AMD A6-3500 Review
| Category | Desktop | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
|---|---|---|
| Target | entry-level | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Socket Compatibility | FM1 | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Integrated Graphics | Radeon HD 6530D | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Cooler Included | Yes | ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Overclock Potential | 0 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Year | 2011 Model | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Price | 114.76 USD | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ |
| Number of Cores | 3 Cores | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Number of Threads | 3 Threads | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Core Frequency | 2.1 GHz | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Boost Frequency | 2.4 GHz | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Max Stable Overclock | 2.4 GHz | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Power Consumption | 65 W | ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ |
| Manufacturing Process | 32 nm | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| L3 Cache | 3 MB | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Maximum Supported Memory | 16 GB | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Price-Value Score | 63.1 % | ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Speed Score | 0 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Productivity Score | 0 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Gaming Score | 0 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Max 1080p Bottleneck | 74.8 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Max 1440p Bottleneck | 37.4 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Max 4K Bottleneck | 18.7 % | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
| Overall Score | 23/100 | ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
Take a look at the A6-3500! This Desktop processor from AMD's entry-level range is a real game-changer. Launched in 2011, it boasts 3 cores and 3 threads. With a base clock speed of 2.1GHz, a max speed of 2.4GHz, and a power rating of 65W, it's all set to supercharge your gaming setup. The A6-3500 is a proud member of the powerful Llano 32nm family and the legendary A6 series.
The AMD A6-3500 is another epic drop from Team AMD, cranking things up in the neverending AMD vs Intel CPU war. But hey, core count ain't everything, especially for playing the hottest PC games. Single-core performance gotta be on point too.
Can the AMD A6-3500 finally dethrone the king of mainstream CPUs, the Pentium G550? It's a maybe. The A6-3500 doesn't quite reach the same single-core performance as its rival, but more games are starting to use all those threads, so who cares!
AMD just unleashed its K10 architecture, raising the stakes in the high-stakes battle for desktop PC dominance against Intel. This new lineup of chips pushes core counts and raw power to crazy high levels, threatening Intel's reign for the first time in a decade. Buckle up, it's about to get intense!
Introducing the A6-3500, the high-performance counterpart to the award-winning A6-3430MX. Both are built on the same 32nm K10 platform, but the A6-3500 cranks the power up to a toasty 65W for those extra cores and threads. We're expecting big things from this one, just like its lower-powered sibling! 'sChoiceHype
We already went deep into the nitty-gritty details of the K10 chip design in our reviews of the AMD A6-3600 and A6-3430MX. If you want to learn more about the A6-3500's architecture (which is identical to the A6-3430MX), head over there!
Alright, listen up. When it comes to pure gaming performance, Intel still holds the crown. If squeezing out every last frame per second is your top priority, then a Intel CPU might be the better choice. But here's the thing: that advantage shrinks at higher resolutions or if you pair the CPU with a less powerful graphics card. mattersToo
For gamers on a budget who aren't afraid of a little overclocking and have decent cooling, the A6-3430MX is a solid option. You can get pretty much the same performance as the A6-3500 (especially for gaming) by overclocking it a bit. Plus, it's cheaper! This is why we gave the A6-3430MX an Editor's Choice award.
Straight out of the box, the A6-3500 is a better all-rounder than the Pentium G550. It offers slightly better performance than its cheaper sibling, the A6-3430MX, and comes with a free cooler which saves you money on the build. Plus, there are tons of motherboards compatible with it, so you have plenty of options to choose from.
The AMD A6-3500 is pretty much the best CPU for most gamers on a budget. It won't beat the A6-3600, especially for stuff that uses all the cores (multi-threaded workloads), but it's way cheaper and doesn't need a super beefy cooler. Most gamers will be very happy with the A6-3500, especially considering there are bound to be some sweet deals on it soon.
One of the best things about the AMD A6-3500 is that it comes with a free CPU cooler! You can grab the A6-3500 for $114.76 without having to spend extra on cooling.
The AMD A6-3500 comes with a basic heatsink cooler, nothing fancy. But it gets the job done for this low-power CPU (TDP of 65W). You won't need a fancy aftermarket cooler unless you want to overclock it.
The AMD A6-3500 is a decent performing chip for $114.76. The main competitor at this price point is the Pentium G550, a 2-core unlocked processor with integrated graphics, which costs $125.07.
The AMD A6-3500 might not get a lot of hype, but it's a solid entry-level option that delivers a good experience for casual users.
However, the AMD A6-3500 falls a bit behind in clock speeds. The Pentium G620 can reach 2.6GHz base clock and boost up to 2.6GHz.
The A6-3500 boosts up to the advertised 2.4 GHz, and with AMD's software you can push one core even higher to 2.4+0.1 GHz. But don't expect much beyond that without a serious cooler upgrade and manual voltage tweaks.
Intel's Pentium CPUs are super popular for budget and mid-range builds. But AMD is shaking things up with 3-core processors that cost even less than 2-core options from Intel. Plus, A6 CPUs are unlocked for overclocking, giving you even more performance potential. Intel might have a tough time competing with this!
