Athlon II Neo K345 vs Pentium E6600

Athlon II Neo K345 vs Pentium E6600 Performance Spectrum

Athlon II Neo K345

2 / 2

1,191

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium E6600

2 / 2

1,194

+0.3%

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 K345 vs Pentium E6600 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 K345 vs Pentium E6600: 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 K345

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $34 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $84 MSRP).
✅Delivers 67.6% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 23.8 vs 14.2 PassMark/$ ($50 MSRP vs $84 MSRP).
✅Draws 1W instead of 65W, a 64W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,191 vs 1,194).

Pentium E6600

2010

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 14.2 vs 23.8 PassMark/$ ($84 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
❌6400% higher power demand at 65W vs 1W.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon II Neo K345 better than Pentium E6600?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon II Neo K345 is ahead with a 0.2% average FPS lead across 49 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium E6600 pulls ahead with 0.3% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium E6600 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

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

Athlon II Neo K345 is the better buy right now. Athlon II Neo K345 comes in $34 cheaper on MSRP at $50 MSRP versus $84 MSRP, and it still gives you a 0.2% average FPS lead across 49 shared CPU game tests in our data. The compromise is that Pentium E6600 is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.3% better PassMark. It is also 67.6% better value on MSRP (23.8 vs 14.2 PassMark/$), so you are getting the faster CPU without taking a value hit on paper.

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

Pentium E6600 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 2/2. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon II Neo K345 vs Pentium E6600 Technical Specifications

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

Athlon II Neo K345

The Athlon II Neo K345 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: 1.4 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: 1,191 points. Launch price was $149.

Pentium E6600

The Pentium E6600 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 17 January 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Wolfdale (2008−2010) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3.06 GHz, with boost up to 0.07 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB (total). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: LGA775. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR1, DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,194 points. Launch price was $16.

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Processing Power

Both the Athlon II Neo K345 and Pentium E6600 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 1.4 GHz on the Athlon II Neo K345 versus 0.07 GHz on the Pentium E6600 — a 181% clock advantage for the Athlon II Neo K345. The Athlon II Neo K345 uses the Champlain (2010−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium E6600 uses Wolfdale (2008−2010) (45 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II Neo K345 scores 1,191 against the Pentium E6600's 1,194 — a 0.3% lead for the Pentium E6600.

Feature	Athlon II Neo K345	Pentium E6600
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	1.4 GHz+1900%	0.07 GHz
Base Clock	—	3.06 GHz
L3 Cache	—	0 kB
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB (total)+100%
Process	45 nm	45 nm
Architecture	Champlain (2010−2011)	Wolfdale (2008−2010)
PassMark	1,191	1,194

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon II Neo K345 uses the S1 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium E6600 uses LGA775 (PCIe 1.1) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon II Neo K345	Pentium E6600
Socket	S1	LGA775
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0+82%	PCIe 1.1
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1066	—
Max RAM Capacity	4 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	0	—

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Athlon II Neo K345 was priced at $50, while the Pentium E6600 came in at $84. On launch pricing ($50 vs $84), Athlon II Neo K345 was $34 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon II Neo K345 delivers 23.8 pts/$ vs 14.2 pts/$ for the Pentium E6600 — making the Athlon II Neo K345 the 50.5% better value option.

Feature	Athlon II Neo K345	Pentium E6600
MSRP	$50-40%	$84
Performance per Dollar	23.8+68%	14.2
Release Date	2010	2010

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