Athlon II X3 400e vs Athlon II X2 280
Aggregate performance score
Athlon II X2 280 outperforms Athlon II X3 400e by a minimal 3% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Athlon II X2 280 and Athlon II X3 400e processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 2553 | 2573 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 4.52 | 0.03 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Power efficiency | 1.25 | 1.74 |
| Architecture codename | Regor (2009−2013) | Rana (2009−2011) |
| Release date | 6 February 2013 (11 years ago) | 20 October 2009 (15 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $100 | $107 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Athlon II X2 280 has 14967% better value for money than Athlon II X3 400e.
Detailed specifications
Athlon II X2 280 and Athlon II X3 400e basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 2 (Dual-core) | 3 (Tri-Core) |
| Threads | 2 | 3 |
| Base clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 2.2 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.6 GHz | 2.2 GHz |
| L1 cache | 128 KB | 128 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1 MB | 512 KB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 0 KB | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 117 mm2 | 169 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 410 million | 300 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
Compatibility
Information on Athlon II X2 280 and Athlon II X3 400e compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 | 1 |
| Socket | AM3 | AM3 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 45 Watt |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Athlon II X2 280 and Athlon II X3 400e. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR2, DDR3 | DDR3 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | On certain motherboards (Chipset feature) |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Athlon II X2 280 and Athlon II X3 400e.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | 2.0 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Various benchmark results of the processors in comparison. Overall score is measured in points in 0-100 range, higher is better.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance rating. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
Passmark
Passmark CPU Mark is a widespread benchmark, consisting of 8 different types of workload, including integer and floating point math, extended instructions, compression, encryption and physics calculation. There is also one separate single-threaded scenario measuring single-core performance.
GeekBench 5 Single-Core
GeekBench 5 Single-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses only a single CPU core.
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core is a cross-platform application developed in the form of CPU tests that independently recreate certain real-world tasks with which to accurately measure performance. This version uses all available CPU cores.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 0.89 | 0.86 |
| Recency | 6 February 2013 | 20 October 2009 |
| Physical cores | 2 | 3 |
| Threads | 2 | 3 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 45 Watt |
Athlon II X2 280 has a 3.5% higher aggregate performance score, and an age advantage of 3 years.
Athlon II X3 400e, on the other hand, has 50% more physical cores and 50% more threads, and 44.4% lower power consumption.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Athlon II X2 280 and Athlon II X3 400e.
Should you still have questions on choice between Athlon II X2 280 and Athlon II X3 400e, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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