At 1080p the AMD Phenom II X4 940 can feed a card up to the Arc A380 before it holds the card back by more than 10 percent. The Core i3-550 reaches the Radeon RX 6400. If you plan to buy a fast graphics card, that gap is the real difference between these two.

Choose the AMD Phenom II X4 940 if you want the faster gaming chip and the same or more cores. Choose the Core i3-550 if you would rather spend the difference on a graphics card, which does more for frame rates in most games.