Performance per price, higher is better.
Athlon II X2 280 vs Core 2 Duo E8400
Aggregated performance score
Core 2 Duo E8400
2008
2 cores / 2 threads
0.76
Athlon II X2 280 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by 16% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
General info
Comparing Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 2516 | 2408 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Value for money | 1.86 | 4.52 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Architecture codename | Wolfdale (2008−2010) | Regor (2009−2013) |
| Release date | 1 January 2008 (16 years old) | 6 February 2013 (11 years old) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $100 |
| Current price | $70 | $54 (0.5x MSRP) |
Value for money
Athlon II X2 280 has 143% better value for money than Core 2 Duo E8400.
Technical specs
Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280 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) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 2 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | 3 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3 GHz | 3.6 GHz |
| L1 cache | 64 KB (per core) | 128 KB |
| L2 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 1 MB |
| L3 cache | 0 KB | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 104 mm2 | 117 mm2 |
| Maximum core temperature | 72 °C | no data |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | 72 °C | no data |
| Number of transistors | 410 million | 410 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
| VID voltage range | 0.85V-1.3625V | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280 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 | LGA775 | AM3 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 65 Watt | 65 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| AES-NI | - | no data |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | no data |
| Turbo Boost Technology | - | no data |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | - | no data |
| Idle States | + | no data |
| Thermal Monitoring | + | no data |
| Demand Based Switching | - | no data |
| FSB parity | - | no data |
| Status | Discontinued | no data |
Security technologies
Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280 technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | + | no data |
| EDB | + | no data |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280 are enumerated here.
| VT-d | + | no data |
| VT-x | + | no data |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR1, DDR2, DDR3 | DDR2, DDR3 |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | On certain motherboards (Chipset feature) | no data |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280.
| 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.
Athlon II X2 280 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by 16% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 68%
Athlon II X2 280 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by 16% in Passmark.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Athlon II X2 280 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by 21% in GeekBench 5 Single-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.
Benchmark coverage: 42%
Athlon II X2 280 outperforms Core 2 Duo E8400 by 33% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Advantages and disadvantages
| Performance score | 0.76 | 0.88 |
| Recency | 1 January 2008 | 6 February 2013 |
The Athlon II X2 280 is our recommended choice as it beats the Core 2 Duo E8400 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core 2 Duo E8400 and Athlon II X2 280, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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