Athlon Gold 3150G vs Core i7-980

Athlon Gold 3150G vs Core i7-980 Performance Spectrum

Athlon Gold 3150G

4 / 4

6,922

+0.5%

Athlon 300U

Athlon Silver PRO 3125GE

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

Core i7-980

6 / 12

6,890

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 i7-980 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 i7-980: 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

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $483 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $583 MSRP).
✅Delivers 485.7% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 69.2 vs 11.8 PassMark/$ ($100 MSRP vs $583 MSRP).
✅Draws 65W instead of 130W, a 65W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-980 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 12 MB).

Core i7-980

2011

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +17.6% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+200% larger total L3 cache (12 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (6,890 vs 6,922).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 11.8 vs 69.2 PassMark/$ ($583 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 130W vs 65W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon Gold 3150G can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Gold 3150G better than Core i7-980?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i7-980 is ahead with a 17.6% 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 0.5% better PassMark. Core i7-980 also has the bigger cache pool with 200% larger total L3 cache (12 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 0.5% 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 $483 cheaper on MSRP at $100 MSRP versus $583 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.5% better PassMark. The compromise is that Core i7-980 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 17.6% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 485.7% better value on MSRP (69.2 vs 11.8 PassMark/$), 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 2011) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 threads instead of 6/12. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon Gold 3150G vs Core i7-980 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 i7-980

The Core i7-980 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 26 June 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Gulftown (2010−2011) architecture. It features 6 cores and 12 threads. Base frequency is 3.33 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1366. Thermal design power (TDP): 130 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 6,890 points. Launch price was $1,109.

⚡

Processing Power

The Athlon Gold 3150G packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i7-980 offers 6 cores / 12 threads — the Core i7-980 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Athlon Gold 3150G versus 3.6 GHz on the Core i7-980 — a 8% clock advantage for the Athlon Gold 3150G (base: 3.5 GHz vs 3.33 GHz). The Athlon Gold 3150G uses the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture (12 nm), while the Core i7-980 uses Gulftown (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Gold 3150G scores 6,922 against the Core i7-980's 6,890 — a 0.5% lead for the Athlon Gold 3150G. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold 3150G vs 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-980.

Feature	Athlon Gold 3150G	Core i7-980
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	6 / 12+50%
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz+8%	3.6 GHz
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+5%	3.33 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	12 MB (total)+200%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)+100%	256 kB (per core)
Process	12 nm-63%	32 nm
Architecture	Picasso (2019−2022)	Gulftown (2010−2011)
PassMark	6,922	6,890

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon Gold 3150G uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-980 uses LGA1366 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon Gold 3150G	Core i7-980
Socket	AM4	LGA1366
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0+50%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2933	—
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	8	—

🔧

Advanced Features

The Athlon Gold 3150G includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Vega 3), while the Core i7-980 requires a dedicated GPU.

Feature	Athlon Gold 3150G	Core i7-980
Integrated GPU	Yes	—
IGPU Model	AMD Radeon Vega 3	—

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Athlon Gold 3150G was priced at $100, while the Core i7-980 came in at $583. On launch pricing ($100 vs $583), Athlon Gold 3150G was $483 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon Gold 3150G delivers 69.2 pts/$ vs 11.8 pts/$ for the Core i7-980 — making the Athlon Gold 3150G the 141.7% better value option.

Feature	Athlon Gold 3150G	Core i7-980
MSRP	$100-83%	$583
Performance per Dollar	69.2+486%	11.8
Release Date	2020	2011

Search Athlon Gold 3150G on Amazon

Search Core i7-980 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.