Athlon X4 850 vs Pentium G4500

Athlon X4 850 vs Pentium G4500 Performance Spectrum

Athlon X4 850

4 / 4

2,756

0.0%

Ryzen Threadripper PRO 7955WX

Ryzen Threadripper 3990X

Pentium G4500

2 / 2

2,800

+1.6%

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 X4 850 vs Pentium G4500 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 X4 850 vs Pentium G4500: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Athlon X4 850

2015

Why buy it

✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (2,756 vs 2,800).
❌
2.7% HIGHER MSRP
$77 MSRPvs$75 MSRP
❌27.5% higher power demand at 65W vs 51W.

Pentium G4500

2015

Why buy it

✅+1.6% higher PassMark.
✅Costs $2 less on MSRP ($75 MSRP vs $77 MSRP).
✅Draws 51W instead of 65W, a 14W reduction.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is Pentium G4500 better than Athlon X4 850?

It depends on what you want from the system. For gaming, Athlon X4 850 is ahead with a 0.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. For rendering, compiling, streaming, and heavier multitasking, Pentium G4500 pulls ahead with 1.6% better PassMark.

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

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Pentium G4500 is the stronger fit. You are getting 1.6% better PassMark, backed by 2 cores and 2 threads.

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

Pentium G4500 is the better buy right now. Pentium G4500 comes in $2 cheaper on MSRP at $75 MSRP versus $77 MSRP, and it still gives you 1.6% better PassMark. The compromise is that Athlon X4 850 is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 0.8% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 4.3% better value on MSRP (37.3 vs 35.8 PassMark/$), so you are getting the faster CPU without taking a value hit on paper.

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

Pentium G4500 is the safer long-term CPU choice because it gives you more room to grow and a better platform outlook.

Athlon X4 850 vs Pentium G4500 Technical Specifications

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

Athlon X4 850

The Athlon X4 850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 2009-01-01. It is based on the Godaveri (2014−2016) architecture. It features 4 cores and 4 threads. Base frequency is 3.2 GHz, with boost up to 3.9 GHz. L2 cache: 4 MB. Built on 28 nm process technology. Socket: FM2+. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR3-2133. Passmark benchmark score: 2,756 points. Launch price was $149.

Pentium G4500

The Pentium G4500 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 1 September 2015 (10 years ago). It is based on the Skylake (2015−2016) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3.5 GHz, with boost up to 3.5 GHz. L3 cache: 4 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 51 Watt. Memory support: DDR3, DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 2,800 points. Launch price was $82.

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Processing Power

The Athlon X4 850 packs 4 cores / 4 threads, while the Pentium G4500 offers 2 cores / 2 threads — the Athlon X4 850 has 2 more cores. Boost clocks reach 3.9 GHz on the Athlon X4 850 versus 3.5 GHz on the Pentium G4500 — a 10.8% clock advantage for the Athlon X4 850 (base: 3.2 GHz vs 3.5 GHz). The Athlon X4 850 uses the Godaveri (2014−2016) architecture (28 nm), while the Pentium G4500 uses Skylake (2015−2016) (14 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon X4 850 scores 2,756 against the Pentium G4500's 2,800 — a 1.6% lead for the Pentium G4500.

Feature	Athlon X4 850	Pentium G4500
Cores / Threads	4 / 4+100%	2 / 2
Boost Clock	3.9 GHz+11%	3.5 GHz
Base Clock	3.2 GHz	3.5 GHz+9%
L3 Cache	—	4 MB (total)
L2 Cache	4 MB	256K (per core)+6300%
Process	28 nm	14 nm-50%
Architecture	Godaveri (2014−2016)	Skylake (2015−2016)
PassMark	2,756	2,800+2%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Athlon X4 850 uses the FM2+ socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Pentium G4500 uses LGA1151 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Athlon X4 850	Pentium G4500
Socket	FM2+	LGA1151
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 3.0
Max RAM Speed	DDR3-2133	—
Max RAM Capacity	64 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon X4 850) / not specified (Pentium G4500). Primary use case: Athlon X4 850 targets Desktop.

Feature	Athlon X4 850	Pentium G4500
Integrated GPU	No	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	AMD-V	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Athlon X4 850 was priced at $77, while the Pentium G4500 came in at $75. On launch pricing ($77 vs $75), Pentium G4500 was $2 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Athlon X4 850 delivers 35.8 pts/$ vs 37.3 pts/$ for the Pentium G4500 — making the Pentium G4500 the 4.2% better value option.

Feature	Athlon X4 850	Pentium G4500
MSRP	$77	$75-3%
Performance per Dollar	35.8	37.3+4%
Release Date	2015	2015

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