Athlon II Neo K125 vs Core i5-4300Y

Athlon II Neo K125 vs Core i5-4300Y Performance Spectrum

Athlon II Neo K125

1 / 1

1,491

+0.4%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i5-4300Y

2 / 4

1,485

0.0%

Celeron J1800

Pentium Dual-Core E2200

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 II Neo K125 vs Core i5-4300Y 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 II Neo K125 vs Core i5-4300Y: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Athlon II Neo K125

2010

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 1W instead of 512W, a 511W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $100 MSRP, while Core i5-4300Y mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Core i5-4300Y

2013

Why buy it

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,485 vs 1,491).
❌51100% higher power demand at 512W vs 1W.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon II Neo K125 better than Core i5-4300Y?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i5-4300Y is ahead with a 1.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon II Neo K125 pulls ahead with 0.4% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon II Neo K125 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 1 cores and 1 threads.

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

Athlon II Neo K125 is the better buy right now. Athlon II Neo K125 comes in at an unclear MSRP at $100 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.4% better PassMark. The compromise is that Core i5-4300Y is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 1.3% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (14.9 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so you are getting the faster CPU without taking a value hit on paper.

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

Core i5-4300Y makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2013 vs 2010). That makes it the safer long-term bet.

Athlon II Neo K125 vs Core i5-4300Y Technical Specifications

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

Athlon II Neo K125

The Athlon II Neo K125 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Geneva (2010) architecture. It features 1 cores and 1 threads. Max frequency: 1.7 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: 1,491 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i5-4300Y

The Core i5-4300Y is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.6 GHz, with boost up to 2.3 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 11.5 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,485 points. Launch price was $281.

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Processing Power

The Athlon II Neo K125 packs 1 cores / 1 threads, while the Core i5-4300Y offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Core i5-4300Y has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 1.7 GHz on the Athlon II Neo K125 versus 2.3 GHz on the Core i5-4300Y — a 30% clock advantage for the Core i5-4300Y. The Athlon II Neo K125 uses the Geneva (2010) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i5-4300Y uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II Neo K125 scores 1,491 against the Core i5-4300Y's 1,485 — a 0.4% lead for the Athlon II Neo K125.

Feature	Athlon II Neo K125	Core i5-4300Y
Cores / Threads	1 / 1	2 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	1.7 GHz	2.3 GHz+35%
Base Clock	—	1.6 GHz
L3 Cache	—	3 MB
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	512 kB
Process	45 nm	22 nm-51%
Architecture	Geneva (2010)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	1,491	1,485

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon II Neo K125 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-4300Y uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.