Athlon II X2 250 vs Phenom II X4 B97
Aggregated performance score
Phenom II X4 B97 outperforms Athlon II X2 250 by 134% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Phenom II X4 B97 and Athlon II X2 250 processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in performance ranking | 1966 | 2590 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 2.36 | 3.61 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Desktop processor |
| Architecture codename | Deneb (2009−2011) | Regor (2009−2013) |
| Release date | 11 May 2010 (13 years ago) | June 2009 (14 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $100 | $39 |
| Current price | $68 (0.7x MSRP) | $26 (0.7x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Athlon II X2 250 has 53% better value for money than Phenom II X4 B97.
Detailed specifications
Phenom II X4 B97 and Athlon II X2 250 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 | 4 (Quad-Core) | 2 (Dual-core) |
| Threads | 4 | 2 |
| Base clock speed | 3.2 GHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 3.2 GHz | 3 GHz |
| L1 cache | 128 KB (per core) | 256 KB |
| L2 cache | 512 KB (per core) | 2 MB |
| L3 cache | 6 MB (shared) | 0 KB |
| Chip lithography | 45 nm | 45 nm |
| Die size | 258 mm2 | 117 mm2 |
| Number of transistors | 758 million | 410 million |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | - |
| Unlocked multiplier | No | No |
Compatibility
Information on Phenom II X4 B97 and Athlon II X2 250 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) | 95 Watt | 65 Watt |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Phenom II X4 B97 and Athlon II X2 250. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | DDR3 | DDR3 |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Phenom II X4 B97 and Athlon II X2 250.
| PCIe version | 2.0 | no data |
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.
Phenom II X4 B97 outperforms Athlon II X2 250 by 134% 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%
Phenom II X4 B97 outperforms Athlon II X2 250 by 135% 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%
Phenom II X4 B97 outperforms Athlon II X2 250 by 39% 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%
Phenom II X4 B97 outperforms Athlon II X2 250 by 163% in GeekBench 5 Multi-Core.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 1.64 | 0.70 |
| Physical cores | 4 | 2 |
| Threads | 4 | 2 |
| Cost | $100 | $39 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 95 Watt | 65 Watt |
The Phenom II X4 B97 is our recommended choice as it beats the Athlon II X2 250 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions on choice between Phenom II X4 B97 and Athlon II X2 250, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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