Athlon II X2 240e vs Pentium B960

Athlon II X2 240e

2 Cores2 Thrd45 WWMax: 2.8 GHz2009

Pentium B960

2 Cores2 Thrd35 WWMax: 2.2 GHz2011

Performance Spectrum - CPU

Athlon II X2 240e

2 / 2

1,007

0.0%

Mobile Athlon 64 3400+

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3955WX

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium B960

2 / 2

1,019

+1.2%

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.

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 240e is positioned at rank 941 and the Pentium B960 is on rank 1144, so the Athlon II X2 240e 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 X2 240e

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

23831%

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

22518%

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

16350%

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

4926%

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

3902%

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

3413%

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

1955%

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

1929%

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

1757%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

1757%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

1737%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

1690%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

1666%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

1660%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

1645%

#941

Athlon II X2 240e

MSRP: $77|Avg: $77

100%

#942

Pentium G630T

MSRP: $79|Avg: $15

100%

#944

Core i7-3970X Extreme Edition

MSRP: $990|Avg: $175

100%

#946

Core i5-650

MSRP: $176|Avg: $22

98%

#947

Phenom X3 8600

MSRP: $100|Avg: $20

97%

#948

A10-6790B

MSRP: $122|Avg: $50

97%

#949

Core i3-6100TE

MSRP: $250|Avg: $90

96%

#950

FX-4320

MSRP: $250|Avg: $100

96%

#951

Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition

MSRP: $990|Avg: $150

96%

#952

Celeron E1200

MSRP: $53|Avg: $98

96%

#954

Core i5-660

MSRP: $196|Avg: $150

95%

#955

Athlon II X2 250

MSRP: $87|Avg: $15

95%

#956

Core i3-2120T

MSRP: $127|Avg: $38

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar Pentium B960

#1132

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

3861%

#1133

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

3804%

#1134

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

3492%

#1135

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

3476%

#1136

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

3444%

#1138

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

3326%

#1139

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

3189%

#1140

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

3184%

#1141

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

3099%

#1144

Pentium B960

MSRP: $134|Avg: $15

100%

#1146

Pentium 957

MSRP: $134|Avg: $10

100%

#1147

Core 2 Duo SL9400

MSRP: $284|Avg: N/A

99%

#1149

Pentium N3540

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

99%

#1150

Core i7-3555LE

MSRP: $300|Avg: $280

98%

#1151

Core i3-2377M

MSRP: $250|Avg: N/A

97%

#1152

Core 2 Duo E8435

MSRP: $150|Avg: $74

97%

#1153

Celeron M 723

MSRP: $161|Avg: $161

96%

#1154

Core M-5Y51

MSRP: $281|Avg: $281

95%

#1155

Core i7-3517UE

MSRP: $330|Avg: $35

95%

#1156

Pentium N3530

MSRP: $161|Avg: $20

95%

#1157

Core i3-330E

MSRP: $177|Avg: $89

94%

#1159

Core i7-2640M

MSRP: $346|Avg: N/A

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Athlon II X2 240e leads in gaming performance. However, the Pentium B960 is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 1.2% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Athlon II X2 240e	Pentium B960
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($77)	✅ More affordable ($15)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Regor (2009−2013) / 45 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) / 32 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Efficiency: Even within a comparison of older hardware, the Pentium B960 stands out as the superior choice. It is effectively 81% cheaper ($15 vs $77) while identifying as the stronger performer.

Insight	Athlon II X2 240e	Pentium B960
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	✅ Better overall value (+419%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($77)	✅ More affordable ($15)

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 X2 240e Benchmark Check

Pentium B960 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II X2 240e and Pentium B960

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 B960

The Pentium B960 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2 October 2011 (14 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 2.2 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: 1,019 points. Launch price was $134.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Athlon II X2 240e and Pentium B960 share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Athlon II X2 240e versus 2.2 GHz on the Pentium B960 — a 24% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 240e (base: 2.8 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Athlon II X2 240e uses the Regor (2009−2013) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium B960 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X2 240e scores 1,007 against the Pentium B960's 1,019 — a 1.2% lead for the Pentium B960. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 240e vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium B960.

Feature	Athlon II X2 240e	Pentium B960
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.8 GHz+27%	2.2 GHz
Base Clock	2.8 GHz+27%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	256K (per core)
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	Regor (2009−2013)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,007	1,019+1%
Geekbench 6 Single	—	383
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	679

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon II X2 240e uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium B960 uses PGA988 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 1333 on the Athlon II X2 240e versus DDR3-1333 on the Pentium B960 — the Athlon II X2 240e supports 199.1% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 16 of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 0 (Athlon II X2 240e) vs 16 (Pentium B960) — the Pentium B960 offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AM2+,AM3 (Athlon II X2 240e) and HM76 (Pentium B960).

Feature	Athlon II X2 240e	Pentium B960
Socket	AM3	PGA988
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	1333+44333%	DDR3-1333
Max RAM Capacity	16	16 GB+104857500%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	❌	❌
PCIe Lanes	0	16

🔧

Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization: true (Athlon II X2 240e) / not specified (Pentium B960). The Pentium B960 includes integrated graphics (HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)), while the Athlon II X2 240e requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Pentium B960 targets Budget. Direct competitor: Athlon II X2 240e rivals Pentium E5400; Pentium B960 rivals AMD A8-3500M.

Feature	Athlon II X2 240e	Pentium B960
Integrated GPU	No	Yes
IGPU Model	None	HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)
Unlocked	No	No
AVX-512	No	No
Virtualization	true	—
Target Use	—	Budget

💰

Value Analysis

The Athlon II X2 240e launched at $77 MSRP, while the Pentium B960 debuted at $134. At current prices ($77 vs $15), the Pentium B960 is $62 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon II X2 240e delivers 13.1 pts/$ vs 67.9 pts/$ for the Pentium B960 — making the Pentium B960 the 135.4% better value option.