Athlon PRO 200GE vs PRO A12-8870

Athlon PRO 200GE vs PRO A12-8870 Performance Spectrum

Athlon PRO 200GE

2 / 4

3,816

+0.3%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

PRO A12-8870

4 / 4

3,805

0.0%

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 PRO 200GE vs PRO A12-8870 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 PRO 200GE vs PRO A12-8870: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each CPU makes more sense in practice: gaming, heavier work, platform cost, power draw, and upgrade path.

Athlon PRO 200GE

2018

Why buy it

✅+0.3% higher PassMark.
✅Draws 35W instead of 65W, a 30W reduction.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (8 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with AMD Radeon Vega 3, while PRO A12-8870 needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than PRO A12-8870 across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Launch MSRP is still $55 MSRP, while PRO A12-8870 mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

PRO A12-8870

2016

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +6.2% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (3,805 vs 3,816).
❌85.7% higher power demand at 65W vs 35W.
❌No integrated graphics, while Athlon PRO 200GE can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon PRO 200GE better than PRO A12-8870?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, PRO A12-8870 is ahead with a 6.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon PRO 200GE pulls ahead with 0.3% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon PRO 200GE is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.3% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

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

Athlon PRO 200GE is the better buy right now. Athlon PRO 200GE comes in at an unclear MSRP at $55 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0.3% better PassMark. The compromise is that PRO A12-8870 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 6.2% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (69.4 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), so you are getting the faster CPU without taking a value hit on paper.

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

Athlon PRO 200GE makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2018 vs 2016) and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 2 threads instead of 4/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon PRO 200GE vs PRO A12-8870 Technical Specifications

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

Athlon PRO 200GE

The Athlon PRO 200GE is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Zen (2017−2020) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.2 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 35 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 3,816 points. Launch price was $149.

PRO A12-8870

The PRO A12-8870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Outubro 2016 (9 years ago). It is based on the Carrizo (2015−2018) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.7 GHz, with boost up to 4.2 GHz. L2 cache: 2048 kB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: AM4. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR4-2400. Passmark benchmark score: 3,805 points. Launch price was $69.

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Processing Power

The Athlon PRO 200GE packs 2 cores / 2 threads, while the PRO A12-8870 offers 4 cores / 4 threads — the PRO A12-8870 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.2 GHz on the Athlon PRO 200GE versus 4.2 GHz on the PRO A12-8870 — a 27% clock advantage for the PRO A12-8870 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 3.7 GHz). The Athlon PRO 200GE uses the Zen (2017−2020) architecture (14 nm), while the PRO A12-8870 uses Carrizo (2015−2018) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon PRO 200GE scores 3,816 against the PRO A12-8870's 3,805 — a 0.3% lead for the Athlon PRO 200GE.

Feature	Athlon PRO 200GE	PRO A12-8870
Cores / Threads	2 / 2	4 / 4+100%
Boost Clock	3.2 GHz	4.2 GHz+31%
Base Clock	3.2 GHz	3.7 GHz+16%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	—
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	2048 kB+300%
Process	14 nm-50%	28 nm
Architecture	Zen (2017−2020)	Carrizo (2015−2018)
PassMark	3,816	3,805