Athlon II X2 240e vs Pentium 2117U

Athlon II X2 240e vs Pentium 2117U Performance Spectrum

Athlon II X2 240e

2 / 2

1,007

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium 2117U

2 / 2

1,009

+0.2%

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 X2 240e vs Pentium 2117U 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 X2 240e vs Pentium 2117U: 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 X2 240e

2009

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 512W, a 467W reduction.
✅Includes a boxed cooler (true), unlike Pentium 2117U.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,007 vs 1,009).
❌Launch MSRP is still $77 MSRP, while Pentium 2117U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Pentium 2117U

2012

Why buy it

✅+0.2% higher PassMark.

Trade-offs

❌1037.8% higher power demand at 512W vs 45W.
❌No boxed cooler included, unlike Athlon II X2 240e.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon II X2 240e better than Pentium 2117U?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon II X2 240e is ahead with a 1.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium 2117U pulls ahead with 0.2% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium 2117U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.2% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

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

Athlon II X2 240e is the better buy right now. Athlon II X2 240e comes in at an unclear MSRP at $77 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you a 1.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. The compromise is that Pentium 2117U is still stronger for heavier multi-core work with 0.2% better PassMark. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (13.1 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so you are getting the faster CPU without taking a value hit on paper.

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

Pentium 2117U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2012 vs 2009) and 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 X2 240e vs Pentium 2117U Technical Specifications

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

Athlon II X2 240e

The Athlon II X2 240e 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 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,007 points. Launch price was $35.

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.

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Processing Power

Both the Athlon II X2 240e and Pentium 2117U share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Athlon II X2 240e versus 1.8 GHz on the Pentium 2117U — a 43.5% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 240e (base: 2.8 GHz vs 1.8 GHz). The Athlon II X2 240e 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 240e scores 1,007 against the Pentium 2117U's 1,009 — a 0.2% lead for the Pentium 2117U. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 240e vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 2117U.

Feature	Athlon II X2 240e	Pentium 2117U
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.8 GHz+56%	1.8 GHz
Base Clock	2.8 GHz+56%	1.8 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB	256K (per core)+25500%
Process	45 nm	22 nm-51%
Architecture	Regor (2009−2013)	Ivy Bridge (2012−2013)
PassMark	1,007	1,009

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon II X2 240e uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 2117U uses BGA1023 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.