Athlon Gold 3150U vs Core i5-3330S

Athlon Gold 3150U vs Core i5-3330S Performance Spectrum

Athlon Gold 3150U

2 / 4

3,923

+0.2%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i5-3330S

4 / 4

3,915

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 3150U vs Core i5-3330S 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 3150U vs Core i5-3330S: 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 3150U

2020

Why buy it

✅Draws 15W instead of 77W, a 62W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Vega 3, while Core i5-3330S needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).

Core i5-3330S

2012

Why buy it

✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,915 vs 3,923).
❌Launch MSRP is still $231 MSRP, while Athlon Gold 3150U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌413.3% higher power demand at 77W vs 15W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon Gold 3150U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Gold 3150U better than Core i5-3330S?

Yes. Athlon Gold 3150U is the better all-around CPU here. It gives you a 2.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 0.2% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which is enough to make it the stronger overall pick.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Athlon Gold 3150U is the better pick. According to our tests, it delivers 2.3% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold 3150U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.2% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

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

Athlon Gold 3150U is still the much better call for a fresh build. Athlon Gold 3150U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $231 MSRP, and it still gives you a 2.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i5-3330S only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2012 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (16.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on LGA1155.

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

Athlon Gold 3150U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2012) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon Gold 3150U vs Core i5-3330S Technical Specifications

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

Athlon Gold 3150U

The Athlon Gold 3150U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Dali (Zen) (2020) 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: 512 kB (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,923 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i5-3330S

The Core i5-3330S is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1155. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,915 points. Launch price was $231.

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Processing Power

The Athlon Gold 3150U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i5-3330S offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the Core i5-3330S has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon Gold 3150U versus 3.2 GHz on the Core i5-3330S — a 3.1% clock advantage for the Athlon Gold 3150U (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Athlon Gold 3150U uses the Dali (Zen) (2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-3330S uses Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Gold 3150U scores 3,923 against the Core i5-3330S's 3,915 — a 0.2% lead for the Athlon Gold 3150U. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold 3150U vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-3330S.

Feature	Athlon Gold 3150U	Core i5-3330S
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz+3%	3.2 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	2.7 GHz+13%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	6 MB (total)+50%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)+100%	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm-36%	22 nm
Architecture	Dali (Zen) (2020)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
PassMark	3,923	3,915

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Gold 3150U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-3330S uses LGA1155 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.