Athlon 300U
VS
Pentium Gold G5600

Athlon 300U vs Pentium Gold G5600

AMD

Athlon 300U

2 Cores4 Thrd15 WWMax: 3.3 GHz2019
VS
Intel

Pentium Gold G5600

2 Cores4 Thrd54 WWMax: 3.9 GHz2018

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. The Athlon 300U is positioned at rank #624 in our cost-efficiency ranking, representing a Lower cost-benefit for your build. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon 300U

#612
Atom x5-Z8300
MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A
836%
#613
Atom Z3735G
MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A
824%
#614
Core i5-480M
MSRP: $81|Avg: $77
756%
#615
Core i5-460M
MSRP: $80|Avg: $129
753%
#616
Core i5-2540M
MSRP: $266|Avg: $10
746%
#618
Core i5-450M
MSRP: $32|Avg: $31
720%
#619
Core i3-380M
MSRP: $49|Avg: $25
691%
#620
Core i5-430M
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33
689%
#621
Core 2 Duo T6600
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4
671%
#624
Athlon 300U
MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A
100%
#625
Core 3 N355
MSRP: $300|Avg: $300
100%
#628
Core i5-1335UE
MSRP: $312|Avg: $312
100%
#638
Celeron Dual-Core T1400
MSRP: $80|Avg: $10
97%
Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Leadership: The Athlon 300U delivers superior performance across the board. It outperforms the Pentium Gold G5600 in both compute-intensive tasks (0.4% faster) and gaming workloads.
InsightAthlon 300UPentium Gold G5600
Gaming
Superior gaming performance
Lower gaming performance
Workstation
Better multi-core power
Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing
Longevity
✨ Modern (Raven Ridge 2 (2019) / 14 nm)
✨ Modern (Coffee Lake (2017−2019) / 14 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

InsightAthlon 300UPentium Gold G5600
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost
Equivalent pricing
Equivalent pricing

Performance Check

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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon 300U and Pentium Gold G5600

AMD

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.

Intel

Pentium Gold G5600

The Pentium Gold G5600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 April 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake (2017−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.9 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 54 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,844 points. Launch price was $93.

Processing Power

Both the Athlon 300U and Pentium Gold G5600 share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon 300U versus 3.9 GHz on the Pentium Gold G5600 — a 16.7% clock advantage for the Pentium Gold G5600 (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.9 GHz). The Athlon 300U uses the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Pentium Gold G5600 uses Coffee Lake (2017−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon 300U scores 3,861 against the Pentium Gold G5600's 3,844 — a 0.4% lead for the Athlon 300U. Geekbench 6 single-core — the metric most relevant to gaming — records 900 vs 837, a 7.3% lead for the Athlon 300U that directly translates to higher frame rates. Both processors carry 4 MB (total) of L3 cache.

FeatureAthlon 300UPentium Gold G5600
Cores / Threads
2 / 4
2 / 4
Boost Clock
3.3 GHz
3.9 GHz+18%
Base Clock
2.4 GHz
3.9 GHz+63%
L3 Cache
4 MB (total)
4 MB (total)
L2 Cache
512K (per core)+100%
256K (per core)
Process
14 nm
14 nm
Architecture
Raven Ridge 2 (2019)
Coffee Lake (2017−2019)
PassMark
3,861
3,844
Cinebench R23 Multi
2,200
Geekbench 6 Single
900+8%
837
Geekbench 6 Multi
1,800
🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon 300U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium Gold G5600 uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2400 on the Athlon 300U versus DDR4 2400 MHz on the Pentium Gold G5600 — the Pentium Gold G5600 supports 200% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Pentium Gold G5600 supports up to 64 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 12 (Athlon 300U) vs 16 (Pentium Gold G5600) — the Pentium Gold G5600 offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: FP5 (Athlon 300U) and Intel H310,Intel B360,Intel H370,Intel Z370,Intel Z390 (Pentium Gold G5600).

FeatureAthlon 300UPentium Gold G5600
Socket
FP5
LGA1151
PCIe Generation
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed
DDR4-2400
DDR4 2400 MHz
Max RAM Capacity
32 GB
64 GB+100%
RAM Channels
2
2
ECC Support
PCIe Lanes
12
16+33%
🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: AMD-V (Athlon 300U) vs true (Pentium Gold G5600). Both include integrated graphics Radeon RX Vega 3 (Athlon 300U) and Intel UHD Graphics 630 (Pentium Gold G5600) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Athlon 300U targets Budget Laptop, Pentium Gold G5600 targets Desktop.

FeatureAthlon 300UPentium Gold G5600
Integrated GPU
Yes
Yes
IGPU Model
Radeon RX Vega 3
Intel UHD Graphics 630
Unlocked
No
No
AVX-512
No
No
Virtualization
AMD-V
true
Target Use
Budget Laptop
Desktop