Athlon II M340 vs Pentium B980

Athlon II M340

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 2.2 GHz2009

Pentium B980

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.4 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Athlon II M340

2 / 2

1,115

+1.3%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium B980

2 / 2

1,101

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Athlon II M340 is positioned at rank 1001 and the Pentium B980 is on rank 1110, so the Athlon II M340 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar Athlon II M340

#989

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

2105%

#990

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

2074%

#991

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1904%

#992

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1895%

#993

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1878%

#995

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1813%

#996

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1739%

#997

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1736%

#998

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1689%

#1001

Athlon II M340

MSRP: $80|Avg: $15

100%

#1005

Pentium P6000

MSRP: $150|Avg: $90

98%

#1007

Core i7-3630QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1008

Core i7-3610QM

MSRP: $378|Avg: N/A

97%

#1009

Core i3-1115GRE

MSRP: $338|Avg: $480

97%

#1010

Pentium A1020

MSRP: $86|Avg: $86

97%

#1011

Core i7-4702MQ

MSRP: $383|Avg: $50

97%

#1012

Pentium N4200

MSRP: $161|Avg: $30.89

96%

#1013

Pentium J2900

MSRP: $94|Avg: $20

96%

#1014

Celeron T1700

MSRP: $80|Avg: $5

95%

#1015

Celeron T3500

MSRP: $80|Avg: $10

95%

#1016

A12-9720P

MSRP: $200|Avg: $25

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium B980

#1098

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3330%

#1099

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3281%

#1100

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3012%

#1101

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

2999%

#1102

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2971%

#1104

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2869%

#1105

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2751%

#1106

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2747%

#1107

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2673%

#1110

Pentium B980

MSRP: $125|Avg: $35

100%

#1111

Celeron 867

MSRP: $86|Avg: $15

100%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

99%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

98%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

98%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

98%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

97%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

97%

#1119

VIA Nano U2250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

96%

#1121

Core i5-560M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1122

Pentium U5600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

95%

#1124

Core m5-6Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Pentium B980 leads in gaming performance. However, the Athlon II M340 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 1.3% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Athlon II M340	Pentium B980
Gaming	❌ Lower gaming performance	✅ Superior gaming performance
Workstation	✅ Better multi-core power	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks
Price	✅ More affordable ($15)	⚠️ Higher cost ($35)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Caspian (2009) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Athlon II M340 stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 57% cheaper ($15 vs $35) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Athlon II M340	Pentium B980
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+136%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($15)	⚠️ Higher cost ($35)

Performance Check

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Athlon II M340 Benchmark Check

Pentium B980 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II M340 and Pentium B980

Athlon II M340

The Athlon II M340 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Caspian (2009) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.2 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1g3. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR2. Passmark benchmark score: 1,115 points. Launch price was $149.

Pentium B980

The Pentium B980 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: PGA988. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,101 points. Launch price was $125.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Athlon II M340 and Pentium B980 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Athlon II M340 versus 2.4 GHz on the Pentium B980 — a 8.7% clock advantage for the Pentium B980. The Athlon II M340 uses the Caspian (2009) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium B980 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II M340 scores 1,115 against the Pentium B980's 1,101 — a 1.3% lead for the Athlon II M340.

Feature	Athlon II M340	Pentium B980
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.2 GHz	2.4 GHz+9%
Base Clock	—	2.4 GHz
L3 Cache	—	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	256K (per core)
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	Caspian (2009)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,115+1%	1,101
Geekbench 6 Single	858	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,500	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon II M340 uses the S1g3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium B980 uses PGA988 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon II M340	Pentium B980
Socket	S1g3	PGA988
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR2-800	—
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	0	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon II M340) / not specified (Pentium B980). Primary use case: Athlon II M340 targets Laptop.

Feature	Athlon II M340	Pentium B980
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Laptop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Athlon II M340 launched at $80 MSRP, while the Pentium B980 debuted at $125. At current prices ($15 vs $35), the Athlon II M340 is $20 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon II M340 delivers 74.3 pts/$ vs 31.5 pts/$ for the Pentium B980 — making the Athlon II M340 the 81.1% better value option.