Athlon II X3 400e vs Core i5-480M

The Athlon II X3 400e packs 3 cores / 3 threads, while the Core i5-480M offers 2 cores / 4 threads — the Athlon II X3 400e has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 2.2 GHz on the Athlon II X3 400e versus 2.93 GHz on the Core i5-480M — a 28.5% clock advantage for the Core i5-480M (base: 2.2 GHz vs 2.66 GHz). The Athlon II X3 400e uses the Rana (2009−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Core i5-480M uses Arrandale (2010−2011) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X3 400e scores 1,320 against the Core i5-480M's 1,327 — a 0.5% lead for the Core i5-480M. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X3 400e vs 3 MB (total) on the Core i5-480M.

The Athlon II X3 400e uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Core i5-480M uses PGA988 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR3-1333 on the Athlon II X3 400e versus 1066 on the Core i5-480M — the Core i5-480M supports 198.9% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Athlon II X3 400e supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 8 — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 0 (Athlon II X3 400e) vs 16 (Core i5-480M) — the Core i5-480M offers 16 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD AM3 (Athlon II X3 400e) and HM55,HM57,QM57 (Core i5-480M).

Virtualization: not specified (Athlon II X3 400e) / true (Core i5-480M). The Core i5-480M includes integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics (Ironlake)), while the Athlon II X3 400e requires a dedicated GPU. Direct competitor: Core i5-480M rivals AMD Turion II M620.

The Athlon II X3 400e launched at $100 MSRP, while the Core i5-480M debuted at $81. At current prices ($10 vs $77), the Athlon II X3 400e is $67 cheaper. In terms of value (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon II X3 400e delivers 132.0 pts/$ vs 17.2 pts/$ for the Core i5-480M — making the Athlon II X3 400e the 153.8% better value option.