Athlon PRO 300U vs Core i3-8145UE

Athlon PRO 300U vs Core i3-8145UE Performance Spectrum

Athlon PRO 300U

2 / 4

4,080

+1.5%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i3-8145UE

2 / 4

4,021

0.0%

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 i3-8145UE 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 i3-8145UE: 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: +5.8% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.

Trade-offs

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

Core i3-8145UE

2018

Why buy it

✅100% more PCIe lanes (16 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 (4,021 vs 4,080).
❌Launch MSRP is still $281 MSRP, while Athlon PRO 300U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon PRO 300U better than Core i3-8145UE?

Yes. Athlon PRO 300U is the better all-around CPU here. It gives you a 5.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data, 1.5% 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 5.8% 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 1.5% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 4 threads.

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

Athlon PRO 300U is the easy recommendation for a fresh desktop build. Athlon PRO 300U comes in at an unclear MSRP at unclear MSRP versus $281 MSRP, and it still gives you a 5.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. Core i3-8145UE only looks good on raw value math because it is a cheap legacy laptop chip, not because it is a real desktop gaming recommendation. It simply does not keep up in modern games, especially when the gap is already 5.8% in the shared gaming 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 2018) 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 i3-8145UE 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 i3-8145UE

The Core i3-8145UE is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256 kB (per core). Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1528. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 4,021 points. Launch price was $69.

⚡

Processing Power

Both the Athlon PRO 300U and Core i3-8145UE share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon PRO 300U versus 3.9 GHz on the Core i3-8145UE — a 16.7% clock advantage for the Core i3-8145UE (base: 2.4 GHz vs 2.2 GHz). The Athlon PRO 300U uses the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i3-8145UE uses Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019) (10 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon PRO 300U scores 4,080 against the Core i3-8145UE's 4,021 — a 1.5% lead for the Athlon PRO 300U. Both processors carry 4 MB (total) of L3 cache.

Feature	Athlon PRO 300U	Core i3-8145UE
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	3.3 GHz	3.9 GHz+18%
Base Clock	2.4 GHz+9%	2.2 GHz
L3 Cache	4 MB (total)	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	512K (per core)+100%	256 kB (per core)
Process	14 nm	10 nm-29%
Architecture	Raven Ridge 2 (2019)	Whiskey Lake-U (2018−2019)
PassMark	4,080+1%	4,021
Cinebench R23 Multi	—	2,356
Geekbench 6 Single	—	1,218
Geekbench 6 Multi	—	2,356

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon PRO 300U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i3-8145UE uses FCBGA1528 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2400 memory speed. The Core i3-8145UE supports up to 64 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 100% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 8 (Athlon PRO 300U) vs 16 (Core i3-8145UE) — the Core i3-8145UE offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD FP5 (Athlon PRO 300U) and Whiskey Lake (Core i3-8145UE).

Feature	Athlon PRO 300U	Core i3-8145UE
Socket	FP5	FCBGA1528
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2400	DDR4-2400
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB	64 GB+100%
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	Yes	No
PCIe Lanes	8	16+100%

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: not specified (Athlon PRO 300U) / VT-x, VT-d (Core i3-8145UE). Both include integrated graphics — AMD Radeon Vega 3 (Athlon PRO 300U) and UHD 620 (Core i3-8145UE) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i3-8145UE targets Budget. Direct competitor: Core i3-8145UE rivals Ryzen 3 3200U.