Athlon II X4 740 vs PRO A12-9800B

Athlon II X4 740 vs PRO A12-9800B Performance Spectrum

Athlon II X4 740

4 / 4

2,677

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

PRO A12-9800B

4 / 4

2,705

+1.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

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 X4 740 vs PRO A12-9800B 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 X4 740 vs PRO A12-9800B: 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 X4 740

2012

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (2,677 vs 2,705).
❌Launch MSRP is still $71 MSRP, while PRO A12-9800B mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.
❌3150% higher power demand at 65W vs 2W.

PRO A12-9800B

2016

Why buy it

✅+1% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 2W instead of 65W, a 63W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer obvious downsides in this matchup outside of normal market pricing swings.

Quick Answers

So, is PRO A12-9800B better than Athlon II X4 740?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon II X4 740 is ahead with a 0.5% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, PRO A12-9800B pulls ahead with 1% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, PRO A12-9800B is the stronger fit. You are getting 1% better PassMark, backed by 4 cores and 4 threads.

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

PRO A12-9800B is still the much better call for a fresh build. PRO A12-9800B comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $71 MSRP, and it still gives you 1% better PassMark. Athlon II X4 740 only looks stronger on raw value math because it is extremely cheap, but that usually means used-market pricing on an obsolete 2012 platform. Even with 100.0% better value on paper (37.7 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), it really only makes sense as a cheap stopgap or a niche existing-platform option for someone already on FM2.

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

PRO A12-9800B makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2016 vs 2012) and more multi-core headroom with 4 cores / 4 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon II X4 740 vs PRO A12-9800B Technical Specifications

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

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.

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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%

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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.