Athlon 64 3500+ vs Pentium M 780

Athlon 64 3500+ vs Pentium M 780 Performance Spectrum

Athlon 64 3500+

1 / 1

570

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium M 780

1 / 1

575

+0.9%

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 64 3500+ vs Pentium M 780 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 64 3500+ vs Pentium M 780: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Athlon 64 3500+

2001

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (570 vs 575).
❌Launch MSRP is still $272 MSRP, while Pentium M 780 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌229.6% higher power demand at 89W vs 27W.

Pentium M 780

2005

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 27W instead of 89W, a 62W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium M 780 better than Athlon 64 3500+?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon 64 3500+ is ahead with a 0.2% average FPS lead across 46 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium M 780 pulls ahead with 0.9% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium M 780 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.9% better PassMark, backed by 1 cores and 1 threads.

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

Pentium M 780 is still the much better call for a fresh build. Pentium M 780 comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $272 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.9% better PassMark. Athlon 64 3500+ only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2001 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (2.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on 939.

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

Pentium M 780 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2005 vs 2001) and more multi-core headroom with 1 cores / 1 threads instead of 1/1. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon 64 3500+ vs Pentium M 780 Technical Specifications

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

Athlon 64 3500+

The Athlon 64 3500+ is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Janeiro 2001 (24 years ago). It is based on the San Diego (2001−2005) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 2.2 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 130 nm process technology. Socket: 939. Thermal design power (TDP): 89 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 570 points. Launch price was $59.

Pentium M 780

The Pentium M 780 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2007-01-01. It is based on the Dothan (2004−2005) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Base frequency is 2.26 GHz, with boost up to 0.03 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 90 nm process technology. Socket: PGA478. Thermal design power (TDP): 27 Watt. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 575 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

Both the Athlon 64 3500+ and Pentium M 780 share an identical 1-core/1-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Athlon 64 3500+ versus 0.03 GHz on the Pentium M 780 — a 194.6% clock advantage for the Athlon 64 3500+. The Athlon 64 3500+ uses the San Diego (2001−2005) architecture (130 nm), while the Pentium M 780 uses Dothan (2004−2005) (90 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon 64 3500+ scores 570 against the Pentium M 780's 575 — a 0.9% lead for the Pentium M 780. Both processors carry 0 kB of L3 cache.

Feature	Athlon 64 3500+	Pentium M 780
Cores / Threads	1 / 1	1 / 1
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz+7233%	0.03 GHz
Base Clock	—	2.26 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	0 kB
L2 Cache	512 kB	2 MB+300%
Process	130 nm	90 nm-31%
Architecture	San Diego (2001−2005)	Dothan (2004−2005)
PassMark	570	575

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon 64 3500+ uses the 939 socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Pentium M 780 uses PGA478 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR-400 on the Athlon 64 3500+ versus DDR2-533 on the Pentium M 780 — the Pentium M 780 supports -233.3% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 4 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 0 (Athlon 64 3500+) vs 16 (Pentium M 780) — the Pentium M 780 offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD 939 (Athlon 64 3500+) and 915GM,945GT (Pentium M 780).