AMD A Series AD6500OKHLBOX 4-core Socket FM2

The AMD A8-6500 APU scores 5601 on PassMark multi-core and 2089 single-thread, landing in the 42nd and 58th percentiles respectively. The Radeon HD8570D iGPU is the real highlight at the 84th percentile for features. Users rate it 3.6/5 and praise the value, but the 4.1GHz boost spec is misleading since the base clock is actually 3.5GHz.

The PassMark multi-core score of 5601 puts this chip in the 42nd percentile for multi-thread performance. That's about average, which sounds fine until you realize the comparison pool includes a lot of ancient hardware. The single-thread score of 2089 lands at the 58th percentile, so it's slightly better there. In plain English: this thing handles web browsing, office work, and HD video playback without complaint, but it's not going to win any rendering contests.

The integrated Radeon HD8570D is the star of the show. It's in the 84th percentile for features, and users consistently praise it for smooth HD playback and light gaming. The 4.1GHz boost clock is a bit misleading though. Multiple owners point out the base clock is actually 3.5GHz, not 4.1GHz as the boost spec implies. The 6MB of L3 cache and 1MB of L2 cache are modest, but they get the job done for basic tasks. The 65W TDP means you can run this thing in a tiny case without a beefy cooler.

Stacked against the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K or the SMC EPYC 9555P, this AMD chip looks like a toy. Those are modern, high-end parts with multi-core scores that would embarrass the A8-6500's 5601. But that's not a fair fight. The real comparison is against other budget APUs and older Intel chips with integrated graphics. The A8-6500's Radeon HD8570D beats most Intel HD Graphics solutions from the same era, and the 65W TDP is lower than many competing quad-cores. The Dell Inspiron 7700 and D&H Core i9 parts are in a completely different league on CPU performance, but they also cost dramatically more and draw way more power. If you're building a cheap HTPC or a basic office machine, the A8-6500 holds its own. If you need real CPU muscle, look elsewhere.

There's no price listed in our database right now, which makes value tricky to pin down. The one listing we found is in Japan at JPY 24,944. That's not a number we can compare directly to other currencies, but the affordability score sits at the 78th percentile. Users consistently call this chip excellent value for money, especially for budget builds and HTPCs. The recurring theme in reviews is that you get a capable APU with solid integrated graphics for very little cash. The catch is that some listings don't include a heatsink or fan, so factor that into your total cost if you don't have a spare cooler lying around.

The AMD A8-6500 APU sits in a weird spot in 2024. It's a 14nm chip from the FM2 era with a PassMark multi-core score of 5601 and a single-thread score of 2089. Those numbers put it around the middle of the pack in our database, but that's not the whole story. The real draw here is the Radeon HD8570D integrated graphics, which lands in the 84th percentile for features. For a chip this old, that's genuinely impressive.

Users rate it 3.6 out of 5 stars across 69 reviews, and the sentiment score is a solid 85/100. People love it for budget builds and HTPCs. The 65W TDP keeps things cool and quiet, and the 4 cores with 4 threads handle everyday multitasking without breaking a sweat. Just don't expect it to crush modern games or heavy productivity workloads.

Skip this chip if you need real CPU performance. The PassMark multi-core score of 5601 puts it in the 42nd percentile, and the single-thread score of 2089 is only 58th percentile. That means heavy multitasking, video editing, or modern gaming will feel sluggish. The efficiency score of 45.3/100 and the server score of 31.1/100 are also weak spots. If you're building a machine for anything beyond basic productivity, HTPC duty, or light gaming, spend a bit more on a modern budget chip. The DDR3 memory support also limits future upgrades, so this is a dead-end platform for anyone hoping to grow their system over time.

The AMD A8-6500 is a budget APU that still makes sense for a narrow set of use cases. The user sentiment score of 85/100 and the 84th percentile feature ranking tell the real story: people who buy this for HTPCs, light gaming, and everyday computing are happy. The 5601 PassMark multi-core score and 42nd percentile ranking mean it's not a workstation chip, and the misleading 4.1GHz boost spec is annoying. But if you find one cheap and you need a low-power chip with decent integrated graphics, this is a solid pick. Just make sure you have a cooler ready.