Athlon II X3 400e vs i7-980X

Aggregate performance score

Core i7-980X
2010
6 cores / 12 threads, 130 Watt
4.29
+417%
Athlon II X3 400e
2009
3 cores / 3 threads, 45 Watt
0.83

Core i7-980X outperforms Athlon II X3 400e by a whopping 417% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

Comparing Core i7-980X and Athlon II X3 400e processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.

Place in the ranking13622581
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.210.03
Market segmentDesktop processorDesktop processor
Power efficiency3.121.75
Architecture codenameGulftown (2010−2011)Rana (2009−2011)
Release date16 March 2010 (14 years ago)20 October 2009 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$959$107

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance per price, higher is better.

i7-980X has 600% better value for money than Athlon II X3 400e.

Detailed specifications

Core i7-980X 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 cores6 (Hexa-Core)3 (Tri-Core)
Threads123
Base clock speed3.33 GHz2.2 GHz
Boost clock speed3.6 GHz2.2 GHz
Bus rate6.4 GT/sno data
L1 cache64 KB (per core)128 KB (per core)
L2 cache256 KB (per core)512 KB (per core)
L3 cache12 MB (shared)0 KB
Chip lithography32 nm45 nm
Die size239 mm2169 mm2
Maximum core temperature68 °Cno data
Number of transistors1,170 million300 million
64 bit support++
Windows 11 compatibility--
Unlocked multiplier+-

Compatibility

Information on Core i7-980X 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 configuration11
SocketFCLGA1366AM3
Power consumption (TDP)130 Watt45 Watt

Technologies and extensions

Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-980X and Athlon II X3 400e. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.

Instruction set extensionsIntel® SSE4.2no data
AES-NI+-
Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST)+no data
Turbo Boost Technology1.0no data
Hyper-Threading Technology+no data
Idle States+no data
Demand Based Switching-no data
PAE36 Bitno data

Security technologies

Core i7-980X and Athlon II X3 400e 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 i7-980X and Athlon II X3 400e are enumerated here.

VT-x+no data
EPT+no data

Memory specs

Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-980X and Athlon II X3 400e. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.

Supported memory typesDDR3DDR3
Maximum memory size24 GBno data
Max memory channels3no data
Maximum memory bandwidth25.6 GB/sno data

Graphics specifications

General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.

Integrated graphics cardno dataOn certain motherboards (Chipset feature)

Peripherals

Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-980X and Athlon II X3 400e.

PCIe version2.02.0

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.

i7-980X 4.29
+417%
Athlon II X3 400e 0.83

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.

i7-980X 6817
+416%
Athlon II X3 400e 1320

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.

i7-980X 551
+99.6%
Athlon II X3 400e 276

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.

i7-980X 2589
+256%
Athlon II X3 400e 727

Gaming performance

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 4.29 0.83
Recency 16 March 2010 20 October 2009
Physical cores 6 3
Threads 12 3
Chip lithography 32 nm 45 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 130 Watt 45 Watt

i7-980X has a 416.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 months, 100% more physical cores and 300% more threads, and a 40.6% more advanced lithography process.

Athlon II X3 400e, on the other hand, has 188.9% lower power consumption.

The Core i7-980X is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon II X3 400e in performance tests.


Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-980X and Athlon II X3 400e, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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Intel Core i7-980X
Core i7-980X
AMD Athlon II X3 400e
Athlon II X3 400e

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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