Athlon Silver 3050e vs Core i5-4308U

Athlon Silver 3050e vs Core i5-4308U Performance Spectrum

Athlon Silver 3050e

2 / 4

2,979

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Core i5-4308U

2 / 4

2,978

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 Silver 3050e vs Core i5-4308U 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 Silver 3050e vs Core i5-4308U: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Athlon Silver 3050e

2020

Why buy it

✅+0% higher PassMark.
✅+33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).
✅Draws 1W instead of 512W, a 511W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Launch MSRP is still $100 MSRP, while Core i5-4308U mostly shows up through inconsistent older-market listings.

Core i5-4308U

2014

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (2,978 vs 2,979).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (3 MB vs 4 MB).
❌51100% higher power demand at 512W vs 1W.

Quick Answers

So, is Athlon Silver 3050e better than Core i5-4308U?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Core i5-4308U is ahead with a 0.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Silver 3050e pulls ahead with 0% better PassMark. Athlon Silver 3050e also has the bigger cache pool with 33.3% larger total L3 cache (4 MB vs 3 MB).

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Athlon Silver 3050e is the stronger fit. You are getting 0% 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 Silver 3050e is the better buy right now. Athlon Silver 3050e comes in at an unclear MSRP at $100 MSRP versus unclear MSRP, and it still gives you 0% better PassMark. The compromise is that Core i5-4308U is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 0.9% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 100.0% better value on MSRP (29.8 vs 0.0 PassMark/$), 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 Silver 3050e makes more sense long term for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2020 vs 2014), 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 Silver 3050e vs Core i5-4308U Technical Specifications

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

Athlon Silver 3050e

The Athlon Silver 3050e is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Dali (Zen) (2020) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 1.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.8 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: FP5. Thermal design power (TDP): 1 MB + 4 MB. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,979 points. Launch price was $149.

Core i5-4308U

The Core i5-4308U is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 21 July 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.8 GHz, with boost up to 3.3 GHz. L3 cache: 3 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA1168. Thermal design power (TDP): 28 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 2,978 points. Launch price was $315.

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Processing Power

Both the Athlon Silver 3050e and Core i5-4308U share an identical 2-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 2.8 GHz on the Athlon Silver 3050e versus 3.3 GHz on the Core i5-4308U — a 16.4% clock advantage for the Core i5-4308U (base: 1.4 GHz vs 2.8 GHz). The Athlon Silver 3050e uses the Dali (Zen) (2020) architecture (14 nm), while the Core i5-4308U uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon Silver 3050e scores 2,979 against the Core i5-4308U's 2,978 — a 0% lead for the Athlon Silver 3050e. L3 cache: 4 MB on the Athlon Silver 3050e vs 3 MB on the Core i5-4308U.

Feature	Athlon Silver 3050e	Core i5-4308U
Cores / Threads	2 / 4	2 / 4
Boost Clock	2.8 GHz	3.3 GHz+18%
Base Clock	1.4 GHz	2.8 GHz+100%
L3 Cache	4 MB+33%	3 MB
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	512 kB
Process	14 nm-36%	22 nm
Architecture	Dali (Zen) (2020)	Haswell (2013−2015)
PassMark	2,979	2,978
Cinebench R23 Multi	1,175	—
Geekbench 6 Single	758	—
Geekbench 6 Multi	1,494	—

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Memory & Platform

The Athlon Silver 3050e uses the FP5 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Core i5-4308U uses FCBGA1168 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard. Maximum memory speed reaches 2400 on the Athlon Silver 3050e versus DDR3L-1600 on the Core i5-4308U — the Athlon Silver 3050e supports 50% faster memory, which can translate to measurable gains in memory-sensitive workloads. The Athlon Silver 3050e supports up to 32 GB of RAM compared to 16 GB — 100% more capacity for professional workloads. Both feature 2-channel memory with ECC support. PCIe lanes: 8 (Athlon Silver 3050e) vs 12 (Core i5-4308U) — the Core i5-4308U offers 4 more lanes for additional GPUs or NVMe drives.

Feature	Athlon Silver 3050e	Core i5-4308U
Socket	FP5	FCBGA1168
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	2400+50%	DDR3L-1600
Max RAM Capacity	32 GB+100%	16 GB
RAM Channels	2	2
ECC Support	No	No
PCIe Lanes	8	12+50%

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Advanced Features

Neither processor supports overclocking. Virtualization support: true (Athlon Silver 3050e) vs VT-x, VT-d (Core i5-4308U). Both include integrated graphics — Radeon Vega 3 (Athlon Silver 3050e) and Iris Graphics 5100 (Core i5-4308U) — useful as a fallback for troubleshooting or display output without a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i5-4308U targets Mobile.