Athlon 300U vs Core i5-7360U

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Athlon 300U

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (1,800 vs 2,096).

Core i5-7360U

2017

Why buy it

✅+16.4% higher Geekbench multi-core.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Athlon 300U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Athlon 300U

2019

Core i5-7360U

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +3.8% higher average FPS across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Why buy it

✅+16.4% higher Geekbench multi-core.

Trade-offs

❌Lower Geekbench multi-core (1,800 vs 2,096).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Athlon 300U across 4 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon 300U better than Core i5-7360U?

It depends on what matters more to you. For gaming, Athlon 300U is ahead with a 3.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-7360U pulls ahead with 16.4% better Geekbench multi-core.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Core i5-7360U is the better fit. You are getting 16.4% better Geekbench multi-core, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Athlon 300U still looks like the safer overall buy. Athlon 300U is at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it gives you a 3.8% average FPS lead across 4 shared CPU game tests in our data.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Athlon 300U is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2017). That makes it the safer long-term pick.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

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.

Athlon 300U Benchmark Check

Core i5-7360U Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Athlon 300U	Core i5-7360U
1080p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	84 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	89 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	68 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	68 FPS
medium	57 FPS	56 FPS
high	43 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	34 FPS

Open Athlon 300U Open Core i5-7360U

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Athlon 300U	Core i5-7360U
1080p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	92 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	65 FPS
1440p
low	92 FPS	95 FPS
medium	79 FPS	80 FPS
high	74 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	67 FPS
medium	56 FPS	58 FPS
high	39 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	28 FPS

Open Athlon 300U Open Core i5-7360U

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Athlon 300U	Core i5-7360U
1080p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS

Open Athlon 300U Open Core i5-7360U

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Athlon 300U	Core i5-7360U
1080p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS
4K
low	97 FPS	96 FPS
medium	97 FPS	96 FPS
high	97 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	96 FPS

Open Athlon 300U Open Core i5-7360U

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon 300U and Core i5-7360U

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.

Core i5-7360U

The Core i5-7360U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 January 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake (2016−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,823 points. Launch price was $304.

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Processing Power

Both the Athlon 300U and Core i5-7360U share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon 300U versus 3.6 GHz on the Core i5-7360U — a 8.7% clock advantage for the Core i5-7360U (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2.3 GHz). The Athlon 300U uses the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-7360U uses Kaby Lake (2016−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon 300U scores 3,861 against the Core i5-7360U's 3,823 — a 1% lead for the Athlon 300U. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 900 vs 1,112, a 21.1% lead for the Core i5-7360U that directly translates to higher frame rates. Multi-core Geekbench: 1,800 vs 2,096 (15.2% advantage for the Core i5-7360U). L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon 300U vs 4 MB on the Core i5-7360U.

Feature	Athlon 300U	Core i5-7360U
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz	3.6 GHz+9%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz+4%	2.3 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	4 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Raven Ridge 2 (2019)	Kaby Lake (2016−2019)
PassMark	3,861	3,823
Geekbench 6 Single	900	1,112+24%
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,800	2,096+16%

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon 300U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-7360U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2400 memory speed. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 12 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: FP5 (Athlon 300U) and Sunrise Point-LP (Core i5-7360U).

Feature	Athlon 300U	Core i5-7360U
Socket	FP5	BGA1356
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2400	DDR4-2133
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	32 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	12	12

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Athlon 300U) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-7360U). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon RX Vega 3 (Athlon 300U) and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 (Core i5-7360U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Athlon 300U targets Budget Laptop, Core i5-7360U targets Ultrabook.

Feature	Athlon 300U	Core i5-7360U
Integrated GPU	Yes	Yes
IGPU Model	Radeon RX Vega 3	Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	AMD-V	VT-x, VT-d
Target Use	Budget Laptop	Ultrabook