Athlon PRO 300U vs Core i3-7130U

Athlon PRO 300U vs Core i3-7130U Performance Spectrum

Athlon PRO 300U

2 / 4

4,080

+0.6%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i3-7130U

2 / 4

4,055

0.0%

Core i7-940XM

Celeron G4950

Pentium Gold G5400T

Pentium Dual Core T3200

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 300U vs Core i3-7130U 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 300U vs Core i3-7130U: 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 300U

2019

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +7.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).

Trade-offs

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

Core i3-7130U

2017

Why buy it

✅50% more PCIe lanes (12 vs 8) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Athlon PRO 300U across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌Lower PassMark (4,055 vs 4,080).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (3 MB vs 4 MB).

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon PRO 300U better than Core i3-7130U?

Yes. Athlon PRO 300U is the better all-around CPU here. It gives you a 7.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 0.6% better PassMark, and the stronger long-term platform, which is enough to make it the stronger overall pick.

Which one is better for gaming?

If gaming is the priority, Athlon PRO 300U is the better pick. According to our tests, it delivers 7.7% more average FPS across 50 shared CPU game tests.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon PRO 300U is the stronger fit. You are getting 0.6% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads. It also has the larger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).

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

Athlon PRO 300U still makes the most sense overall. Athlon PRO 300U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you a 7.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data.

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

Athlon PRO 300U makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2019 vs 2017), 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 2 cores / 4 threads instead of 2/4. That extra compute headroom is more likely to matter as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Athlon PRO 300U vs Core i3-7130U Technical Specifications

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

Athlon PRO 300U

The Athlon PRO 300U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 512K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4 Dual-channel. Passmark benchmark score: 4,080 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i3-7130U

The Core i3-7130U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 12 June 2017 (8 years ago). It is based on the Kaby Lake-U (2017) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.7 GHz, with boost up to 2.7 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: BGA1356. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 4,055 points. Launch price was $281.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Athlon PRO 300U and Core i3-7130U share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon PRO 300U versus 2.7 GHz on the Core i3-7130U — a 20% clock advantage for the Athlon PRO 300U (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2.7 GHz). The Athlon PRO 300U uses the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i3-7130U uses Kaby Lake-U (2017) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon PRO 300U scores 4,080 against the Core i3-7130U's 4,055 — a 0.6% lead for the Athlon PRO 300U. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon PRO 300U vs 3 MB on the Core i3-7130U.

Feature	Athlon PRO 300U	Core i3-7130U
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz+22%	2.7 GHz
Base Clock	2.4 GHz	2.7 GHz+13%
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)+33%	3 MB
L2 Cache	512K (per core)	512 kB
Process	14 nm	14 nm
Architecture	Raven Ridge 2 (2019)	Kaby Lake-U (2017)
PassMark	4,080	4,055
Geekbench 6 Single	—	900

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon PRO 300U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-7130U uses BGA1356 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches DDR4-2400 on the Athlon PRO 300U versus DDR4-2133 on the Core i3-7130U — the Athlon PRO 300U supports 12.5% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. Both support up to 32 GB of RAM. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 8 (Athlon PRO 300U) vs 12 (Core i3-7130U) — the Core i3-7130U offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Athlon PRO 300U	Core i3-7130U
Socket	FP5	BGA1356
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2400+13%	DDR4-2133
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	32 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	8	12+50%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Athlon PRO 300U) / VT-x, VT-d, EPT (Core i3-7130U). Both include integrated graphics — AMD Radeon Vega 3 (Athlon PRO 300U) and HD Graphics 620 (Core i3-7130U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-7130U targets Mainstream Laptop. Direct competitor: Core i3-7130U rivals Ryzen 3 3250U.