Athlon PRO 300U vs Core i7-9700K
Athlon PRO 300U
Core i7-9700K
Performance Spectrum - CPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. The Athlon PRO 300U is positioned at rank #1006 in our cost-efficiency ranking, representing a Lower cost-benefit for your build. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon PRO 300U
Performance Per Dollar Core i7-9700K
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon PRO 300U | Core i7-9700K |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ❌ Lower gaming performance | ✅ Superior gaming performance |
| Workstation | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks | ✅ Better multi-core power |
| Price | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($200) |
| Longevity | ✨ Modern (Raven Ridge 2 (2019) / 14 nm) | ✨ Modern (Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) / 14 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon PRO 300U | Core i7-9700K |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅ More affordable ($0) | ⚠️ Higher cost ($200) |
Performance Check
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.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Athlon PRO 300U and Core i7-9700K
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 i7-9700K
The Core i7-9700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,397 points. Launch price was $374.
Processing Power
The Athlon PRO 300U packs 2 cores / 4 threads, while the Core i7-9700K offers 8 cores / 8 threads — the Core i7-9700K has 6 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.3 GHz on the Athlon PRO 300U versus 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K — a 39% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 2.4 GHz vs 3.6 GHz). The Athlon PRO 300U uses the Raven Ridge 2 (2019) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i7-9700K uses Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon PRO 300U scores 4,080 against the Core i7-9700K's 14,397 — a 111.7% lead for the Core i7-9700K. L3 cache: 4 MB (total) on the Athlon PRO 300U vs 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K.
| Feature | Athlon PRO 300U | Core i7-9700K |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 4 | 8 / 8+300% |
| Boost Clock | 3.3 GHz | 4.9 GHz+48% |
| Base Clock | 2.4 GHz | 3.6 GHz+50% |
| L3 Cache | 4 MB (total) | 12 MB (total)+200% |
| L2 Cache | 512K (per core)+100% | 256K (per core) |
| Process | 14 nm | 14 nm |
| Architecture | Raven Ridge 2 (2019) | Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) |
| PassMark | 4,080 | 14,397+253% |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon PRO 300U uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i7-9700K uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Both support up to DDR4-2400 memory speed. The Core i7-9700K supports up to 128 GB of RAM compared to 32 GB — 120% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 8 (Athlon PRO 300U) vs 16 (Core i7-9700K) — the Core i7-9700K offers 8 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives. Chipset compatibility: AMD FP5 (Athlon PRO 300U) and Intel 300 series (Core i7-9700K).
| Feature | Athlon PRO 300U | Core i7-9700K |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FP5 | LGA1151 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR4-2400 | DDR4-2666 |
| Max RAM Capacity | 32 GB | 128 GB+300% |
| RAM Channels | 2 | 2 |
| ECC Support | ✅ | ❌ |
| PCIe Lanes | 8 | 16+100% |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: not specified (Athlon PRO 300U) / VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K). Both include integrated graphics — AMD Radeon Vega 3 (Athlon PRO 300U) and UHD Graphics 630 (Core i7-9700K) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.
| Feature | Athlon PRO 300U | Core i7-9700K |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | Yes | Yes |
| IGPU Model | AMD Radeon Vega 3 | UHD Graphics 630 |
| Unlocked | — | Yes |
| AVX-512 | — | No |
| Virtualization | — | VT-x, VT-d |
| Target Use | — | Desktop |
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The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
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