Athlon II X2 245 vs Phenom X3 8850
Athlon II X2 245
Phenom X3 8850
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 245 is positioned at rank 862 and the Phenom X3 8850 is on rank 516, so the Phenom X3 8850 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 245
Performance Per Dollar Phenom X3 8850
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon II X2 245 | Phenom X3 8850 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Regor (2009−2013) / 45 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Toliman (2008) / 65 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon II X2 245 | Phenom X3 8850 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ 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 245 and Phenom X3 8850
Athlon II X2 245
The Athlon II X2 245 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 23 July 2009 (16 years ago). It is based on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.9 GHz, with boost up to 2.9 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 2 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,134 points. Launch price was $35.
Phenom X3 8850
The Phenom X3 8850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Toliman (2008) architecture. It features 3 cores and 3 threads. Max frequency: 2.5 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 65 nm process technology. Socket: AM2+. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Passmark benchmark score: 1,142 points. Launch price was $149.
Processing Power
The Athlon II X2 245 packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the Phenom X3 8850 offers 3 cores / 3 threads — the Phenom X3 8850 has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 2.9 GHz on the Athlon II X2 245 versus 2.5 GHz on the Phenom X3 8850 — a 14.8% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 245. The Athlon II X2 245 uses the Regor (2009−2013) architecture (45 nm), while the Phenom X3 8850 uses Toliman (2008) (65 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X2 245 scores 1,134 against the Phenom X3 8850's 1,142 — a 0.7% lead for the Phenom X3 8850. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 245 vs 2 MB (total) on the Phenom X3 8850.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 245 | Phenom X3 8850 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 3 / 3+50% |
| Boost Clock | 2.9 GHz+16% | 2.5 GHz |
| Base Clock | 2.9 GHz | — |
| L3 Cache | 0 kB | 2 MB (total) |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+300% | 512 kB (per core) |
| Process | 45 nm-31% | 65 nm |
| Architecture | Regor (2009−2013) | Toliman (2008) |
| PassMark | 1,134 | 1,142 |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon II X2 245 uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Phenom X3 8850 uses AM2+ (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 245 | Phenom X3 8850 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM3 | AM2+ |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 2.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | 1333 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 0 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: true (Athlon II X2 245) / not specified (Phenom X3 8850). Direct competitor: Athlon II X2 245 rivals Pentium E5500.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 245 | Phenom X3 8850 |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| IGPU Model | None | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | true | — |
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