Athlon Gold 3150G vs Core i7-7700HQ

Athlon Gold 3150G vs Core i7-7700HQ Performance Spectrum

Athlon Gold 3150G

4 / 4

6,922

+0.6%

Athlon 300U

Athlon Silver PRO 3125GE

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

Core i7-7700HQ

4 / 8

6,880

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 Gold 3150G vs Core i7-7700HQ 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 Gold 3150G vs Core i7-7700HQ: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Athlon Gold 3150G

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.6% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-7700HQ across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $100 MSRP, while Core i7-7700HQ mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌44.4% higher power demand at 65W vs 45W.

Core i7-7700HQ

2017

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +17.0% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 65W, a 20W reduction.
✅100% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (6,880 vs 6,922).

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Gold 3150G better than Core i7-7700HQ?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i7-7700HQ is ahead with a 17.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold 3150G pulls ahead with 0.6% better PassMark. Core i7-7700HQ also has the bigger cache pool with 50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold 3150G is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads.

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

Athlon Gold 3150G is the better buy right now. Athlon Gold 3150G comes in at an unclear MSRP at $100 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.6% better PassMark. The compromise is that Core i7-7700HQ is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 17.0% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (69.2 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so you are getting the faster CPU without taking a value hit on paper.

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

Athlon Gold 3150G makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2017) and more multi-core headroom with 4 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 Gold 3150G vs Core i7-7700HQ Technical Specifications

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

Athlon Gold 3150G

The Athlon Gold 3150G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 6,922 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i7-7700HQ

The Core i7-7700HQ is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 January 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake-H (2017) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1440. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 6,880 points. Launch price was $378.

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Processing Power

The Athlon Gold 3150G packs 4 cores / 4 threads, matching the Core i7-7700HQ's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Athlon Gold 3150G versus 3.8 GHz on the Core i7-7700HQ — a 2.6% clock advantage for the Athlon Gold 3150G (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Athlon Gold 3150G uses the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture (12 nm), while the Core i7-7700HQ uses Kaby Lake-H (2017) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Gold 3150G scores 6,922 against the Core i7-7700HQ's 6,880 — a 0.6% lead for the Athlon Gold 3150G. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold 3150G vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i7-7700HQ.

Feature	Athlon Gold 3150G	Core i7-7700HQ
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz+3%	3.8 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+25%	2.8 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	6 MB (total)+50%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	12 nm-14%	14 nm
Architecture	Picasso (2019−2022)	Kaby Lake-H (2017)
PassMark	6,922	6,880

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Gold 3150G uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-7700HQ uses BGA1440 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2933 on the Athlon Gold 3150G versus DDR4-2400 on the Core i7-7700HQ — the Athlon Gold 3150G supports 22.2% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 64 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 8 (Athlon Gold 3150G) vs 16 (Core i7-7700HQ) — the Core i7-7700HQ offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD AM4 (Athlon Gold 3150G) and BGA1440 (Core i7-7700HQ).

Feature	Athlon Gold 3150G	Core i7-7700HQ
Socket	AM4	BGA1440
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2933+22%	DDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	64 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	8	16+100%

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Athlon Gold 3150G) / VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-7700HQ). Both include integrated graphics — AMD Radeon Vega 3 (Athlon Gold 3150G) and HD Graphics 630 (Core i7-7700HQ) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU.