Athlon Gold PRO 3150G vs Core i5-8279U

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G vs Core i5-8279U Performance Spectrum

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G

4 / 4

7,468

+0.1%

Ryzen Embedded R1606G

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

Core i5-8279U

4 / 8

7,464

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 PRO 3150G vs Core i5-8279U 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 PRO 3150G vs Core i5-8279U: 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 PRO 3150G

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.1% higher PassMark.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Vega 3, while Core i5-8279U needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i5-8279U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 6 MB).
❌Launch MSRP is still $150 MSRP, while Core i5-8279U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌132.1% higher power demand at 65W vs 28W.

Core i5-8279U

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +22.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+50% larger total L3 cache (6 MB vs 4 MB).
✅Draws 28W instead of 65W, a 37W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (7,464 vs 7,468).
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon Gold PRO 3150G can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Gold PRO 3150G better than Core i5-8279U?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i5-8279U is ahead with a 22.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold PRO 3150G pulls ahead with 0.1% better PassMark. Core i5-8279U 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 PRO 3150G is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.1% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads.

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

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G is the better buy right now. Athlon Gold PRO 3150G comes in at an unclear MSRP at $150 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.1% better PassMark. The compromise is that Core i5-8279U is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 22.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (49.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 PRO 3150G makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2019) 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 PRO 3150G vs Core i5-8279U Technical Specifications

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

Athlon Gold PRO 3150G

The Athlon Gold PRO 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: 7,468 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i5-8279U

The Core i5-8279U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 3 April 2019 (6 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 4.1 GHz. L3 cache: 6 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1528. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 7,464 points. Launch price was $320.

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Processing Power

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150G packs 4 cores / 4 threads, matching the Core i5-8279U's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Athlon Gold PRO 3150G versus 4.1 GHz on the Core i5-8279U — a 5% clock advantage for the Core i5-8279U (base: 3.5 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Athlon Gold PRO 3150G uses the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture (12 nm), while the Core i5-8279U uses Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Gold PRO 3150G scores 7,468 against the Core i5-8279U's 7,464 — a 0.1% lead for the Athlon Gold PRO 3150G. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold PRO 3150G vs 6 MB (total) on the Core i5-8279U.

Feature	Athlon Gold PRO 3150G	Core i5-8279U
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz	4.1 GHz+5%
Base Clock	3.5 GHz+46%	2.4 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)	Coffee Lake-U (2018−2019)
PassMark	7,468	7,464

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150G uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-8279U uses FCBGA1528 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.