Athlon X4 840 vs Opteron X3421
Athlon X4 840
Opteron X3421
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. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Athlon X4 840 is positioned at rank 563 and the Opteron X3421 is on rank 102, so the Opteron X3421 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon X4 840
Performance Per Dollar Opteron X3421
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon X4 840 | Opteron X3421 |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($25) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Kaveri (2014−2015) / 28 nm) | ✨ Modern (Excavator (2017−2018) / 28 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon X4 840 | Opteron X3421 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($25) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
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 X4 840 and Opteron X3421
Athlon X4 840
The Athlon X4 840 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Kaveri (2014−2015) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.8 GHz. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FM2+. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 3,331 points. Launch price was $149.
Opteron X3421
The Opteron X3421 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2015-01-01. It is based on the Excavator (2017−2018) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 2.1 GHz, with boost up to 3.4 GHz. L2 cache: 2 MB (total). Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FP4. Thermal design power (TDP): 15 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 3,306 points. Launch price was $800.
Processing Power
Both the Athlon X4 840 and Opteron X3421 share an identical 4-core/4-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.8 GHz on the Athlon X4 840 versus 3.4 GHz on the Opteron X3421 — a 11.1% clock advantage for the Athlon X4 840 (base: 3.1 GHz vs 2.1 GHz). The Athlon X4 840 uses the Kaveri (2014−2015) architecture (28 nm), while the Opteron X3421 uses Excavator (2017−2018) (28 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon X4 840 scores 3,331 against the Opteron X3421's 3,306 — a 0.8% lead for the Athlon X4 840.
| Feature | Athlon X4 840 | Opteron X3421 |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 |
| Boost Clock | 3.8 GHz+12% | 3.4 GHz |
| Base Clock | 3.1 GHz+48% | 2.1 GHz |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+100% | 2 MB (total) |
| Process | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Architecture | Kaveri (2014−2015) | Excavator (2017−2018) |
| PassMark | 3,331 | 3,306 |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon X4 840 uses the FM2+ socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Opteron X3421 uses FP4 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon X4 840 | Opteron X3421 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | FM2+ | FP4 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR3-2133 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 64 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ❌ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 16 | — |
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The most powerful cpus ranked by PassMark CPU Mark benchmark scores.
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