Athlon Gold 7220U vs FX-8140

Athlon Gold 7220U vs FX-8140 Performance Spectrum

Athlon Gold 7220U

2 / 4

4,904

+0.9%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

FX-8140

8 / 8

4,860

0.0%

FX-4130

FX-7500

Athlon X4 845

Ryzen Embedded R1606G

Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H

Ryzen AI Max PRO 390

Ryzen 9 9955HX3D

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

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 7220U vs FX-8140 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 7220U vs FX-8140: 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 7220U

2022

Why buy it

✅+0.9% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 15W instead of 95W, a 80W reduction.
✅Newer platform on FT6 with DDR5 support instead of AM3+ and older memory support.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (4 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with Radeon 610M, while FX-8140 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than FX-8140 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

FX-8140

2012

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +20.9% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (4,860 vs 4,904).
❌Launch MSRP is still $225 MSRP, while Athlon Gold 7220U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌533.3% higher power demand at 95W vs 15W.
❌Older platform position on AM3+, while Athlon Gold 7220U moves to FT6 and DDR5.
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon Gold 7220U can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Gold 7220U better than FX-8140?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, FX-8140 is ahead with a 20.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold 7220U pulls ahead with 0.9% better PassMark. FX-8140 also has the bigger cache pool with 100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold 7220U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.9% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

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

Athlon Gold 7220U is still the much better call for a fresh build. Athlon Gold 7220U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $225 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.9% better PassMark. FX-8140 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2012 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (21.6 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on AM3+.

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

Athlon Gold 7220U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2012), a healthier platform with FT6 and DDR5 instead of AM3+, and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 8/8. That gives you a healthier platform runway for motherboard, RAM, and later CPU upgrades.

Athlon Gold 7220U vs FX-8140 Technical Specifications

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

Athlon Gold 7220U

The Athlon Gold 7220U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 6 nm process technology. Socket: FT6. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR5 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 4,904 points. Launch price was $149.

FX-8140

The FX-8140 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 23 October 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Zambezi (2011−2012) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 8 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: AM3+. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 4,860 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

The Athlon Gold 7220U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the FX-8140 offers 8 cores / 8 threads — the FX-8140 has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Athlon Gold 7220U versus 4.1 GHz on the FX-8140 — a 10.3% clock advantage for the FX-8140 (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Athlon Gold 7220U uses the Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023) architecture (6 nm), while the FX-8140 uses Zambezi (2011−2012) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Gold 7220U scores 4,904 against the FX-8140's 4,860 — a 0.9% lead for the Athlon Gold 7220U. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold 7220U vs 8 MB (total) on the FX-8140.

Feature	Athlon Gold 7220U	FX-8140
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	8 / 8+300%
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz	4.1 GHz+11%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	3.2 GHz+33%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	8 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)	8 MB+1500%
Process	6 nm-81%	32 nm
Architecture	Mendocino (Zen 2) (2022−2023)	Zambezi (2011−2012)
PassMark	4,904	4,860

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Gold 7220U uses the FT6 socket (PCIe 4.0), while the FX-8140 uses AM3+ (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon Gold 7220U	FX-8140
Socket	FT6	AM3+
PCIe Generation	PCIe 4.0+100%	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	5500	—
Max RAM Capacity	16	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	4	—

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Advanced Features

Virtualization: true (Athlon Gold 7220U) / not specified (FX-8140). The Athlon Gold 7220U includes integrated graphics (Radeon 610M), while the FX-8140 requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Athlon Gold 7220U rivals Core i3-1115G4.