Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE vs Core i7-4790S

Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE vs Core i7-4790S Performance Spectrum

Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE

4 / 4

7,006

+0.5%

Ryzen Threadripper 3970X

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7965WX

Core i7-4790S

4 / 8

6,973

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 3150GE vs Core i7-4790S 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 3150GE vs Core i7-4790S: 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 3150GE

2020

Why buy it

✅+0.5% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $212 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $312 MSRP).
✅Delivers 213.5% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 70.1 vs 22.3 PassMark/$ ($100 MSRP vs $312 MSRP).
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-4790S across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Smaller total L3 cache (4 MB vs 8 MB).

Core i7-4790S

2014

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +27.5% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+100% larger total L3 cache (8 MB vs 4 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (6,973 vs 7,006).
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 22.3 vs 70.1 PassMark/$ ($312 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE better than Core i7-4790S?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i7-4790S is ahead with a 27.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE pulls ahead with 0.5% better PassMark. Core i7-4790S 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 PRO 3150GE 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 PRO 3150GE is the better buy right now. Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE comes in $212 cheaper on MSRP at $100 MSRP versus $312 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.5% better PassMark. The compromise is that Core i7-4790S is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 27.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 213.5% better value on MSRP (70.1 vs 22.3 PassMark/$), 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 3150GE makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2014) 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 3150GE vs Core i7-4790S Technical Specifications

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

Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE 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 3.3 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 12 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2933. Passmark benchmark score: 7,006 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i7-4790S

The Core i7-4790S is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 May 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 4 GHz. L3 cache: 8 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1150. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 6,973 points. Launch price was $303.

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Processing Power

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE packs 4 cores / 4 threads, matching the Core i7-4790S's 4 cores. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE versus 4 GHz on the Core i7-4790S — a 5.1% clock advantage for the Core i7-4790S (base: 3.3 GHz vs 3.2 GHz). The Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE uses the Picasso (2019−2022) architecture (12 nm), while the Core i7-4790S uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE scores 7,006 against the Core i7-4790S's 6,973 — a 0.5% lead for the Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE vs 8 MB (total) on the Core i7-4790S.

Feature	Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE	Core i7-4790S
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 8
Boost Clock	3.8 GHz	4 GHz+5%
Base Clock	3.3 GHz+3%	3.2 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	8 MB (total)+100%
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	12 nm-45%	22 nm
Architecture	Picasso (2019−2022)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	7,006	6,973

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE uses the AM4 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-4790S uses LGA1150 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE	Core i7-4790S
Socket	AM4	LGA1150
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2933	—
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	Yes	—
PCIe Lanes	8	—

🔧

Advanced Features

The Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE includes integrated graphics (AMD Radeon Vega 3), while the Core i7-4790S requires a dedicated GPU.

Feature	Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE	Core i7-4790S
Integrated GPU	Yes	—
IGPU Model	AMD Radeon Vega 3	—

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE was priced at $100, while the Core i7-4790S came in at $312. On launch pricing ($100 vs $312), Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE was $212 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE delivers 70.1 pts/$ vs 22.3 pts/$ for the Core i7-4790S — making the Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE the 103.3% better value option.

Feature	Athlon Gold PRO 3150GE	Core i7-4790S
MSRP	$100-68%	$312
Performance per Dollar	70.1+214%	22.3
Release Date	2020	2014

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