Athlon II X3 415e vs Pentium 987

Athlon II X3 415e vs Pentium 987 Performance Spectrum

Athlon II X3 415e

3 / 3

1,481

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium 987

2 / 2

1,487

+0.4%

Celeron J1800

Pentium Dual-Core E2200

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 X3 415e vs Pentium 987 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 X3 415e vs Pentium 987: 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 X3 415e

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $59 less on MSRP ($75 MSRP vs $134 MSRP).
✅Delivers 77.9% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 19.7 vs 11.1 PassMark/$ ($75 MSRP vs $134 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (1,481 vs 1,487).
❌164.7% higher power demand at 45W vs 17W.

Pentium 987

2013

Why buy it

✅+0.4% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 17W instead of 45W, a 28W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 11.1 vs 19.7 PassMark/$ ($134 MSRP vs $75 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium 987 better than Athlon II X3 415e?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon II X3 415e is ahead with a 1.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium 987 pulls ahead with 0.4% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium 987 is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.4% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

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

Pentium 987 is still the much better call for a fresh build. Pentium 987 comes in 78.7% more expensive on MSRP at $134 MSRP versus $75 MSRP, and it still gives you 0.4% better PassMark. Athlon II X3 415e only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2010 platform. Even with 77.9% better value on paper (19.7 vs 11.1 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on AM3.

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

Pentium 987 makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2013 vs 2010) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 3/3. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon II X3 415e vs Pentium 987 Technical Specifications

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

Athlon II X3 415e

The Athlon II X3 415e is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 11 May 2010 (15 years ago). It is based on the Rana (2009−2011) architecture. It features 3 cores and 3 threads. Base frequency is 2.5 GHz, with boost up to 2.5 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 512 kB (per core). Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 45 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,481 points. Launch price was $75.

Pentium 987

The Pentium 987 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 February 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 1.5 GHz, with boost up to 1.5 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1023. Thermal design power (TDP): 17 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,487 points. Launch price was $134.

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Processing Power

The Athlon II X3 415e packs 3 cores / 3 threads, while the Pentium 987 offers 2 cores / 2 threads — the Athlon II X3 415e has 1 more core. Boost clocks reach 2.5 GHz on the Athlon II X3 415e versus 1.5 GHz on the Pentium 987 — a 50% clock advantage for the Athlon II X3 415e (base: 2.5 GHz vs 1.5 GHz). The Athlon II X3 415e uses the Rana (2009−2011) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium 987 uses Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) (32 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X3 415e scores 1,481 against the Pentium 987's 1,487 — a 0.4% lead for the Pentium 987. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X3 415e vs 2 MB (total) on the Pentium 987.

Feature	Athlon II X3 415e	Pentium 987
Cores / Threads	3 / 3+50%	2 / 2
Boost Clock	2.5 GHz+67%	1.5 GHz
Base Clock	2.5 GHz+67%	1.5 GHz
L3 Cache	0 kB	2 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512 kB (per core)+100%	256K (per core)
Process	45 nm	32 nm-29%
Architecture	Rana (2009−2011)	Sandy Bridge (2011−2013)
PassMark	1,481	1,487

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon II X3 415e uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 987 uses BGA1023 (PCIe 2.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon II X3 415e	Pentium 987
Socket	AM3	BGA1023
PCIe Generation	PCIe 2.0	PCIe 2.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-1333	—
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	0	—

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Athlon II X3 415e was priced at $75, while the Pentium 987 came in at $134. On launch pricing ($75 vs $134), Athlon II X3 415e was $59 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon II X3 415e delivers 19.7 pts/$ vs 11.1 pts/$ for the Pentium 987 — making the Athlon II X3 415e the 56.1% better value option.

Feature	Athlon II X3 415e	Pentium 987
MSRP	$75-44%	$134
Performance per Dollar	19.7+77%	11.1
Release Date	2010	2013

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