Athlon II N370 vs Pentium B970

Athlon II N370

2 Cores2 Thrd1 WWMax: 2.5 GHz2010

Pentium B970

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.3 GHz2012

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Athlon II N370

2 / 2

1,085

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium B970

2 / 2

1,093

+0.7%

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 N370 is positioned at rank 923 and the Pentium B970 is on rank 1112, so the Athlon II N370 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 N370

#911

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

1623%

#912

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

1599%

#913

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

1468%

#914

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

1461%

#915

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

1448%

#917

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

1398%

#918

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

1341%

#919

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

1338%

#920

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

1303%

#923

Athlon II N370

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

100%

#928

A8-6410

MSRP: $100|Avg: $40

98%

#933

Athlon X2 L310

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

97%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium B970

#1100

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3357%

#1101

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3308%

#1102

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3037%

#1103

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3023%

#1104

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

2995%

#1106

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

2892%

#1107

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

2773%

#1108

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

2769%

#1109

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

2695%

#1112

Pentium B970

MSRP: $125|Avg: $39

100%

#1113

Core i5-2410M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

99%

#1114

Pentium T2370

MSRP: $86|Avg: $10

99%

#1115

Pentium N3710

MSRP: $161|Avg: $50

99%

#1116

Core m3-7Y30

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

98%

#1117

Pentium 977

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

98%

#1118

Core i7-2715QE

MSRP: $378|Avg: $50

97%

#1119

VIA Nano U2250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

97%

#1121

Core i5-560M

MSRP: $225|Avg: N/A

96%

#1122

Pentium U5600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

96%

#1123

Core m5-6Y57

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1125

Core i7-610E

MSRP: $250|Avg: $40

95%

#1126

Core i5-5350U

MSRP: $315|Avg: N/A

94%

#1127

Core i3-4100E

MSRP: $225|Avg: $30

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Athlon II N370 leads in gaming performance. However, the Pentium B970 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 0.7% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Athlon II N370	Pentium B970
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	✅ More affordable ($10)	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Champlain (2010−2011) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Athlon II N370 stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 74% cheaper ($10 vs $39) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Athlon II N370	Pentium B970
Cost Efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+287%)	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅ More affordable ($10)	⚠️ Higher cost ($39)

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 N370 Benchmark Check

Pentium B970 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II N370 and Pentium B970

Athlon II N370

The Athlon II N370 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Max frequency: 2.5 GHz. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: S1. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,085 points. Launch price was $149.

Pentium B970

The Pentium B970 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 January 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.3 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 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: 1,093 points. Launch price was $125.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Athlon II N370 and Pentium B970 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.5 GHz on the Athlon II N370 versus 2.3 GHz on the Pentium B970 — a 8.3% clock advantage for the Athlon II N370. The Athlon II N370 uses the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium B970 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II N370 scores 1,085 against the Pentium B970's 1,093 — a 0.7% lead for the Pentium B970.

Feature	Athlon II N370	Pentium B970
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.5 GHz+9%	2.3 GHz
Base Clock	—	2.3 GHz
L3 Cache	—	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	256K (per core)
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	Champlain (2010−2011)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,085	1,093
Geekbench 6 Single	220	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	420	—

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon II N370 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium B970 uses PGA988 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon II N370	Pentium B970
Socket	S1	PGA988
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1066	—
Max RAM Capacity	8 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	❌	—
PCIe Lanes	0	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon II N370) / not specified (Pentium B970). Primary use case: Athlon II N370 targets Legacy Laptop. Direct competitor: Athlon II N370 rivals Pentium P6100.

Feature	Athlon II N370	Pentium B970
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	No	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Legacy Laptop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Athlon II N370 launched at $60 MSRP, while the Pentium B970 debuted at $125. At current prices ($10 vs $39), the Athlon II N370 is $29 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon II N370 delivers 108.5 pts/$ vs 28.0 pts/$ for the Pentium B970 — making the Athlon II N370 the 117.9% better value option.