Since having a clock multiplier of four is not part of the original Socket 3 design (and that the 486 only have a single CLKMUL pin anyway), AMD made the 5x86 accept a 2x setting from the motherboard and instead operate at a rate of 4x.

The combination of clock speed and the relatively large 16 KB write-back L1 cache allows the 5x86 to equal or slightly exceed an Intel Pentium 75 MHz processor in integer arithmetic in benchmarks.

[6] Real world performance varies, however, with later Windows operating systems and many FPU-sensitive games favoring the Pentium 75 MHz.

Because it is based on a pure 486 design, it is compatible with older systems, something its slightly faster rival, the Cyrix Cx5x86, has trouble with.

Intel's expensive Pentium Overdrive for 486 systems is a troublesome CPU, with many compatibility issues, and so is not used.

The chip remained in production for a long time, as it was a popular choice for use in embedded controllers.