Athlon 300U vs Core i7-2840QM

Athlon 300U vs Core i7-2840QM Performance Spectrum

Athlon 300U

2 / 4

3,861

+0.5%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i7-2840QM

4 / 8

3,842

0.0%

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.

Athlon 300U vs Core i7-2840QM FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with GeForce RTX 5090 to isolate CPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Athlon 300U vs Core i7-2840QM: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Athlon 300U

2019

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 45W, a 30W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (12 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon RX Vega 3, while Core i7-2840QM needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-2840QM across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Core i7-2840QM

2011

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +5.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,842 vs 3,861).
❌200% higher power demand at 45W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon 300U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon 300U better than Core i7-2840QM?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i7-2840QM is ahead with a 5.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon 300U pulls ahead with 0.5% better PassMark. Core i7-2840QM also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon 300U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.5% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

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

Athlon 300U still makes the most sense overall. Athlon 300U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.5% better PassMark.

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

Athlon 300U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2011) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/8. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon 300U vs Core i7-2840QM Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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 i7-2840QM

The Core i7-2840QM is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 4 September 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Max frequency: 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: G2. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 3,842 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

The Athlon 300U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i7-2840QM offers 4 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-2840QM has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon 300U versus 2.4 GHz on the Core i7-2840QM — a 31.6% clock advantage for the Athlon 300U. The Athlon 300U uses the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i7-2840QM uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon 300U scores 3,861 against the Core i7-2840QM's 3,842 — a 0.5% lead for the Athlon 300U. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon 300U vs 8 MB on the Core i7-2840QM.

Feature	Athlon 300U	Core i7-2840QM
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 8+100%
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz+38%	2.4 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	—
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	8 MB+100%
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+51100%	1 MB
Process	14 nm-56%	32 nm
Architecture	Raven Ridge 2 (2019)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	3,861	3,842
Geekbench 6 Single	900	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,800	—

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon 300U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-2840QM uses G2 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon 300U	Core i7-2840QM
Socket	FP5	G2
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2400	—
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	12	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon 300U) / not specified (Core i7-2840QM). The Athlon 300U includes integrated graphics (Radeon RX Vega 3), while the Core i7-2840QM requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Athlon 300U targets Budget Laptop.