Athlon 300U vs Atom C3958
Athlon 300U
Atom C3958
Performance Spectrum - CPU
About PassMark
PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Athlon 300U is positioned at rank 624 and the Atom C3958 is on rank 902, so the Athlon 300U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon 300U
Performance Per Dollar Atom C3958
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon 300U | Atom C3958 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Raven Ridge 2 (2019) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Goldmont (2016−2017) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon 300U | Atom C3958 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | Equivalent pricing | Equivalent pricing |
Performance Check
To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.
Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Athlon 300U and Atom C3958
Athlon 300U
The Athlon 300U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 3,861 points. Launch price was $149.
Atom C3958
The Atom C3958 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 15 August 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Goldmont (2016−2017) architecture. It features 16 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 2 GHz. L3 cache: 16 MB. L2 cache: 16 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1310. Thermal design power (TDP): 31 Watt. Memory support: DDR4: 2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,929 points. Launch price was $449.
Processing Power
The Athlon 300U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Atom C3958 offers 16 cores / 16 threads — the Atom C3958 has 14 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon 300U versus 2 GHz on the Atom C3958 — a 49.1% clock advantage for the Athlon 300U (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Athlon 300U uses the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Atom C3958 uses Goldmont (2016−2017) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon 300U scores 3,861 against the Atom C3958's 3,929 — a 1.7% lead for the Atom C3958. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon 300U vs 16 MB on the Atom C3958.
| Feature | Athlon 300U | Atom C3958 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 16 / 16+700% |
| Boost Clock | 3.3 GHz+65% | 2 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.4 GHz+20% | 2 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB (total) | 16 MB+300% |
| L2 Cache | 512K (per core) | 16 MB+3100% |
| Process | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Architecture | Raven Ridge 2 (2019) | Goldmont (2016−2017) |
| PassMark | 3,861 | 3,929+2% |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 900 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 1,800 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon 300U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Atom C3958 uses FCBGA1310 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2400 memory speed. The Atom C3958 supports up to 256 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 155.6% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 12 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: FP5 (Athlon 300U) and Intel FCBGA1310 (Atom C3958).
| Feature | Athlon 300U | Atom C3958 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FP5 | FCBGA1310 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2400 |
| Max RAM Capacity | 32 GB | 256 GB+700% |
| RAM Channels | 2 | 2 |
| ECC Support | ❌ | ✅ |
| PCIe Lanes | 12 | 12 |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon 300U) / not specified (Atom C3958). The Athlon 300U includes integrated graphics (Radeon RX Vega 3), while the Atom C3958 requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Athlon 300U targets Budget Laptop.
| Feature | Athlon 300U | Atom C3958 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | No |
| IGPU Model | Radeon RX Vega 3 | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | — |
| Target Use | Budget Laptop | — |
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