The AMD A6-3500 has a base clock of 2.1 GHz that can boost up to 2.4 GHz for lightly threaded tasks. It also maintains a clock rate of 2.1 GHz even when all cores are running. On the other hand, the Intel Pentium G550 is stuck at a constant 2.6 GHz.
Which GPU to Pick for AMD A6-3500
Below is a comparison of all graphics cards average FPS performance (using an average of 80+ games at ultra quality settings), combined with the AMD A6-3500.
| Graphics Card | Price | Cost Per Frame | Avg 1080p | Avg 1440p | Avg 4K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB | $ 399 | $ 9.9 | 40.5 FPS
|
75.6 FPS
|
57.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT 16GB | $ 1,099 | $ 14.8 | 74.3 FPS
|
138.8 FPS
|
103.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 7600 8GB | $ 269 | $ 6.7 | 40.2 FPS
|
75.1 FPS
|
57.4 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB | $ 899 | $ 11 | 81.8 FPS
|
152.7 FPS
|
114.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX 24GB | $ 999 | $ 11.1 | 90 FPS
|
167.9 FPS
|
125.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB | $ 1,999 | $ 27.3 | 73.1 FPS
|
138.9 FPS
|
114.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 8GB | $ 200 | $ 5.7 | 35.1 FPS
|
65.5 FPS
|
52.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8GB | $ 299 | $ 7.4 | 40.2 FPS
|
76 FPS
|
60.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB 8GB | $ 399 | $ 8.9 | 44.9 FPS
|
84.4 FPS
|
67.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12GB | $ 599 | $ 9.2 | 65.4 FPS
|
121.1 FPS
|
98.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB | $ 799 | $ 9.6 | 83 FPS
|
157.7 FPS
|
129.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 16GB | $ 1,199 | $ 13.9 | 86.4 FPS
|
164.2 FPS
|
135.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Ti 20GB | $ 799 | $ 8.6 | 93 FPS
|
176.9 FPS
|
145.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 24GB | $ 1,599 | $ 16 | 99.7 FPS
|
189.5 FPS
|
156 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R7 265 2GB | $ 149 | $ 17.5 | 8.5 FPS
|
14 FPS
|
10.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB | $ 279 | $ 24.9 | 11.2 FPS
|
20.3 FPS
|
14.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 285 2GB | $ 249 | $ 21.5 | 11.6 FPS
|
20.8 FPS
|
15.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 295X2 4GB | $ 1,499 | $ 50.6 | 29.6 FPS
|
53.1 FPS
|
43.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB | $ 149 | $ 19.6 | 7.6 FPS
|
12 FPS
|
9.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK 6GB | $ 999 | $ 50.2 | 19.9 FPS
|
35.2 FPS
|
28.1 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R7 370 2GB | $ 149 | $ 17.3 | 8.6 FPS
|
14.5 FPS
|
11.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 380 2GB | $ 199 | $ 17.3 | 11.5 FPS
|
20.6 FPS
|
15.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 380X 4GB | $ 229 | $ 17.8 | 12.9 FPS
|
23.1 FPS
|
17.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 390 8GB | $ 329 | $ 18.9 | 17.4 FPS
|
31.4 FPS
|
22.8 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 390X 8GB | $ 429 | $ 23.1 | 18.6 FPS
|
34.4 FPS
|
26.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 FURY 4GB | $ 549 | $ 28.4 | 19.3 FPS
|
35.8 FPS
|
27.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 FURY X 4GB | $ 649 | $ 28.8 | 22.5 FPS
|
42.6 FPS
|
33.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon R9 Nano 4GB | $ 649 | $ 31.7 | 20.5 FPS
|
38 FPS
|
29.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 2GB | $ 159 | $ 18.3 | 8.7 FPS
|
15.4 FPS
|
11.9 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 2GB | $ 199 | $ 17.9 | 11.1 FPS
|
19.8 FPS
|
14.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB | $ 329 | $ 18.3 | 18 FPS
|
31.7 FPS
|
25.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 4GB | $ 549 | $ 25.8 | 21.3 FPS
|
38 FPS
|
29.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB | $ 649 | $ 26.2 | 24.8 FPS
|
44.8 FPS
|
34.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X 12GB | $ 999 | $ 35.1 | 28.5 FPS
|
51.1 FPS
|
38.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 460 4GB | $ 140 | $ 17.7 | 7.9 FPS
|
13.9 FPS
|
10.5 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB | $ 179 | $ 11.7 | 15.3 FPS
|
27.8 FPS
|
21 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB | $ 400 | $ 22.9 | 17.5 FPS
|
32 FPS
|
24.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB | $ 399 | $ 14.4 | 27.7 FPS
|
51 FPS
|
38.8 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 8GB | $ 499 | $ 16.9 | 29.5 FPS
|
54.5 FPS
|
41.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 2GB | $ 79 | $ 13.4 | 5.9 FPS
|
10.5 FPS
|
7.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA TITAN V 12GB | $ 2,999 | $ 74.4 | 40.3 FPS
|
76.2 FPS
