Athlon II X4 740 vs PRO A12-9800B

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 X4 740 is positioned at rank 522 and the PRO A12-9800B is on rank 399, so the PRO A12-9800B 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 X4 740

#1

Ryzen 9 7950X

MSRP: $194|Avg: $20

8268%

#2

Core i9-10900T

MSRP: $120|Avg: $5

7813%

#3

Ryzen 3 PRO 4355GE

MSRP: $423|Avg: $5

5673%

#4

Ryzen Threadripper 3960X

MSRP: $1399|Avg: $85

1709%

#5

Ryzen 9 9950X

MSRP: $649|Avg: $129

1354%

#6

Ryzen 5 8400F

MSRP: $303|Avg: $55

1184%

#7

Ryzen 7 PRO 2700

MSRP: $299|Avg: $60

678%

#8

Ryzen 5 2600X

MSRP: $229|Avg: $55

669%

#9

Ryzen 3 PRO 5350G

MSRP: $150|Avg: $60

609%

#10

Core Ultra 5 245KF

MSRP: $294|Avg: $189

609%

#11

Ryzen 5 5500

MSRP: $159|Avg: $85

603%

#12

Ryzen 5 3600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $80

586%

#13

Core i3-9100E

MSRP: $202|Avg: $30

578%

#14

Core Ultra 5 245K

MSRP: $319|Avg: $200

576%

#15

Core i3-8300T

MSRP: $138|Avg: $25

571%

#374

Core i9-13900TE

MSRP: $554|Avg: $554

99%

#375

Ryzen Embedded V2546

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

96%

#522

Athlon II X4 740

MSRP: $71|Avg: $20

100%

#525

Celeron G1840T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $10

100%

#527

Pentium G4500

MSRP: $75|Avg: $34

99%

#528

Athlon X4 740

MSRP: $71|Avg: $71

99%

#529

Xeon E5-2608L v4

MSRP: $363|Avg: $174

99%

#531

Celeron G1610

MSRP: $42|Avg: $5

98%

#532

Core i3-7100

MSRP: $117|Avg: $40

98%

#533

Celeron G1620T

MSRP: $42|Avg: $15

97%

#536

Pentium G4400T

MSRP: $64|Avg: $75

96%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Per Dollar PRO A12-9800B

#120

Core i7-11850HE

MSRP: $400|Avg: $75

99%

#387

Atom x5-Z8300

MSRP: $20|Avg: N/A

542%

#388

Atom Z3735G

MSRP: $17|Avg: N/A

534%

#389

Core i5-480M

MSRP: $81|Avg: $77

491%

#390

Core i5-460M

MSRP: $80|Avg: $129

488%

#391

Core i5-2540M

MSRP: $266|Avg: $10

484%

#393

Core i5-450M

MSRP: $32|Avg: $31

467%

#394

Core i3-380M

MSRP: $49|Avg: $25

448%

#395

Core i5-430M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $33

447%

#396

Core 2 Duo T6600

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $4

435%

#399

PRO A12-9800B

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

Based on actual market prices and performance synthetic scores.

Performance Comparison

About PassMark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

Performance Trade-off: The Athlon II X4 740 leads in gaming performance. However, the PRO A12-9800B is the stronger candidate for professional workloads, offering 1% greater multi-core processing power.

Insight	Athlon II X4 740	PRO A12-9800B
Gaming	✅ Superior gaming performance	❌ Lower gaming performance
Workstation	❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks	✅ Better multi-core power
Price	⚠️ Higher cost ($20)	✅ More affordable ($0)
Longevity	🛑 Legacy (Piledriver / 32 nm)	🛑 Legacy (Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) / 28 nm)

💎 Value Proposition

Insight	Athlon II X4 740	PRO A12-9800B
Cost Efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency	❌ Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	⚠️ Higher cost ($20)	✅ More affordable ($0)

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 X4 740 Benchmark Check

PRO A12-9800B Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II X4 740 and PRO A12-9800B

Athlon II X4 740

The Athlon II X4 740 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 1 October 2012 (13 years ago). It is based on the Piledriver architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.7 GHz. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 32 nm process technology. Socket: FM2. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 watt. Passmark benchmark score: 2,677 points. Launch price was $71.

PRO A12-9800B

The PRO A12-9800B is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 1 June 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L2 cache: 2048 kB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FP4. Thermal design power (TDP): 2 MB. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,705 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Athlon II X4 740 and PRO A12-9800B share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.7 GHz on the Athlon II X4 740 versus 3.6 GHz on the PRO A12-9800B — a 2.7% clock advantage for the Athlon II X4 740 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Athlon II X4 740 uses the Piledriver architecture (32 nm), while the PRO A12-9800B uses Bristol Ridge (2016−2019) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X4 740 scores 2,677 against the PRO A12-9800B's 2,705 — a 1% lead for the PRO A12-9800B.

Feature	Athlon II X4 740	PRO A12-9800B
Cores / Threads	4 / 4	4 / 4
Boost Clock	3.7 GHz+3%	3.6 GHz
Base Clock	3.2 GHz+19%	2.7 GHz
L2 Cache	4 MB+100%	2048 kB
Process	32 nm	28 nm-13%
Architecture	Piledriver	Bristol Ridge (2016−2019)
PassMark	2,677	2,705+1%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon II X4 740 uses the FM2 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the PRO A12-9800B uses FP4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.