Athlon 64 FX-72 vs Athlon II M320

Athlon 64 FX-72

2 Cores2 Thrd125 WWMax: 2.8 GHz2006

Athlon II M320

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 2.1 GHz2009

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Athlon 64 FX-72

2 / 2

1,794

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Athlon II M320

2 / 2

1,795

+0.1%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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 64 FX-72 is positioned at rank 1100 and the Athlon II M320 is on rank 809, so the Athlon II M320 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

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 64 FX-72

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

138540%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

130907%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

95049%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

28634%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

22681%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

19842%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

11364%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

11216%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

10212%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

10212%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

10097%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

9825%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

9688%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

9648%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

9561%

#1100

Athlon 64 FX-72

MSRP: $799|Avg: $40

100%

#1101

Athlon 64 X2 4200+

MSRP: $581|Avg: $110

96%

#1102

Athlon 64 3500+

MSRP: $272|Avg: $10

93%

#1103

Pentium D 830

MSRP: $316|Avg: $20

87%

#1104

Pentium D 960

MSRP: $523|Avg: $15

85%

#1105

Athlon XP 2500+

MSRP: $172|Avg: $15

83%

#1106

Athlon 64 3800+

MSRP: $354|Avg: $10

81%

#1107

Pentium 4 2.53

MSRP: $193|Avg: $13

80%

#1108

Pentium 4 2.40

MSRP: $193|Avg: $193

75%

#1109

Athlon XP 2400+

MSRP: $193|Avg: $10

70%

#1110

Pentium D 950

MSRP: $637|Avg: $10

65%

#1111

Athlon XP 1500+

MSRP: $130|Avg: $15

64%

#1112

Athlon 64 4000+

MSRP: $482|Avg: $30

62%

#1113

Pentium 4 2.66

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

56%

#1114

Pentium 4 2.80

MSRP: $327|Avg: $25

56%

#1115

Athlon XP 1600+

MSRP: $160|Avg: $15

56%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II M320

#797

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1226%

#798

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1208%

#799

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1109%

#800

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1104%

#801

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1094%

#803

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1056%

#804

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1013%

#805

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1011%

#806

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

984%

#809

Athlon II M320

MSRP: $75|Avg: $15

100%

#810

Celeron B800

MSRP: $80|Avg: $5

100%

#811

Celeron B710

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

100%

#813

Athlon II Neo K345

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

100%

#818

Core i7-8709G

MSRP: $338|Avg: $150

98%

#819

Celeron M 560

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

98%

#824

Celeron Dual-Core T3000

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Athlon 64 FX-72 leads in gaming performance. However, the Athlon II M320 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.1% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Athlon 64 FX-72	Athlon II M320
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($40)	✅ More affordable ($15)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Windsor (2006−2007) / 90 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Caspian (2009) / 45 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Athlon II M320 stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 63% cheaper ($15 vs $40) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Athlon 64 FX-72	Athlon II M320
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+167%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($40)	✅ More affordable ($15)

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.

Athlon 64 FX-72 Benchmark Check

Athlon II M320 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon 64 FX-72 and Athlon II M320

Athlon 64 FX-72

The Athlon 64 FX-72 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Windsor (2006−2007) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 90 nm process technology. Socket: F. Thermal design power (TDP): 125 Watt. Memory support: DDR1. Passmark benchmark score: 1,794 points. Launch price was $149.

Athlon II M320

The Athlon II M320 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Caspian (2009) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.1 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1g3. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,795 points. Launch price was $149.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Athlon 64 FX-72 and Athlon II M320 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Athlon 64 FX-72 versus 2.1 GHz on the Athlon II M320 — a 28.6% clock advantage for the Athlon 64 FX-72. The Athlon 64 FX-72 uses the Windsor (2006−2007) architecture (90 nm), while the Athlon II M320 uses Caspian (2009) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon 64 FX-72 scores 1,794 against the Athlon II M320's 1,795 — a 0.1% lead for the Athlon II M320.

Feature	Athlon 64 FX-72	Athlon II M320
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.8 GHz+33%	2.1 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	—
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB
Process	90 nm	45 nm-50%
Architecture	Windsor (2006−2007)	Caspian (2009)
PassMark	1,794	1,795
Geekbench 6 Single	—	188
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	1,955

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon 64 FX-72 uses the F socket (PCIe 1.1), while the Athlon II M320 uses S1g3 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR2-800 memory speed. The Athlon 64 FX-72 supports up to 16 GB of RAM compared to 8 GB — 66.7% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. Both provide 0 PCIe lanes. Chipset compatibility: AMD F (1207) (Athlon 64 FX-72) and Socket S1g3 (Athlon II M320).

Feature	Athlon 64 FX-72	Athlon II M320
Socket	F	S1g3
PCIe Generation	PCIe 1.1	PCIe 2.0+82%
Max RAM Speed	DDR2-800	DDR2-800
Max RAM Capacity	16 GB+100%	8 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	0	0

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Athlon 64 FX-72) / AMD-V (Athlon II M320). Primary use case: Athlon II M320 targets Legacy Laptop. Direct competitor: Athlon II M320 rivals Core 2 Duo T6400.

Feature	Athlon 64 FX-72	Athlon II M320
Integrated GPU	No	No
IGPU Model	—	None
Unlocked	—	No
AVX-512	—	No
Virtualization	—	AMD-V
Target Use	—	Legacy Laptop

💰

Value Analysis

The Athlon 64 FX-72 launched at $799 MSRP, while the Athlon II M320 debuted at $75. At current prices ($40 vs $15), the Athlon II M320 is $25 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon 64 FX-72 delivers 44.9 pts/$ vs 119.7 pts/$ for the Athlon II M320 — making the Athlon II M320 the 91% better value option.