|
60.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA TITAN Xp 12GB | $ 1,199 | $ 32.8 | 36.5 FPS
|
67.8 FPS
|
53.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 550 2GB | $ 79 | $ 12.7 | 6.2 FPS
|
11.1 FPS
|
8.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB 8GB | $ 199 | $ 9.3 | 21.3 FPS
|
37.6 FPS
|
27.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 4GB 4GB | $ 169 | $ 8.8 | 19.1 FPS
|
33.8 FPS
|
25 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 560 4GB | $ 99 | $ 11.1 | 8.9 FPS
|
15.7 FPS
|
11.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB | $ 279 | $ 9.1 | 30.7 FPS
|
56.2 FPS
|
42.6 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB | $ 169 | $ 9.8 | 17.2 FPS
|
31 FPS
|
23 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB | $ 349 | $ 10.7 | 32.6 FPS
|
60.1 FPS
|
45.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB | $ 399 | $ 11.2 | 35.5 FPS
|
65.5 FPS
|
49.9 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB | $ 229 | $ 11 | 20.8 FPS
|
36.7 FPS
|
27.1 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 590 8GB | $ 279 | $ 11.9 | 23.5 FPS
|
41.4 FPS
|
30.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 3GB | $ 169 | $ 17.6 | 9.6 FPS
|
17.2 FPS
|
12.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB | $ 169 | $ 15 | 11.3 FPS
|
20.4 FPS
|
15.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB | $ 254 | $ 13.2 | 19.3 FPS
|
34.3 FPS
|
26.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB | $ 170 | $ 9.3 | 18.3 FPS
|
32.6 FPS
|
24.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB | $ 399 | $ 14.8 | 27 FPS
|
48.5 FPS
|
36.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB | $ 409 | $ 14 | 29.3 FPS
|
53.2 FPS
|
40.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB | $ 499 | $ 15.8 | 31.6 FPS
|
57.5 FPS
|
43.8 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB | $ 759 | $ 20.4 | 37.2 FPS
|
70.3 FPS
|
54.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB | $ 149 | $ 9.1 | 16.4 FPS
|
29.6 FPS
|
22.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB | $ 160 | $ 7.4 | 21.5 FPS
|
39 FPS
|
29.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB | $ 220 | $ 8.9 | 24.7 FPS
|
44.9 FPS
|
34.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER 6GB | $ 229 | $ 8.7 | 26.3 FPS
|
47.8 FPS
|
36.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB | $ 279 | $ 10 | 27.9 FPS
|
50.6 FPS
|
38.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB | $ 350 | $ 11.2 | 31.2 FPS
|
54.3 FPS
|
41 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8GB | $ 400 | $ 12 | 33.2 FPS
|
59 FPS
|
45.4 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB | $ 499 | $ 14.2 | 35.1 FPS
|
63.4 FPS
|
49.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB | $ 499 | $ 13.5 | 37 FPS
|
67.8 FPS
|
52.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 8GB | $ 699 | $ 17.6 | 39.7 FPS
|
73.7 FPS
|
56.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8GB | $ 699 | $ 16.6 | 42 FPS
|
78.7 FPS
|
61.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11GB | $ 1,299 | $ 28.1 | 46.3 FPS
|
87.6 FPS
|
68.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA TITAN RTX 24GB | $ 2,499 | $ 52.6 | 47.5 FPS
|
90 FPS
|
70.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon VII 16GB | $ 699 | $ 19.2 | 36.5 FPS
|
67.3 FPS
|
51.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB | $ 379 | $ 10 | 38 FPS
|
70.6 FPS
|
53.7 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB | $ 479 | $ 10.5 | 45.7 FPS
|
84.9 FPS
|
63.8 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6800 16GB | $ 579 | $ 10.7 | 54.3 FPS
|
100.1 FPS
|
76.2 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 16GB | $ 649 | $ 9.5 | 68.5 FPS
|
126.4 FPS
|
96.3 FPS
|
| AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT 16GB | $ 999 | $ 13.7 | 72.8 FPS
|
134.2 FPS
|
102.3 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 6GB | $ 249 | $ 8.7 | 28.6 FPS
|
51.7 FPS
|
40 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB | $ 329 | $ 9.5 | 34.8 FPS
|
64 FPS
|
50 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB | $ 399 | $ 9.4 | 42.4 FPS
|
79.8 FPS
|
63.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB | $ 499 | $ 9.6 | 51.8 FPS
|
94.9 FPS
|
73.5 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 10GB | $ 599 | $ 10.3 | 58.1 FPS
|
107.3 FPS
|
84.6 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB | $ 699 | $ 10.3 | 67.7 FPS
|
124.1 FPS
|
96.1 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB | $ 799 | $ 11.8 | 67.7 FPS
|
126.6 FPS
|
101.7 FPS
|
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 24GB | $ 1,499 | $ 19.3 | 77.7 FPS
|
142.4 FPS
|
110.3 FPS
|
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