Athlon II X2 215 vs Pentium 2117U
Athlon II X2 215
Pentium 2117U
Performance Spectrum - CPU
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 X2 215 is positioned at rank 739 and the Pentium 2117U is on rank 117, so the Pentium 2117U offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon II X2 215
Performance Per Dollar Pentium 2117U
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon II X2 215 | Pentium 2117U |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($10) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Regor (2009−2013) / 45 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) / 22 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon II X2 215 | Pentium 2117U |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($10) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
Performance Check
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.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II X2 215 and Pentium 2117U
Athlon II X2 215
The Athlon II X2 215 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 20 October 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 2.7 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,011 points. Launch price was $45.
Pentium 2117U
The Pentium 2117U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.8 GHz, with boost up to 1.8 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1023. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,009 points. Launch price was $134.
Processing Power
Both the Athlon II X2 215 and Pentium 2117U share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.7 GHz on the Athlon II X2 215 versus 1.8 GHz on the Pentium 2117U — a 40% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 215 (base: 2.7 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Athlon II X2 215 uses the Regor (2009−2013) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium 2117U uses Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X2 215 scores 1,011 against the Pentium 2117U's 1,009 — a 0.2% lead for the Athlon II X2 215. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 215 vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 2117U.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 215 | Pentium 2117U |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 2.7 GHz+50% | 1.8 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.7 GHz+50% | 1.8 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 0 kB | 2 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 512 kB+100% | 256K (per core) |
| Process | 45 nm | 22 nm-51% |
| Architecture | Regor (2009−2013) | Ivy Bridge (2012−2013) |
| PassMark | 1,011 | 1,009 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 274 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 674 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon II X2 215 uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 2117U uses BGA1023 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 215 | Pentium 2117U |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM3 | BGA1023 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 3.0+50% |
| Max RAM Speed | 1333 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 0 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: true (Athlon II X2 215) / not specified (Pentium 2117U). Primary use case: Athlon II X2 215 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Athlon II X2 215 rivals Pentium E5400.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 215 | Pentium 2117U |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| IGPU Model | None | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | true | — |
| Target Use | Budget | — |
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